Ioan's name change fury - Nov 5 2007
Ioan Gruffudd has apparently revealed that agents asked him to change his name to make it easier to land roles at the start of his acting career.

The Welsh actor, 34, has become one of Hollywood's hottest new heart throbs after landing parts in The Fantastic Four and Amazing Grace.

But he told the Daily Express in the early days agents feared he would miss out on top roles: "They told me that I was going to be pigeon-holed as a Welsh actor and would only get Welsh parts."

He added: "I don't want to work with those people if that's how narrow-minded they're going to be. I'm proud of who I am."

The star is currently appearing alongside wife Alice Evans to provide voices for upcoming James Bond-esque animation Agent Crush.

"It's great working with Alice. If you look at Burton and Taylor acting together, any relationship you have off camera informs any relationship you have on camera," he said.


Ioan: Alice was very patient - June 16 2007
Ioan Gruffudd has praised his fiance Alice Evans for waiting so long for him to pop the question.

The Fantastic Four star is set to wed actress Alice this September, after the pair met on the set of 102 Dalmatians in 2000.

"Alice has been very patient with my procrastinating with my male ways! She did give me somewhat of an ultimatum - a gentle nudge - which was the best thing she could do, really," he told The Independent.

And Ioan, who stars alongside Jessica Alba in Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer, got in some crucial wedding day practice when his and Jess’s characters get married at the start of the film.

"I must admit, when I was going through it, I thought, ’This is a nice feeling’," he admitted.

Ioan appeared in the somewhat more serious Amazing Grace earlier this year as abolitionist William Wilberforce, but said he was happy to play Mr Fantastic aka Reed Richards again.

"I’m quite enjoying carving a niche for myself as the go-to guy for heroic leading men," he said.


Ioan after Bond role? - April 18 2007
Ioan Gruffudd is reportedly the latest actor to announce they would love to follow in the footsteps of Daniel Craig and play James Bond.

The Fantastic Four heartthrob, 33, admits he doesn’t want the job any time soon, but it seems he would love to take over a few years down the line, reports the Daily Express.

He’s quoted as saying: "I would love to play Bond one day but I think I am 10 years too young. Physically, I am not quite big enough. Of course, I could go to the gym or whatever.

"Maybe in seven years time when Daniel is done and tired of it and can retire a very rich man, then maybe I could step into his shoes. I think he’s been absolutely brilliant as James Bond. I thought he was superb."

Just a few days ago the star, who is busy planning his wedding to Alice Evans, said he can’t wait until the Beckhams move to LA - so he can play football with David.

Ioan’s romantic ambition - Feb 27 2007
It seems Ioan Gruffudd has romantic reasons for wanting to join the Hollywood A-list.

The Hornblower star, who now lives in LA with fiancee Alice, told the Daily Express that he wants to follow in the footsteps of A-listers like Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon "not only for the satisfaction but also to get the money in order to have a lovely wedding".

The paper reports that Ioan, 33, and Alice, 34, have decided not to marry in Ioan’s native Wales, but to tie the knot in either LA or Mexico.