Fans weren't the only ones shocked when Charlie Hunnam was cast as Christian Grey in the highly anticipated movie "Fifty Shades of Grey." E.L. James announced the cast on Labor Day via Twitter. There was an enormous amount of backlash following the announcement because fans were shocked the actor was picked for the part.
Hunnam beat out fan-favorites like Ian Somerhalder, Matt Bomer and Henry Cavill. The "Sons of Anarchy" star has remained silent about the backlash until now. He told Entertainment Weekly that he is fully aware that he wasn't an obvious choice but is still determined to nail the part.
"There are so many fans of that book and I know that on the surface, I'm probably not what everybody imagined," he said. "Because reading is so personal and people bring a character to life in their imagination, they feel ownership over that character. That's daunting if I allowed myself to think about it too much. I'm taking it very seriously and intend to explore the nature of who this character is, what motivates him - and also dress up nice and good in those suits."
It's nice to see Hunnam still has a little sense of humor about the whole thing. The 33-year-old actor has been getting tons of praise from former costars including the cast of the FX show "Sons of Anarchy." Just like the rest of the world, cast members were shocked to discover that Jax Teller would be trading his motorcycle and leather for whips, chains and kinky sex.
"When he told me that it was happening or that he was considering it I just howled. I mean I think we all did. We're all like, what?" said Maggie Siff, who plays Jax Teller's wife Tara. "And then I talked to him seriously about it. I think he's very brave to do it. He doesn't do anything unless he feels it deep down. He's not going to do something because all of his agents are telling him to do something. That's what makes me think it stands a chance of being really, really great. If he has that conviction going in, then you know it'll be great."
The show's creator even praised the star saying that he had no doubt Hunnam could play a domineering billionaire. Actress Katey Segal, who plays Gemma, even weighed in telling Entertainment Weekly that she was very proud of Hunnam.
"The choice was not an obvious one for him. But for good or bad, he will throw himself 100 percent in," she said.
