Jamie Dornan's days of anonymity are over. Though he's been a successful model and actor for nearly a decade, the 31-year-old Northern Irishman became the most talked about man in Hollywood when he was officially cast in the upcoming film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey.
One day after Universal Pictures announced that Dornan will be playing Christian Grey on the big screen, the expectant father stepped out in London on Friday, Oct. 25. Hiding behind dark sunglasses, the blue-eyed actor wore a black pea coat over a white tee and jeans—far more clothing than he'll wear in most of Fifty Shades of Grey.
Author E.L. James confirmed Dornan's casting via Twitter on Thursday, Oct. 24. "Stow your twitchy palms ladies... our man is here. Welcome to #TeamFifty @JamieDornan1 x," the romance novelist wrote. James also directly tweeted fans of the book series, telling them she's "thrilled" to have Dornan on board and thinks "#HesGonnaBeGreat."
Hours before Dornan was named Charlie Hunnam's replacement, Dakota Johnson—who will play female lead Anastasia Steele—was photographed making her way through Los Angeles International Airport. The 24-year-old blond assisted in getting Dornan hired. "She's helping us look through the candidates to see which chemistry kind of captures our attention," producer Michael De Luca told E! News earlier this week.
(E! and Universal Pictures are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)