Ian Gavan/Getty ImagesIt's only a matter of time before Jamie Dornan takes over that Red Room of Pain in the highly anticipated film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey.
The Northern Irish actor spoke to Entertainment Weekly in a wide-ranging interview about landing the coveted role of the kinky S&M fetishist, his upcoming fitness regimen and what his family and friends really think about him breaking out the whips and chains.
"I certainly don't fear it," the handsome 31-year-old star told the mag. "I already got a glimpse into working with [director] Sam [Taylor-Johnson] at the test, and I'd met [co-star] Dakota [Johnson] by then. So I had a glimpse into how I felt it would be if I got the part. None of it scared me."
The first glimpse of Dornan and Johnson as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele comes courtesy of the mag, which features the costars on the cover of its Nov. 22 issue. It's the first time the actors have been photographed together since they were cast in the film adaptation of author E.L. James' trilogy.
Dornan was hired in late October as a replacement for Charlie Hunnam, who had originally been tapped to play the sadomasochistic billionaire.
"When he dropped out, I didn't instantly think, ‘Oh here we go, maybe I should cancel that holiday,' but I did feel that maybe we'd revisit the idea of me," Dornan said.
Revisit it they did. And the rest is now history.
While the former Calvin Klein model may not have been fearful about taking on this sexy character, how did his friends react to the casting news?
"A friend of mine texted me saying, ‘I heard about Fifty Shades,'" Dornan recalled. "'Congratulations on the role. That's going to be disgusting. I won't watch it.'"
Well, that pal might not be rushing to theaters on Valentine's Day 2015, but his father and sisters have been offering "their encouragement."
Dornan, whose pregnant wife Amelia Warner will deliver their child on location in Vancouver, is planning to train just a little bit before dropping trou and showing a lot more skin.
"I've never felt that Christian needs to be some kind of monster, but I think it's very clear how he conditions himself and looks after himself," Dornan said. "I take decent enough care of myself anyway, so obviously I'm gonna up it slightly with training, but we don't have any intention to really bulk up. I don't think it's appropriate."
And it's not like stripping down to his skivvies is a foreign concept.
Fifty Shades of Grey begins production in Vancouver on Dec. 2. It will be released on Feb. 13, 2015.
(E! and Universal Pictures are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)