During an appearance for the Season 6 premiere of Sons of Anarchy, actor Charlie Hunnam talked about his motivation for taking on one of the most talked about and conjectured roles in recent film history, that of billionaire sex symbol Christian Grey.
On how the reading with co-star Dakota Johnson was electric:
As soon as we got in the room and started reading with Dakota, I knew that I definitely wanted to do it, because there was a tangible chemistry between us. It felt kind of exciting and fun and weird and compelling, and so that was it.
On how reading Fifty Shades of Grey helped seal the deal:
I went and read the first book to get a clearer idea of who this character was and felt even more excited about the prospect of bringing him to life.
On how his past experiences have him unconcerned about the inevitably racy scenes to come:
My first job was on a Channel 4 miniseries called Queer as Folk. [There were] incredibly explicit sexual scenes with a man. “I mean, I’m 16- and 17-years wiser now. So if I could do it when I was 18 with a guy, I can certainly do it at 33 with a lady.
On how girlfriend Morgana McNelis helped convince him to be Grey:
It’s very hard to be with an actor. She’s required to share parts of me that she wouldn’t really want to share. With the nature of this role, that’s going to be times 10. She read them (the books) and loved them and was really excited about the potential of the opportunity for me. If anything, I think it will make us closer.
