One of the hundred sexiest men in the world according to Elle magazine, a favorite of girls and simply a talented actor - all this Charlie Hunnam. His career in film and television began quite early, and every year his popularity is growing more and more.
Start of a career
The actor is originally from Great Britain - it was there in Newcastle upon Tyne that he was born on April 10, 1980. I came across TV screens by pure chance, having stumbled upon casting agents in a store. He was invited to perform cameo role in the series "Biker Grove". And already in 1999, at the age of 19, he starred in quite scandalous project"Close Friends" as a teenager with an unconventional sexual orientation. The series caused a lot of noise in the audience and was discussed for a long time, which probably “threw” the guy onto the wave of popularity, and since 2000, Charlie Hunnam has already begun to conquer America and Hollywood. His first work on television was the series “Young Americans” (2002), and then “Undecided,” which, however, was not successful with viewers. In 2003, he participated together with already famous Hollywood stars (N. Kidman, R. Zellweger) in the film “Cold Mountain”.
Charlie once said that he did not want to grab the first role that came along solely for the sake of money; he said he had at least 60 years of earning time ahead of him, and that his career would be determined by the next five. No sooner said than done. Now he is filming with famous directors in the most rated projects.
Charlie Hunnam: personal life
The new stage of life in the USA was marked not only by a promising job, but also by an imminent marriage to their wife. They met while auditioning for the series “Dawson’s Creek” and both did not get there, but family life lasted three years. Charlie Hunnam has never kept his personal life a secret, and in candid interviews He admits to journalists that his “heart is all scarred.”
Over the past seven years, the actor has settled down and is in a relationship with Morgana McNelis (pictured). Girl doing design jewelry and, by the way, she also starred in several films, albeit short ones. Despite the idyll reigning in their relationship, the actor is in no hurry to tie the knot.
Charlie Hunnam, whose filmography is not so large (quality is still better than quantity), has established himself as a versatile and talented actor. We offer you some of his most interesting works in film and television.
"Hooligans"
Returning home from Hollywood, Charlie immediately starred in one of the most successful films of the year together with Elijah Wood. The plot of the film revolves around teenage maximalism and the shapes it can sometimes take. A Harvard student who could have become a journalist is expelled for a crime that is not his fault. A promising future and a good career are going downhill. In search of solace and refuge, he goes to his sister. There with light hand Her husband's brother discovers the world of football and blind fanaticism. He finds new friends and new troubles...
TV series "Sons of Anarchy"
One of the successful TV series in America, which lasted seven seasons (2008-2014) and earned not only the love of the audience, but also good reviews critics as well as awards. One of the main roles is played by Charlie Hunnam. This time the actor’s filmography has been expanded with a project in the crime drama genre. He appears before the viewer as the young leader of a biker club. They try with all their might to protect and defend their hometown from drugs and any harmful influence from outside, but at the same time they themselves sell weapons. C. Hunnam's hero doubts the correctness of the chosen path and makes attempts to change something in his life, but not everyone is happy about it.
"The Price of Passion"
In 2011, Charlie Hunnam tried his hand at a dramatic thriller, where his co-star was Liv Tyler. In the story, Officer H. Luchetti has been working in the police for many years and has saved more than one life. He persuades suicides to abandon the jump at the last moment. However, this time everything initially did not go as usual. He will have to learn not only the story of a mind-blowing love, but also the price at which everyone will pay for it.
"Pacific Rim"
A deadly threat hangs over the future of humanity: from the very abyss of the ocean, armies of monsters called kaiju are emerging onto land. They bring with them destruction and millions of casualties. To combat them, scientists have invented special robots controlled from the inside by people. The interaction between a living organism and a machine is based on a subtle neural connection. They are the ones who will have to defend humanity’s right to life.
Charlie Hunnam (photo in the article) can rightfully be proud of working with one of the most famous directors of this genre, Guillermo del Toro, and among fans there are already rumors about a continuation of the fantastic action film. However, the collaboration between Toro and Hunnam did not end there, and in 2015 the actor starred in the new thriller “Crimson Peak.” Well, in July 2016, all fans will see the release of the film “Knights of the Round Table: King Arthur”, where he plays the future ruler of England.
