He Sets the Record Straight About 'Fifty Shades'

Although many people may feel that any involvement in Fifty Shades of Grey is a death sentence to a person’s acting career, the movie’s original Christian Grey, Charlie Hunnam, has always been a fan of the project. In fact, the Sons of Anarchy actor made that crystal clear not too long ago: In an interview with Moviefone , he assured fans that he didn’t simply bail on the movie because of the criticism it might receive or because of how it might affect his journey in the film industry — he just, simply, didn't have enough time. And now, again, Charlie Hunnam has spoken out about why he left Fifty Shades of Grey in further detail — and his statements about the film are actually so heartfelt that they made me, for a split second, consider seeing it when it rolls out in theaters this February.

Earlier in the year, Hunnam admitted that with such a short time to work on the role between his other gigs with Sons of Anarchy and Crimson Peak, he couldn’t deal with the pressure, and felt he wouldn’t do justice to his part as Mr. Grey. Now, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly , Hunnam revealed how difficult it actually was to leave the movie — as well as how frustrating the backlash was.

“It was very painful, and it was very difficult,” Hunnam said. “I was worried that the wrong perception would come out, which is what happened — it was all about that I got cold feet, or that I didn’t have faith in the movie, or that I didn’t like the script, and all this f—king bullsh—t.”

Instead, Hunnam has said that he really fell in love with the role and seems pretty heartbroken about having to leave it behind.

“Anybody that knows the process of actors with integrity going about choosing roles knew that all of those questions would have been answered in the very first meeting and that had any of that actually been the case, I would have not gotten myself in the situation in the first place,” Hunnam said. “So it was a little bit annoying and a little bit painful, and I really was just so sad for Sam, the director, because I absolutely adore her, and I gave her my word and committed to going on this journey with her.”

So it appears that the actor was quite distraught over the whole ordeal and truly feels badly about abandoning what would have been his team for the film. But, honestly, it may have been for the best. His words seem quite sincere but I can’t imagine Fifty Shades would’ve boosted his career in any way. I know he wasn’t really in it for the money — as he said — and that it was all about loving the character, but even the BDSM community feels the film portrays their world inaccurately. Basically, I can’t see this getting a high score on Rotten Tomatoes. You lucked out, Hunnam.