Charlie Hunnam Finally Breaks His Silence On Why He Couldn’t Do ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’
Charlie Hunnam made headlines when he decided to pull out of his commitment to play Christian Grey in the erotic drama Fifty Shades of Grey, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. And though Charlie Hunnam has managed to shrug off the media frenzy that surrounded his departure, he decided to finally put the record straight about the reasons that forced him to quit the movie.
Earlier, E.L. James, writer of the novel on which the movie is based, had tweeted about her excitement at the prospect of Charlie Hunnam playing Christian Grey.
The gorgeous and talented Charlie Hunnam will be Christian Grey in the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey.
— E L James ? (@E_L_James) September 2, 2013
Contrary to popular public opinion at the time that Charlie Hunnam had withdrawn from Fifty Shades of Grey because he got cold feet, as reported in Hollywood Reporter, Charlie Hunnam spoke to Moviefone about the actual reasons that prompted him to step down.
“I was going to finish Sons at like 11 p.m. Friday night, get on the plane Saturday morning to Vancouver for ‘Fifty,’ missing the whole first week of rehearsal and start shooting Monday morning. And I was going to shoot that film, wrap that on the Wednesday and the following Monday I was going to start shooting ‘Crimson Peak’ in Toronto. I just had like… frankly, something of a nervous breakdown.”
The rumours started when Hollywood Reporter claimed to have inside information on the reasons for Charlie Hunnam’s withdrawal from the movie.
“Hunnam, 33, was overwhelmed with the attention he received from being cast in the movie and got cold feet about carrying such a high-profile project. The sources caution that Hunnam had no reservations about the role of Christian Grey, just the media and fan frenzy that came along with it, especially as he was transitioning from ‘Sons’ to ‘Fifty Shades’ so quickly.”
And while Hollywood Reporter’s claim does seem to be in line with the reasons Charlie Hunnam later mentioned himself, the way it was convoluted by media outlets may have been the reason that false rumors began spreading around the whole saga in the first place.
But now with Charlie Hunnam finally out in the open with his reasons, it is likely that the rumors will ultimately cease. In the interview with Moviefone, he clearly stated that it was because of a chock-full schedule that he had to let go of the role, and if it was solely up to him, he would never have turned his back on Fifty Shades of Grey.
“I really didn’t want to fail on such a grand scale and I just couldn’t transition from Jax Teller to Christian Grey in 48 hours. I bit off more than I could chew and it was painful. I loved the character and I wanted to do it. It was just a sh*t situation. I was really, really, sorry to do it. It was one of those damned if you do, damned if you don’t situations.”
I wish Charlie all the best. x
— E L James ? (@E_L_James) October 12, 2013
And for those Charlie Hunnam fans who are still not convinced about the reasons for his withdrawal, this video may satiate your curiosity once and for all.
[Photo: IMDB, Jacopo Raule / Getty Images]
