Jamie Dornan Is Glad That He Wasn't The First Choice For 'Fifty Shades'

Jamie Dornan is an actor, musician, and model from Northern Ireland. Although he has been in several movies, he is best known for his role as Christian Grey in the "Fifty Shades" franchise.

There was a lot of criticism concerning the movie, but twice as many people loved it. Dornan will likely always be remembered as the kinky Grey, but two years after the movie, the actor is currently exploring roles that challenge his talents.

Since Dornan was brought onboard the "Fifty Shades" franchise, there has been speculation about how he got the role.

Keep on reading to discover just how Dornan was brought on board and how he felt about it.

Before his role in the "Fifty Shades" series, Dornan was already well versed in the arts of semi-nudity. He was initially a model for Calvin Klein, and after an appearance in a magazine's campaign, the New York Times dubbed him "The Golden Torso."

Mastering the ability to play the opposing roles of tender and tough was what came with the character of Grey and was obviously quite a feat.

Grey was a character that had built his walls very high up because of his experiences, but when the female lead, Anastasia Steele, played by Dakota Johnson, came in, these walls slowly started crumbling.

Grey was portrayed as a rich, handsome, and fit businessman, and Dornan's modeling past made him perfect for the role. Dornan's career in modeling also helped in the graphic sexual scenes the movies were full of. Dornan only had to play this role thrice in "Fifty Shades of Grey," "Fifty Shades Darker," and the final one "Fifty Shades Freed."

This might not be news to anyone, but Charle Hunnam was already enlisted before Dornan was cast as Christian Grey. He was the first pick, and barely a month before production, he dropped out.

According to ScreenRant, this was because his Grey role clashed with "Sons of Anarchy," the series he was already a part of.

The decision to cast Dornan was made in the weeks left to fill the role of Grey, and he was apparently the perfect person to play Grey, well, second perfect.

His popular series "The Fall" helped the showrunners see his acting style and range. This is decision might have been a welcome one to most, but according to Dornan, he was relieved when he wasn't picked initially.

In an interview with GQ magazine, Dornan opened up about how he felt after being called up for a role he would have preferred not acting.

"I was beaten to it the first time by Charlie Hunnam, and I felt a certain amount of relief when he got it, to be honest," he recalled in the interview. "I thought, 'This would have been fun, but it would have been a strange ride. Better not to be on that ride.'"

"But he pulled out, and then I got a call. And I got it. And there we go. I had to confront that choice again." Dornan ultimately ended up acting alongside Johnson in the three movies of the franchise. Before his role in the franchise, he was best known in "Once Upon a Time," although this role didn't make a change as big as the trilogy did.

The Northern Irish actor further opened up in his interview and talked about the movies' impact on his life and career. He said that even with all the slamming done by critics, he didn't regret his part in the movies because it marked a turning point in his career.

"Look, put it this way: it's done no harm to my career to be part of a movie franchise that has made more than $1 billion. Every working actor would say the same thing. It's provided – a lot. There's no shame in saying it's transformed my life and my family's life financially," the actor admitted.

"I am very, very grateful for this and always will be," continued the actor. "And the fans loved it. Kevin Maher [the film critic] at The Times  didn't love it – what a surprise!" "But I take issue with the whole thing being just a bit of a joke. Everyone involved worked as hard as they could on those films, including myself."

Dornan is set to appear in "Belfast," Kenneth Branagh's new movie, which will hit the UK screens early next year.