Ever since Irish actor, Jamie Dornan, was tapped to replace Charlie Hunnam in the screen adaption of the steamy book trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey, fans have been wondering how he would look as the sadistic character. Today they got their first look at Dornan as Christian Grey.

The photo shows the 32-year-old peering into the camera with a smoldering stare that is certain to set female hearts aflutter. Dornan’s resume includes the roles of killer Paul Spector on The Fall and as Sheriff Graham Humbert on Once Upon a Time, but he also used his hunky good looks to best advantage as a model for Calvin Klein underwear.

Dornan will play a billionaire who signs a young woman to a sexual contract that requires her to take part in acts of his choice including bondage. Dakota Johnson, the 24-year-old daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, will play Anastasia Steele, the recent college grad that accepts Grey’s offer of kinky sex for pay.

Casting for the film version of the best-selling trilogy has been almost as controversial as the books themselves. Practically every currently hot actress in the early-20s age category was mentioned as a possibility for the role of Anastasia before the relatively untried Johnson landed the plum part.

More famous names were being floated as possible candidates for the role of Christian Grey, including Ian Somerhalder, Matt Bomer and Henry Cavill, before Charlie Hunnam was announced as having taken the part. Then last fall the Sons of Anarchy actor dropped out citing scheduling conflicts. This left the door open for Dornan.

The Fifty Shades trilogy by E.L. James has been among the most talked-about literary efforts of the last few years, selling more than 100 million copies worldwide in print and e-books. The film version will be directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and will premiere on February 13, 2015—just in time for Valentine’s Day.