James denies Gosling's involvement in 'Fifty Shades of Grey', while Somerhalder plays it coy when asked if he's really in the running to play Christian Grey.
- Oct 1, 2012
AceShowbiz - The mystery of who's going to play Christian Grey in "Fifty Shades of Grey" movie has yet to be solved, but it is now confirmed that the coveted role will not be tackled by Ryan Gosling. Contrary to swirling report suggesting that the "Drive" actor was the frontrunner for the part, author E.L. James stressed that the rumor was "completely misreported."
The British author told Ryan Seacrest in a recent radio interview that Gosling's casting report, which was first broken by U.K.'s Now magazine, was misleading. "What happened is that his local paper, he's from Northern Ireland, there's a newspaper there called the Belfast Telegraph that reported on my husband being the inspiration for Christian Grey," she explained. "Underneath it they put a picture of Ryan Gosling, as well. So, that's how that came out."
While it was clear that Gosling wouldn't star as Christian in the film adaptation of the steamy novel, fans could still hope that Ian Somerhalder might be cast as the male lead. The Damon Salvatore of "The Vampire Diaries" played it coy when asked by E! News about his casting report, but indicated that he was in the running for the part.
"I think that's going to be a very interesting story to tell... It seems like whoever plays that role, it will be very interesting rehearsal time... the audition process is gonna be interesting," Somerhalder said carefully. Although he refused to confirm if he's in for the sex-driven gig, the blue-eyed actor admitted to feeling connected to the story, "I get it. I get it. I get why it's taken off the way it has."
As for whom he thought was perfect to play Anastasia Steele, Somerhalder said, "My Anastasia? I don't know... there are too many [good Hollywood actors] to me."
Apart from Somerhalder and Gosling, many Hollywood hotties were previously rumored to be eyed for the much-talked-about movie. They included Jake Gyllenhaal, Max Greenfield, James Deen and even Robert Pattinson.
Based on E.L. James' steamy novel, "Fifty Shades of Grey" follows the S&M relationship of 27-year-old billionaire Christian and college student Anastasia. The movie still hasn't tapped its director and screenwriter, but it will be produced by Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti who worked for award-winning "The Social Network".
