Biography
Date of Birth
10 December 1980, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, UK
Birth Name
Charles Matthew Hunnam
Nickname
Charlie
Height
6' (1.83 m)
Mini Biography
Charles Matthew Hunnam was born on April 10, 1980 in Newcastle, England, to Jane (Bell), a business owner, and William Hunnam, a scrap metal merchant. At 18 years of age, he made a guest appearance in popular TV series Byker Grove (1989).
He gained fame in Britain thanks to his television role as the love-smitten Nathan Maloney in Queer as Folk (1999). Independent movies, television series and auditions for such blockbusters as Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) followed, but it wasn't until 2002 that Charlie started to attract international attention, when he supported Katie Holmes in the suspense thriller Abandon (2002).
His first lead role in a film was in Nicholas Nickleby (2002). After which, he played a pivotal character in the strongly cast, adapted drama Cold Mountain (2003). This was Charlie's first part that he has named in his "trilogy of mad men." The two that followed were in Green Street Hooligans and Children of Men. Charlie's role in Green Street Hooligans caught the eye of Kurt Sutter, who chose him to play the protagonist in his TV show Sons of Anarchy. The series about an outlaw motorcycle club became FX's most popular show ever and a critical success. Following his fame on American TV, Charlie had his first starring part in a film that was a commercial success, Pacific Rim.
Trivia
Currently living in the USA (2004)
Is the second oldest of four boys.
Met ex-wife Katharine Towne at an audition for Dawson's Creek (1998). The couple married a few weeks later.
Ex-son-in-law of Robert Towne and Julie Payne. Ex-grandson-in-law of John Payne and Anne Shirley.
Favorite actors are Daniel Day-Lewis and Sean Penn
Divides his time between Los Angeles and London.
Very good friends with Jamie Bell, Anne Hathaway and Romola Garai. All formed a strong bond while filming Nicholas Nickleby (2002).
Was going to play the "stoner" in the small independent film Anderson's Cross (2010) alongside former Undeclared (2001) co star Samm Levine and good friend Jerome Elston Scott, but couldn't because of scheduling conflicts. Director Jerome cut the part out of the script completely saying "No one replaces Charlie Hunnam".
Auditioned for the role of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002).
Auditioned for the lead role in Thor (2011).
Was cast as Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) but three weeks before the start of the shooting he chose to drop out the film due personal reasons and his busy schedule with Sons of Anarchy (2008).
In between season 3 and 4 of Sons of Anarchy. New movie The Ledge was bought by IFC Films [January 2011]
Now in second season playing the role of "Jax" in 'Sons of Anarchy' American television FX channel. [December 2009]
Was going to reunite with his Undeclared (2001) colleagues Jason Segel and Judd Apatow in the film Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008). Segel wrote the role of Aldous Snow with him in mind, but he dropped out due to not feeling the project was right for him. Russell Brand ended up getting the role.
He is of English, 1/8th Irish, and some Scottish descent.
He's dyslexic.
Partner Morgana McNelis (2005-present), is a Los Angeles-based jewelry & costume designer ("Maison de Morgana"). The couple live on a California ranch with 2 donkeys, 30 chickens and enjoy organic farming.
Does not participate in social media. [2017]
Is a germaphobe insofar as other humans are concerned, but is unfazed by the 'dirt' of the natural environment when he's camping or trekking, for example.
Germaphobe that he is, Charlie detests having to do kissing scenes on film but has no problem kissing his longtime girlfriend Morgana.
Discovered on Christmas Eve in the shoe department of a JD Sports store in his hometown by a production manager from the TV series Byker Grove (1989). After Charlie had impishly flirted with the woman, she asked him to audition for the series where he landed a supporting role.
He began training in Brazilian Jiujitsu in 2016 and earned a Blue Belt two years later.
Trademarks:
Often plays tough-guy antiheroes or psychopaths
Quotes
When some films do not pay as well and you have a mortgage to pay and you are on an economy drive eating eggs and beans, and you are offered a million dollar role and you turn it down, as it is not right. I want to be doing this when I am 60 and getting the big paying roles then so I have to pick the parts that are right for the long term rather than take the money now. [on being picky choosing roles]
I always think it's better to take a smaller role in a great film rather than a leading role in something that you don't have complete faith in.
