Samara Weaving Shares Mortifying Audition Tale: Reading Steamy Scenes with Her Parents

Samara Weaving has opened up about one of her most embarrassing audition moments—one that involved the Fifty Shades of Grey films and her unsuspecting parents.

During an appearance on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast with host Amanda Hirsch, the actress recounted the awkward experience. She clarified that she wasn't auditioning for the lead role of Anastasia Steele, but rather for Kate, Anastasia's best friend—a part that ultimately went to Eloise Mumford.

The initial audition took place in a crowded room filled with other actresses vying for the same role. After that first session, Weaving flew back to Australia to spend time with her family at their remote property on the South Coast.

That's when things took an uncomfortable turn. "I get a call from my agent going, 'You've got a call back,'" she explained. With no casting directors or other actors nearby to read opposite her, Weaving realized she had only one option: ask her parents to help.

She first turned to her mother. "I sit down and I'm like, 'Mom, just like don't even look at me. Just say the lines,'" Weaving recalled. Her mother, however, had other ideas. "And she was staring at me going, 'Why are you doing that with your mouth?' Like, 'What are you doing with your eyes? Like, why are you sounding like that? Do you sure you want to do a red lip?'" The actress laughed as she recounted firing her mom from the task.

Next came her father's turn. Weaving asked him to simply read the lines robotically without any interpretation. Instead, he took the opposite approach, fully committing to the character of Dakota Johnson's role. "He like took on the role of Dakota Johnson and it's going, 'It was amazing. Can you believe?'" she said, describing the moment as too much to bear.

Ultimately, the experience proved too mortifying to continue. "The trauma is too much. The movie will just pay for my like therapy that I need. So, let's just call it a day and not be a part of this," Weaving joked about her decision to abandon the audition altogether.

The full episode of Not Skinny But Not Fat featuring Weaving aired on Tuesday, June 9, at midnight PST.