'50 Shades Of Grey' Movie News: Ian Somerhalder Talks Losing Christian Grey Role To Charlie Hunnam

Ian Somerhalder may have lost his chance to star as the sexually sadistic billionaire businessman Christian Grey in the upcoming "Fifty Shades of Grey" film, but he says he's not bitter.

In an interview with HuffPost Live Monday, Somerhalder stated that he is not upset about losing the role despite various reports claiming otherwise. "It's so funny, you read these blogs, 'Ian Somerhalder angry, livid he's not Christian Grey.' I mean, no, no, no, there's none of that," he said, adding that his schedule shooting his hit supernatural CW series "The Vampire Diaries" would have most likely conflicted with filming the erotic flick. "I'm on a TV show that shoots 10 months a year," he said.

While 34-year-old actor wouldn't confirm or deny whether he actually wanted the role, only saying, "That's a whole other conversation," he did share his gratitude for fans' attempts to get it for him. "I'm so unbelievably grateful for all the support and the cheering and the love," Somerhalder said.

The interview follows months of speculation that Somerhalder was a contender to star as Christian Grey in the film adaptation of the popular "Fifty Shades" book trilogy. The rumors began circulating in February when the series author, E.L. James, responded with a smiley face after a fan posted a picture of Somerhalder alongside a Christian Grey quote from one of the novels.

In spite of speculation, screenwriter Bret Easton Ellis said on Twitter earlier this month that neither Somerhalder, nor a fellow fan favorite, "White Collar" star Matt Bomer, were even considered for the role. "E.L. James and I were at Rob Pattinson's house when she admitted that Rob was first choice for Christian," said Ellis. "Ian Somerhalder [was] never in the running."

On Sept. 2, James, 50, announced that Charlie Hunnam of "Sons of Anarchy" would star opposite Dakota Johnson of the defunct comedy series "Ben and Kate." Following the news, fans railed at James and the filmmakers and requested a recasting via the petition platform site Change.org.

"Fifty Shades of Grey" is currently scheduled for an August 2014 release. The first trailer for the romantic drama is rumored to make its debut during the 2014 Super Bowl in February.