Jamie Dornan, who may dominate your Valentine's Day this year as sexy Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey, recently joked about a particularly terrifying fear he has about fans' reactions to the movie.
The R-rated film, which hits theaters on Feb. 13, is based on the first book of E. L. James' popular romance novel trilogy. The 32-year-old Northern Irish actor's character, a mysterious billionaire in his 20s, romances innocent young Anastasia Steele, played by Dakota Johnson, and teaches her all about sex and specifically his secret passion, BDSM.
In an interview with Details magazine, which features him on the cover of the upcoming February 2015 issue and in a series of more sexy pics, Dornan said he was cast on Oct. 23, 2013, a month before shooting and after Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam exited the role. Filming also began three days after he and his wife, Amelia, welcomed their first child, a daughter.
"I almost don't want to put this out there into the ether, but I fear I'll get murdered, like John Lennon, by one of those mad fans at the premiere," Dornan told Details. "Because a lot of people are very angry that I'm playing this character. And I'm a father now, and a husband. I don't want to die yet."
"And when I do get murdered," he continued, laughing. "People will say, 'God, isn't it haunting how he did that interview in Details magazine and predicted his own death on the red carpet?'"
The actor, a former model and Once Upon a Time star, also talked to Details about being dubbed a "sex symbol."
"What does that even mean?" he asked. "When I think of sex symbols, I think of posters my two sisters had on their bedroom walls. What was he called? Luke Perry? Even then, the label was more definitive. There are so f--king many young actors in that bracket now that it's a bit of a hollow crown. You'd be hard-pressed to find an actor who isn't a sex symbol somewhere."
In the book, which is written from Steele's perspective, the gray-eyed Grey is described as a "Greek god" with "broad shoulders and narrow hips" whose "abdominal muscles ripple as he walks."
"Michelangelo's David has nothing on him," the heroine says.
Dornan had to get into top shape quickly for the role.
"He's pretty obsessive about staying in shape and exercise. It's a big part of who he is. So we had to work on that," the actor said about Grey. "But, you know, I came into the game quite late with it, so I probably would have liked a little more time to sort of get in peak shape but we did what we could do with the time we had."
While Dornan's character in Fifty Shades of Grey is clean-shaven, the actor currently sports a short, dark beard. He told Details he hates shaving.
"Some guys spend 300 quid on equipment and have special soap and wee f--king brushes. They have their bathrooms set up like a f--king shop. I am not that guy," he said, adding, "I get red here" [strokes his neck] and I always cut myself."