'True Blood' actor Alexander Skarsgard has finally opened up about rumors surrounding his participation in the film adaptation of E.L. James' bestselling erotic trilogy '50 Shades of Grey.'
The Swedish-born actor spoke to the Daily Chilli and said it was "flattering" that fans want to see him play the dominating role of Christian Grey. "I know it's a very big, high-profile project, so of course it's flattering that there are people who would like to see me do it," the 36-year-old actor said. "At the same time, it's difficult to say it's something you want to do or not because I don't think there's a script-at least I haven't read a script."
Skarsgard, who plays Viking vampire Eric Northman on the hit show 'True Blood,' admitted to never having read the trilogy but said that he would be comfortable in the sexually-charged lead role. When asked if his comfort stemmed from his role on his show, Skarsgard said, "Exactly. I have a sex chamber in my basement-my character on 'True Blood'-so I've had training."
The vampire-playing Swede joins a long list of actors vying for the highly coveted lead role. Fellow vampire-playing actor Ian Somerhalder ('The Vampire Diaries') and 'White Collar' actor Matt Bomer have been at the forefront of fan polls for the role of 27-year-old Christian. Other fan hopefuls include, Henry Cavil, Chace Crawford and Jared Padalecki.
Competition among fan favorites for the role of Anastasia Steele, who plays Christian's subservient erotic young lover in the series, has been aggressive. Several actresses, including Nina Dobrev, Alexis Bledel, Ashley Greene, Mila Kunis, Emma Watson, Lucy Hale and others have been endorsed by fans.
British author E.L. James has told reporters that fans should expect to wait a bit until casting details are revealed. The film, which is currently in its pre-production phase, only has screenwriter Kelly Marcel and producers Mike De Luca and Dana Brunetti on its production team.
The Universal Pictures and Focus Films, which own the rights to the film, have yet to set a release date for the first film in the series.