Ian Somerhalder Is Okay That He's Not in Fifty Shades of Grey

The CW hunk is appreciative of fans who think he would've made a great Christian Grey, but he's not really sweating producers' casting decision

By Josh Grossberg Sep 24, 2013 2:13 PMTags
Ian Somerhalder, CW UpfrontBen Gabbe/Getty Images

Ian Somerhalder is totally cool with the fact that he missed out on Fifty Shades of Grey.

The Vampire Diaries star, who was considered the frontrunner for the highly sought-after part of young business magnate Christian Grey, was passed over in favor of Sons of Anarchy's Charlie Hunnam. But when asked whether he was upset over it, Somerhalder was nonplussed.

"I'm on a TV show that shoots 10 months a year," the 34-year-old actor told HuffPost Live, noting that he's "so unbelievably grateful for all the support and all the cheering and the love" from fans who wanted him to star in the film based on E.L. James' bestselling erotic romance.

Somerhalder added that disappointment never factored into his feelings over Fifty Shades producers' decision, contrary to reports.

"It's so funny, you read these blogs—'Ian Somerhalder angry, livid he's not Christian Grey'—I mean, no, no, no, there's none of that," said Somerhalder.

Somerhalder, who shot to fame as one of the original castaways on ABC's Lost, deflected a question about whether he really wanted the role however, noting "that's a whole other conversation."

After fans on the Internet offered up his name as a possibility for the bondage-loving entrepreneur, the CW hottie lobbied for the job, telling E! News in April, 2012 that he'd be "absolutely" interested and that it would be "amazing" if Fifty Shades came his way.

A few months later, Somerhalder continued his campaign to play Grey in a Twitter exchange with American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis, half-jokingly suggesting Angelina Jolie as a possible Anastasia.

Now that Hunnam's been cast, we'd say Somderhalder's handling the news with class.

Watch: Ian Somerhalder Reacts to "Fifty Shades" Snub

—Additional Reporting by James Chairman