14 DAY TRIAL // When confirmation finally came that “Fifty Shades of Grey,” the first novel in the adult-oriented trilogy by E.L. James, would be turned into a film, fans who had been waiting for this for months could finally start speculating on who would play lead. Charlie Hunnam was then confirmed for the role of Christian Grey but what followed next was one of the oddest things in recent history.
James’ novels are best-sellers but that’s not because they have that much literary value. Initially conceived as fanfiction for “Twilight,” they tell the story of a virgin, Anastasia Steele, whose path crosses with that of handsome and deeply troubled Christian Grey who – the mother of all clichés! – is also very much into S&M, to the point where he can’t have a vanilla relationship with any woman, virgin or not.
Hunnam was cast for the Christian Grey role, to the disappointment of diehard fans of the novels, as they had been rooting for actors like Ian Somerhalder or Matt Bomer, including in online campaigns.
He said he was thrilled to be a part of such a phenomenon but, the moment the backlash started, he started doubting his choice. And there was plenty of backlash coming from all sides: from those who believed he’d been miscast and would not make a believable Christian and from those who thought he could do so much better in his career than a movie like this one.
He eventually dropped out of the project, citing some scheduling issues he had not fully understood at the time he signed on the dotted line. Hunnam plays Jax on the hit series “Sons of Anarchy,” so it was easy for him to say that he had come to the realization that he would not be able to handle both projects in a satisfactory manner.
Speaking to Life & Style at a recent movie event, Hunnam calls that decision “heartbreaking.” Either he’s being very diplomatic about it at the studio’s behest, or he really is sorry for having missed out on “Fifty Shades.”
“I felt like I had an interesting take on that character and felt like I could have done a good job of playing Christian Grey, otherwise I wouldn’t have taken it on in the first place. When you put the time into something like that and a character comes alive in your mind, it’s heartbreaking not to be able to play him,” he says.
“It was definitely kind of heartbreaking having to say goodbye to that character and not bring it to life,” Hunnam continues, adding, “If they invite me to the premiere, I will go and see it there. If not, I’ll go and buy some tickets on opening night.”
Hunnam has been replaced by Jamie Dornan, who is determined to prove he’s more than just an “underwear model” but also a versatile, talented, and always professional actor.
The role of Anastasia Steele is played by Dakota Johnson, known for minor movie roles and her modeling contracts, but also for the fact that she’s Don Johnson’s daughter with Melanie Griffith.
“Fifty Shades of Grey” is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and will be out on Valentine’s Day 2014. Many fans still believe Charlie Hunnam chose wisely when he changed his mind and refused to be involved in it in any way. Do you?