These actors were offered the role of Christian Grey. Decided they were too cool. Our loss.

Life is cruel sometimes.

When it was announced best-selling novel Fifty Shades of Grey was being turned into a movie, sexually-frustrated teens and erotic fiction fans worldwide began fantasising about exactly who would play the part of Lothario-type Christian Grey.

Many options were thrown around. Everyone had their own ideas about who exactly could best tie up a poor, unsuspecting woman in a creepy red room.

Now here we are, mere days away from the release of the supposed-to-be-sexy, trying-to-be-romantic movie, and our Christian has fans divided.

Granted, British actor Jamie Dornan was not the first choice, or even the fifth. He wasn’t even cast in the role initially, that went to Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam, who eventually pulled out because, er, its’ still not really clear why he reneged on the role. After every other male actor in the history of male actors pulled out (pun intended), The Fall‘s Jamie Dornan was the only option.

Watch the trailer below. Post continues after video.

We’re not joking, a sex-dungeon-load of male actors passed on this role.

Can you picture Ryan Gosling with a cane and a sex contract? He said no.

Or Twilight star Robert Pattinson as a slightly disturbed S&M fanatic? Nup.

And even more bizarre, is the idea that 24-year-old actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, husband of the 47-year-old director of Fifty Shades, was once in the running. That would’ve been awkward.

You might also like: You need to see the Christian film version of Fifty Shades of Grey.

Fifty Shades comes out on February 12, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Maybe don’t go see it on a first date, though.

Click through the gallery for other famous names that passed on the role (there are MANY).