"This is kind of my trilogy of madmen. I played the psycho in Cold Mountain (2003), my character in Green Street Hooligans (2005) (aka Green Street) is fairly psychotic and now I've got this role". On his role in Children of Men (2006).
Well, I have a great deal of pride, and I care infinitely about what my peers think [about me]. It could be my downfall, but I don't think it is - Hollywood is run on perception, and if you stray off the path of what you want to do with your career, it's suicide. I have 60 years to make the money, but the choices I make in the next five years are really going to define my career.
When IÂ’m between jobs, I need to work out a lot for my sanity. If I weren't an actor, I'd be the fittest motherfucker on the block.
[on whether he left Fifty Shades of Grey due to the explicit sex scenes] I was excited about that element of it. The outside perception of that was that I got really cold feet and got scared of the explicit nature of the sexuality of the piece. You know what, I had such a baptism of fire with regards to sexuality on camera at the beginning of my career. 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. When I was 18, I was getting fucked in the ass, completely naked, on national TV, y'know? So now that I am 16 years older and more mature, I don't anticipate [sex scenes] being too much of a problem. It's an exciting challenge.
[on full frontal nudity] The level of nudity that I do now, which is taking my shirt off, doesn't bother me at all. But I have done full frontal before. I did full frontal when I was 18 on the TV show Queer as Folk. But because I was playing a 15-year-old character, the censorship people wouldn't allow us to put it on TV. I'm sure I would [be willing to do full frontal even now]. I'll never use a body double. I'm not worried. I have nothing to hide.
[joking about all the shirtless pictures of him online] I am tired of seeing shirtless pictures of myself too! Actually, It started in a very honorable way for me. I am naturally skinny. But I keep getting hired to play these heroic guys. Like on Sons of Anarchy for the entire 7 years, I was 20 pounds heavier than where my body naturally wants to be at. So it takes an enormous amount of time and energy to get big and strong like that. And really I was acting with a bunch of big motherfuckers so psychologically, I wanted to feel like I could hold my own. But the by product of that is that I look like a gym dude. Which was never my intention! And anytime I see a picture of myself all shirtless and six-packed out I think what a twat, what a ego driven dickhead. And then something like King Arthur comes along and you can't be a chubby King Arthur, that's not the way to go. So all my gymming, it's for the profession.
I got really big, bigger than I've ever been for King Arthur. I got to 190 pounds!
[about maintaining his physical shape all the time] Thanks for noticing my physique. Unfortunately there is no secret to it, you just have to stop eating all of the things you want to eat and exercise everyday till you have lost the will to lift. I am sick of it. I am telling you, I am giving serious consideration to hanging up my six-pack! I think I am retiring. I'm 36 now, I'm too old for this!
[on his performance in The Lost City of Z] I did the best work of my career so far in The Lost City of Z.
[on whether being a sex symbol is limiting] It's both collateral damage and a huge opportunity. It's a visual medium, and it makes it a lot easier to get roles if you're easier on the eyes. But the reality is you get on set and every scene is a challenge to make work.
[on how he perceives life] I struggled through my childhood as a bit of a weird, existential kid. I was constantly preoccupied with trying to understand what it all meant. I've just grown up into a weird, existential adult.
[on how he created the look for King Arthur] I was very very skinny at the end of shooting Sons of Anarchy which I was shooting right before I came to do King Arthur. I had 8 weeks or something like that to put on as much weight as I can. I have a very responsive body as I have been losing weight and putting it back on many times so the body remembers how to do that. But for this, I wanted to push it further and get into even better shape than I had ever been. We talked about the physicality of Arthur early on and we wanted him to feel like a starving wolf. So I didn't want to get swollen up, I wanted to be really really ripped and have very little body fat. So it required a really disciplined diet and lots and lots and lots of push-ups and pull ups.
[on whether he minds taking off his shirt for film roles] I don't actively try to be shirtless. During "Sons of Anarchy", a pattern emerged that I had to be shirtless at some points during the series. Often it was explicitly stated in the script. Film and television are visual media. And looking attractive is definitely an asset in the industry. So I can't rebel too much. It is a competition and if I have a small advantage over others, I am certainly going to use it. It is superficial to see me only as a six pack of abs. But fuck it, I'm an actor. What is good enough for Brad Pitt is good enough for me too!
