If "50 Shades Of Grey" producers had their way, Ryan Gosling would have said hey to Anastasia Steele. A new piece in The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Gosling was reportedly the first choice for the role of Christian Grey in "50 Shades," but he was not interested in the part.
Gosling wasn't alone on the "50 Shades of Grey" wish list: Producers also apparently sought to cast Garrett Hedlund, but he, too, turned them down. (Us Weekly was the first to report that Hedlund had passed; at the time, his reps declined to comment on the news.)
THR mentions other actors who were sought for Grey, but not Robert Pattinson. According to author Bret Easton Ellis, however, "50 Shades" writer E L James wanted the "Twilight" star to play Grey, an obvious choice given that the books started out as "Twilight" fan-fiction.
In the end, Charlie Hunnam won the coveted role -- not that fans have embraced his casting. Irate "50 Shades" readers have started a Change.org petition to remove Hunnam and co-star Dakota Johnson from the film in an effort to get Matt Bomer and Alexis Bledel to star. Bledel, however, was not mentioned as a possibility for Anastasia by THR, which also revealed that Shailene Woodley was considered the Steele role. The "Spectacular Now" star was reportedly comfortable with the film's explicit sex scenes, but couldn't fit the project into her schedule.
After Hunnam and Johnson were officially brought on board, "50 Shades" producer Dana Brunetti commented on the casting process via his Twitter account:
For more on who was almost cast in "50 Shades of Grey," head to THR.
[via THR]
