Tony Winner Jennifer Ehle Tapped to Play Self-Centered Mom in Fifty Shades of Grey Film

Mom of Steele! Two-time Tony-winning stage and screen actress Jennifer Ehle has signed on to play Anastasia Steele’s flighty mother Carla in the new movie adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ehle joins previously announced stars Dakota Johnson (21 Jump Street) as Anastasia and Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim) as her whip-toting love interest, Christian Grey.

In the book, Carla is described as a selfish and financially irresponsible mother with “the attention span of a goldfish.” Her greatest words of wisdom to her daughter? “Never trust a man who can dance.” If you’ve been living under a rock, Fifty Shades of Grey is a 2011 erotic romance novel written by E.L. James. The book tells the story of a 21-year-old college student who falls for Christian Grey, a young business mogul with a penchant for bondage. The new film adaptation will be directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, with a screenplay by Kelly Marcel.

Ehle is having an awesome week—she’ll also be starring in the new heist film The Forger, starring John Travolta and Tony winner Christopher Plummer. On Broadway, Ehle garnered Tony Awards for The Real Thing and The Coast of Utopia and also appeared in Design For Living. Her notable film and TV credits include Zero Dark Thirty, The King’s Speech, The Ides of March, Contagion, A Gifted Man and Pride and Prejudice.