14 DAY TRIAL // Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson have been confirmed for the roles of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in the upcoming “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie and, say what you will about his ability of carrying off the role, Charlie thinks he is up for the challenge.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter at a recent “Sons of Anarchy” panel, Hunnam, whose most recent appearances include “Pacific Rim,” stressed that he accepted the part because of the chemistry he had with his future leading lady during the audition.
He also pointed out that he got his start on a TV show, “Queer as Folk,” in which he played a gay man, and said that, “If I could do it when I was 18 with a guy, I can certainly do it at 33 with a lady.”
Speaking of his leading lady, Charlie explained that he and Dakota hit it off instantly. This is how he knew he’d end up accepting the offer.
“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,” he explained.
After the audition, he went back home and did his research by reading E.L. James’ three novels, all of them best-sellers, about the millionaire playboy and his new, totally inexperienced girlfriend.
“I felt really intrigued and excited about it. 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,” Hunnam said.
So, for him, playing Grey means more than just agreeing to several raunchy scenes, with which readers of the books are acquainted.
Asked how his real-life girlfriend, jewelry designer Morgana McNelis, was coping with the idea of seeing him in such revealing shots, the actor said he was positive that the experience would bring them closer.
He also revealed that Morgana had read and loved the books, and was thrilled that he’d be getting this amazing opportunity.