The E.L. James’ series of erotic novels took the world by storm as the author managed to cause a stir similar to the Twilight books, inviting readers to witness a kinky romance between a college student and visionary millionaire Christian Grey. The films based on the book series have earned billions of dollars at the box office, making Jamie Dornan and Dakota Jones household names.
But not everyone knows that the films could have been very different if Ian Somerhalder had taken the role of Grey for himself.
Yes, The Vampire Diaries star was at the top of the producers' list at the time, and many fans believe that the role of the dangerous millionaire was practically written for Somerhalder. Even in the TV series that made him famous, Ian portrayed the role of a dangerous man whose masculinity and charisma instantly made him the sex symbol of his generation.
The producers' desire to consider him for the role was understandable given Ian's enormous popularity at the time, so their decision to choose Dornan for the role may seem rather odd.
People still argue that Dornan was completely devoid of the intimidating, masculine and dangerous stature that Christian Grey had in the books, and as a result looked rather comical in the role.
Somerhalder, on the other hand, was born to play such characters, and fans still can't get over the fact that he was rejected for the role.
Perhaps Somerhalder lacked chemistry with Dakota Jones, while Dornan was a perfect match for her, which led producers to choose the British actor. Or, as some fans claim, the producers were concerned that Somerhalder's experience as a television actor might not translate well to a major Hollywood franchise, unlike Dornan.
In any case, nothing can be done to make this fan cast a reality, and given the huge box office popularity of the Fifty Shades trilogy, it looks like the producers made the right decision after all.