Are fans finally starting to warm up to the idea of having Charlie Hunnam play Christian Grey? According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal Pictures was forced to give the actor extra security at the Sept. 7 Hollywood premiere of "Sons of Anarchy."
The website reports that it was Universal who had to foot the bill, not the TV network. Shortly following E.L. James' announcement that Hunnam would play the lead role of the S&M, insanely hot billionaire fans started criticizing the decision.
They felt he was the wrong look for the part. They were also upset that Dakota Johnson had been cast opposite Hunnam as his love interest, Anastasia Steele. Producers and executives quickly defended their casting choices telling fans that the two had excellent chemistry.
"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," Hunnam told The Hollywood Reporter. "If felt kind of exciting and fun and weird and compelling, and so that was it."
The 33-year-old actor recently revealed that he is ready to strap up and play the billionaire. He has said in past interviews that he isn't the least bit worried about shooting the kinky scenes with Johnson.
He has had a lot of practice. The British actor got his first acting gig as a gay man for a British miniseries called "Queer as Folk" and the sex scenes are said to have been intense.
"You know what, I had such a baptism of fire with regards to sexuality on camera at the beginning of my career," he told the AP. "I starred in the British Channel 4 miniseries Queer as Folk, where I played a young, gay character, and there were some incredible, explicit sex scenes on that show."
"Now I am 16 years older and more mature so I don't anticipate them being too much of a problem. It's like anything else, just an exciting challenge."
According to Metro newspaper, Hunnam has promised that he will not use a body double and is prepared to go the "full monty" and bare all for the movie.
