Luke Grimes denies leaving True Blood over gay storyline

Actor Luke Grimes has denied exiting TV show True Blood because his character was set to embark on a homosexual relationship. The Taken 2 star joined the supernatural series in the sixth season and unexpectedly quit the role of vampire James in December (13), blaming creative differences with the show’s producers over his character’s direction.
He was replaced by Nathan Parsons and in the series seven premiere, which aired in the U.S. on Sunday (22Jun14), it appears James is heading towards a romantic relationship with gay character Lafayette.
Reports suggested the plot prompted Grimes’ departure, but his representative has now denied the claims, insisting the exit “had nothing to do with storylines, which he had not been privy to at the time of that posting.”
The publicist is adamant Grimes left due to scheduling conflicts as he was also working on movies Fifty Shades of Grey and American Sniper.