Charlie Hunnam's talent is multifaceted, and this is confirmed by the professionalism with which he plays the most diverse roles.
The role of Percy Fossett in the film "The Lost City of Z", which is currently in theaters, Charlie Hunnam considers it the best in his career. For her sake, he lost weight, abandoned his personal life and became a lone wolf. What else can the 37-year-old British actor surprise?
From raspberries to fashion models
Charlie grew up in a poor family and was the eldest of four boys. So before I started getting paid to impersonate someone in front of a camera, I tried a lot of less glamorous professions. For example, I was picking raspberries. Or he picked up sheep's wool from the ground after those who sheared it.
“Then it seemed to me that there was no worse job in life,” the actor recalls. “It seems like you’re just picking raspberries... But they choke in your hands, wasps flock to the sweet smell and sting you as hard as they can.” And collecting sheared sheep’s wool from the ground—sticky with fat or blood, if the animal has been slightly injured—is also not much fun.”
This nightmare ended when walking through a shoe store Hannam noticed by the acting agent. The guy was offered to star in a small role as a fashion model in the TV series “Biker Grove”, then in another one. He really showed himself in the mini-series “Close Friends,” where he portrayed a teenager with a non-traditional sexual orientation.
Head over heels in sneakers
As a reminder of the difficult period of his life, he still has... 85 pairs of different models of Nike sneakers released in the 90s.
“It’s the poor boy syndrome of not being able to buy the shoes that all the kids wore at school,” he explains. “Sneakers cost £100 back then, and my family couldn’t afford that luxury.” When I turned 25, I said to myself: “I can buy the sneakers I want!” - and did it. Naturally, I never put on the larger half. At some point I realized that you have to be a complete idiot to keep such a collection, and gave part of it to a charity auction.”
I will love you forever
In my personal life Charlie pretty constant. With his wife, actress Catherine Town, met at the casting of “Dawson’s Creek.” They never made it into the series, but, as it seemed to them, they found each other and three weeks later they got married in Las Vegas.
“We would not have been in such a hurry if not for one circumstance,” he later recalled Hunnam. “I had just arrived in America, and it was completely unclear whether my career would work out there. What if nothing works out and you have to return home? So Katherine and I came up with an idea: if we get married, nothing will separate us. I was 19 years old then, I fell in love for the first time - what should I take from me?
He did not have to return to England, but this did not save the marriage - three years later the couple separated. After this, there were rumors about his romances with actresses Liv Tyler And Rashida Jones. Last 10 years Hunnam lives in a civil marriage with a jewelry designer Morgana McNelis and wears a ring she gave her, engraved with the words “I will love you forever.”
The kindest and most beautiful
Fans are jealous of the actor for his chosen one and constantly criticize her appearance on the Internet. Charlie I found out about this by accident (he is not a supporter of communication on social networks) and immediately spoke out in defense Morgans, recording a video message to fans:
“It seemed to me that social media created for people to find new friends and share ideas, and not to mock others. If you knew Morgana, your comments would make you feel terribly stupid. My friend is one of the kindest and beautiful girls that I've ever met. She was very patient and supported me long before I became successful and started making money. So stop attacking her and throwing mud at her! If you have something to say, say it to me."
McNalis responded to the statement Charlie on Instagram and Facebook:
“I appreciate everything you said in my defense and am eternally grateful for your support in both relationships and business. I was deeply touched by what you put into every word. It helps you stay strong and invulnerable.”
Friendship with chickens
For many years Charlie cherished the dream of settling on a farm. Four years ago it was realized. They are with Morgana They bought a ranch in a secluded place near Los Angeles and lead an absolutely non-Hollywood lifestyle there: they garden, keep ducks, chickens and a couple of donkeys.
“Imagine, I learned to be friends with chickens! - laughs Charlie. “But I’m not going to eat them.”
