Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson may have made the infamous bed-frame moments in Verity look effortless, but creating those scenes required far more planning than viewers might expect. The psychological thriller, adapted from Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, features Verity and Lowen leaving bite marks on a wooden headboard during intimate moments. Johnson revealed that the reality behind those marks was surprisingly simple: she and Hathaway each spent separate days actually gnawing on pieces of wood. Josh Hartnett, who plays Jeremy, was involved in the storyline but admitted he was able to “go home” while his co-stars handled the unusual task. He returned to the set afterward to see the different bite marks they had created. Hathaway explained that she and director Michael Showalter carefully planned the effect, even holding meetings about how the biting should look on camera. The biggest challenge was finding wood that looked convincing while being soft enough to bite without anyone risking a tooth.
The unusual preparation became a serious production detail because the filmmakers wanted the marks to look believable rather than leaving them to chance. Hathaway said the team experimented with the shade and texture of the wood, balancing realism with safety while still making the scenes appear sensual on screen. Hoover herself reportedly wrote the headboard moment almost casually in the original novel and never expected it to become such a memorable part of the film’s promotion. Yet the detail eventually appeared in the movie and even made its way onto merchandise, adding to the buzz surrounding the adaptation. Verity also arrived during a packed year for Hathaway, who is expecting her third child and had to skip a planned Hot Ones appearance after receiving medical advice against participating. With Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett joining her in the cast, the film has already attracted major attention—and the surprisingly complicated story behind those bite marks gives audiences another reason to talk about it.
