James Spader wrote criticism about Secretary.
James Spader . He is best known for portraying eccentric characters in films such as the drama Sex , Lies , and Videotape ( 1989 ) , the action science fiction film Stargate ( 1994 ) , the controversial psychological thriller Crash ( 1996 ) , the erotic romance Secretary ( 2002 ) , and the blockbuster superhero film Avengers : Age of Ultron ( 2015 ) . Secretary is a 2002 romantic comedy-drama film directed by Steven Shainberg and starring Maggie Gyllenhaal as Lee Holloway and James Spader as E. Edward Grey .