Jamie Dornan's Fifty Shades of Grey Competition: 5 Things to Know About Christian Cooke

English stud is the latest name to be thrown into the casting mix

By Alyssa Toomey Oct 16, 2013 10:05 PMTags
Christian CookeJonathan Leibson/Getty Images for The British Film Commission

It seems that the Internet can't stop buzzing over who will replace Charlie Hunnam in the film adaption of E.L. James' erotic thriller Fifty Shades of Grey.

And while there have been countless casting rumors since the Sons of Anarchy star dropped out of the S&M flick over weekend, there are a few reported front-runners that have emerged amongst the Christian Grey chaos.

One of them, being 26-year-old stud Christian Cooke, who clearly has the looks to play the Seattle-based billionaire.

But can the blue-eyed heartthrob bring the BDSM bad boy to the big screen even better than rumored favorite Jamie Dornan?! Here are five things to know about Christian Cooke:

R & J Releasing

1. He's Already a Big-Screen Star: While Cooke may be best known for his role in the British television TV series Where the Heart Is, he has recently found success on the big screen in U.S. films. His latest flick, Romeo & Juliet, in which he stars alongside Hailee Steinfeld and Damien Lewis, is currently in theaters, and he's been cast in the upcoming flick Love, Rosie, alongside Lily Collins and Sam Claflin. In addition to his U.S. projects, Cooke's flick Hello Carter is in theaters in the U.K., and he previously starred in the 1950s Miami-set TV series Magic City, which came to a close after two seasons in August.

Larry Busacca/Getty Images

2. He Loves London: While Cooke originally hails from Leeds, England, and has spent ample time in Miami for work, the actor's heart lies in London, and he couldn't help but gush over the city to Interview magazine in December of last year. "We have a lot of fun, there's a really tight bunch of us in London," the star—who, at the time, said he was living with his brother and his three best friends—said. "It sounds stupid, but there's nothing like walking down the street and seeing a building that's older than 100 years old. I think London—not to sound pretentious—like New York, it's a big melting pot for all things and it's just got this energy that you can't find anywhere else. So I'm still in my romantic stage with London, I love it as a place."

AKM-GSI

3. He Dated Dianna Agron: The hottie first reportedly began dating the Glee star in December 2012, and while it's unclear when the twosome split, they were last photographed together in April 2013. Ironically, Agron dated Alex Pettyfer, yet another Fifty Shades front-runner, prior to Cooke. And while Christian has not been romantically linked to a new gal since the split, he has yet to open up about his current relationship status.

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

4. He's a Mama's Boy: Not only has the heartthrob previously referred to his brother as his "best friend," but he also adores his mum. In his December 2012 chat with Interview magazine, the actor admitted he was a bit hungover after a night of partying with his mates and...his mama. "I took my mum out for some dinner and then I met some friends and had some drinks," he said. "Then things got a bit crazy. Did my mother leave after dinner? Definitely not, she came down and got on the dance floor. It was good." Too cute!

Dave M. Benett/Getty Images

5. He Got His Start in a Burger Commercial: Cooke started acting at an early age and got his first break in a Birds Eye commercial at the age of 10. "We had to walk in a park and we were watching these kids play football; I thought this boy was a really good footballer and it turns out he was my mate's sister," he recalled. "Then we went back to his house and ate burgers. It was incredible; it's my finest work." Oh, and did we mention he has a sense of humor, too?

(E! and Universal Pictures are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

Is Christian Cooke the right guy to play Christian Grey? Tell us in the comments!

PHOTOS: Every Fifty Shades casting rumor