Last year, the couple decided to buy another property for a change, which corresponds to star status Hannam, is a Renaissance-style mansion located in Hollywood. The two-story building with 4 bedrooms and the same number of bathrooms, a swimming pool and a fountain in the yard cost $2.8 million.
King of the roads
Since childhood, he loved to ride a bicycle. But after seven years of filming in “Sons of Anarchy,” where he played a biker, he got so used to a motorcycle that now he can’t live without it:
“All this time I didn’t take off my plaid shirts, didn’t get off my motorcycle and constantly hung out with real bikers. When the project was closed, I got rid of everything that reminded me of it, and first of all, I changed my entire wardrobe. But I couldn’t give up motorcycles. So I ride around the city on a Harley-Davidson Dyna Super Glide, feeling like the king of the roads.”
Wrong piece of the pie
A little over a month Hunnam was listed as the executor leading role in one of the most resonant projects of the third millennium - “50 Shades of Gray”. He talked about how excited he was that it was his candidacy that was approved by the producers and the author of the novel E.L. James. And suddenly he refused to act... The film bosses were shocked: between Charlie and his partner Dakota Johnson Already during the tests, such chemistry arose that it was impossible to take your eyes off them.
However, they failed to persuade the actor to play Christian Gray. When asked what made him break the contract, Hunnam each time he answered differently. He said that he is afraid of germs, so he avoids kissing his film partners so as not to infect them with something. Then he once mentioned that the woman he loved would not be delighted with such a quantity sex scenes with his participation. Fans of the actor like this version better:
“At some point I realized that I had bitten off a piece of the pie that I couldn’t chew. It's incredibly difficult to switch from Jackson Teller in Sons of Anarchy to Christian Gray in the space of 48 hours. I would either fail at such a large project or go crazy.”
Emeralds of Reconciliation
<Съемки «Затерянного города Z» стали для Charlie a serious test. Firstly, the climate of the Colombian jungle was very exhausting. Secondly, in order to get into the character of a British explorer traveling through the Amazon in terrible conditions, he deliberately avoided people. I didn’t even communicate with my common-law wife for four months. To make amends, he brought her emeralds as a gift from Colombia. She appreciated the gift. Serious conversation though Hunnam could not be avoided.
Do not offer Green Arrow!
He says he hardly turns on the TV at home and watches movies on the computer. In general, this is what most actors do. What's really strange is his preferences. Favorite series Charlie— “Deadwood” is an adventure series with western elements. He also likes... Downton Abbey. But this muscular handsome man can’t stand heroic pictures based on comic books.
“Even as a kid, I wasn’t a comic book fan and I hadn’t seen any of the Marvel movies. They're not my type."
That's why Charlie refused the role of Green Arrow, for which producers had been wooing him for years.
I only dream about Shaolin
“Directors and photographers like to shoot me in unbuttoned shirts and leave me no choice - I have to look good,” says the actor. — I have to do fitness, running, swimming, jiu-jitsu, and walk a lot. Of course, I would like to be in such physical shape that even at 70 years old I could run in the mountains. I’ll say more: when I lead an active lifestyle, my mood even improves. However, spending all my free time in the gym was not at all what I wanted. I'm terribly tired. Sometimes I dream of just relaxing and eating hamburgers.”
Whether you want to or not, you have to train... Before filming Sons of Anarchy, the producers set him a condition: to gain muscle mass. AND Charlie I carried pieces of iron four days a week. This continued the entire time I was working on the series. When he signed a contract for a role in the film The Legend of King Arthur, he was required to become more impressive, and he gained 10 kg. And then I immediately lost 20 kg for the sake of “The Lost City of Z.” With a height of 185 cm, he began to weigh... 65 kg! But what won’t you do for the sake of art!
By the way, recently Charlie He mentioned that he would like to learn kung fu. And I’m ready to take lessons from not just anyone, but from the best masters. To do this, I even agree to live in the Shaolin Monastery for some time. Well, when he has that time...
