Every male actor with even the most minimally handsome face seems to have been linked to the role that is on every lady’s lips at the minute, with some, like Chris Pine, openly turning the role down and others yet to comment on their names being thrown into the ring by fans of E L James’ book series.

And then last week, some “helpful” psychologists have come up with a face that they say fits the ideal image of Christian, based on their interactions with fans of the book. Naturally, this was met with wide-spread criticism as women everywhere proclaimed the face to be wrong, based on their own fantasies of Grey, and it occurred to me that suggesting such a thing was little more than folly. No one man meets every woman’s fantasy, even if that man is written a very particular way – such is the nature of individual interpretation: so instead, we’re looking at ten actors who we feel could embody the essence of Christian Grey, capturing his spirit and his fundamental appeal, as well as offering a handsome face to look at.

Anyway, while we’re here, this is what Mr Grey is supposed to look like according to said psychologists:

If you’re a Newcastle United fan, you’ll recognise that quite clearly as French midfielder Yohan Cabaye. But he’s not an actor so we can’t go there. Other people from the past might think it bears a faint resemblance to a young Val Kilmer, especially around the slightly too narrow eyes. But we’ve all seen Val Kilmer recently, and erm… well, no.

And anyway, it isn’t just about looks as we said, so don’t complain if the actors within don’t look like your Christian Grey – it’s all about performance and spirit here, ladies. And this is of course a fantasy casting article, so we’re bending the rules here slightly, but only really regarding Grey’s age. Yes, we are well aware of the fact that the young entrepreneur is a mere 27 years old (a remarkably, and in fact unbelievably tender age for a CEO), but that limits some excellent choices. And if Daniel Radcliffe is allowed to play a middle-aged man in The Woman In Black, we can basically assume that Hollywood won’t close any doors to actors based on their age. So neither will we.

Warning: There are a few spoilers within, exploring themes in the second and third Fifty Shades books, so if you don’t want to know what happens, look away now. Basically, there’s A LOT of sex in them too.

Click next to reveal our choices for Mr Grey…

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