Jamie Dornan.
A former underwear model for Calvin Klein is set to swap Holywood, Northern Ireland, for Hollywood, California, after being cast as Christian Grey in the film adaptation of E.L. James' erotic novel 50 Shades of Grey.
Jamie Dornan, who dated Keira Knightley for two years and is best known to
British viewers for his appearance in BBC2's The Fall, becomes the second British actor to accept the role.
Charlie Hunnam had signed up to play the businessman with a taste for kinky sex but dropped out this month after apparently being spooked by the hype surrounding the film.
Dornan, 31, auditioned last Friday and was offered the part over the weekend, according to reports in the United States. He will star opposite Dakota Johnson, the daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffiths, who plays Anastasia Steele.
The film, produced by Universal and Focus, is to be directed by the British artist Sam Taylor-Johnson.
