Charlie Hunnam Talks About ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey' As ‘Sons Of Anarchy’ Star Defends Best-Selling Novel From Critics!
He may not be playing the character of Christian Grey, but actor Charlie Hunnam is still invested in both the novel and the film.
The "Sons of Anarchy" star was originally casted in the role of the wealthy businessman, but he faced backlash from fans of "Fifty Shades of Grey." A few weeks later, the actor announced that he is stepping away from the project because of his schedule.
Still, the 34-year-old "Pacific Rim" actor admitted that it was "pretty heartbreaking" to walk away from the role.
"I was just really, really invested and wanted to work with [director] Sam [Taylor-Johnson] and play that character," Hunnam told reporters during the Television Critics Association event for Fox on Sunday. "I'm really, really curious."
In June, Hunnam explained that his plate is already full with the filming for "Sons of Anarchy" and Guillermo del Toro's new film, "Crimson Peak."
"It became like an embarrassment of riches. I had so much going on, and I was already committed to doing Guillermo's film...and after having such a wonderful experience again with Guillermo and really believing in that film, I don't really have any regrets," Hunnam said then. "I wouldn't have lost out on that experience to work with Guillermo again for the world."
Hunnam was replaced by actor Jamie Dornan, who incidentally, is a more popular choice with "Fifty Shades" fans. Hunnam said the Irish actor may lack a certain roughness, but "he's going to do just fine."
"I would've brought a certain rugged charm to [Grey] but believe me, he's [Dornan] going to do just fine."
Hunnam also defended author E.L. James from critics who are saying that the books are "mummy porn."
"I think people really do that book a disservice when they reduce it to that type of talk," Hunnam said. "What [E.L. James] actually created is a really sophisticated dynamic and presented it in a package which was accessible to people who normally would be terrified of that subject. Actually what she did was pretty brilliant."