Dracula for Brad Pitt
Besides that Charlie is being filmed, it turns out he also writes film scripts. One of them is the story of Count Dracula, the second is about the American drug lord Edgar Valdez. By the way, the first one is rumored to be of interest Brad Pitta: His production company Plan B Entertainment is ready to finance the project.
Brief information
Date of birth : 10.04.1980
Place of birth: Newcastle, England, UK
His career began when he was simply walking through a shoe store in his hometown of Newcastle and met agents. He was invited to star in the BBC series Byker Grove as a recurring long-haired model. After this series, Charlie played in the same BBC teen series Microsoap, followed by his starring role in the Channel 4 television series Queer As Folk in 1999.
Over the course of the eight-part film about the life of a gay man, Hunnam portrayed how Nathan (the main character) grows from a modest, inquisitive and innocent guy into a determined and self-confident playmaker. In 2000, Charlie reprized this role in the two-hour sequel Queer as Folk 2. The role of Nathan has become a kind of model for young homosexuals. And the influence of this series spread so widely that the young actor was invited to take part in a parliamentary debate to discuss Britain's discriminatory coming of age law.
In 2000, Hunnam made his debut in the American teen drama series Young Americans on The WB, where he played a recurring character. He then landed a recurring role on the Fox sitcom Undeclared, a college-life series based on an earlier short-lived series Freaks and Geeks.
The key to the success of The Unacknowledged, like its predecessor, was in thoughtful details and clearly formed characters. For example, Hunnam's character, Lloyd, the main actor of the college theater studio, turned out to be a completely atypical character. Charlie's charm and swaggering manner allowed his character Lloyd to reach the limits of the possible, and the series itself went far beyond the typical teen stereotypes.
The first film in which Hunnam starred was released in 1999 in the actor’s homeland, and in 2001 it was released in American cinemas. It was the British comedy What Happened to Harold Smith? (Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?), in which Charlie played the role of a rock singer. In American cinema, Hunnam made his debut opposite Katie Holmes in the 2002 thriller Abandon, and at the end of the same year he starred in the feature drama based on the novel of the same name by Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby.
In 2003, Charlie appeared in Anthony Minghella's next drama, Cold Mountain, in which his colleagues included such famous Hollywood stars as Nicole Kidman, Jude Law and Renee Zellweger. The film Cold Mountain, based on the novel by Charles Frazier, covers the events of the American Civil War.
As for the actor’s personal life, Charlie already had experience in family life: from 1999 to 2002, he was married to Katarina Towne, whom they met during the filming of the film “Unacknowledged.”
Filmography
1999 f What happened to Harold Smith? (film) Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? Daz
1999 with Close Friends (TV series) Queer as Folk Nathan Maloney
2000 with Close Friends - 2 (TV) Queer as Folk Nathan Maloney
2000 with Young Americans (TV series) Young Americans Gregor Ryder
2001 with Undeclared Lloyd Haythe
2002 f Abandoned (film) Abandon Embry Larkin
2002 f Nicholas Nickleby (film) Nicholas Nickleby Nicholas Nickleby
2003 f Cold Mountain (film) Cold Mountain Bosie
2005 f Green Street Hooligans (film) Green Street Hooligans Pete Dunham
2006 f Children of Men (film) Children of Men Patric
2011 f Stanford Prison Experiment William H. Pitsenbarger
2010 f The Last Frontier (film) Last Full Measure
2008-2011 with Children of Anarchy Sons of Anarch Jackson "Jax" Teller
2012 f Blackbird Blackbird Jay
2013 f Pacific Ocean Pacific Rim
The career of this Briton is actively gaining momentum. From an actor with a baggage of mediocre roles, Charlie Hunnam, over several years of fruitful work, rose to the top of the most promising and in demand, and all thanks to his selectivity to characters and scripts. Over the course of his rather long acting life, Charlie has only 18 roles, and not all of them can be called successful in terms of “work for the future.” What is the secret of his popularity? Perhaps it's because Hunnam doesn't go against his inner self, and that's why he's an A-list celebrity.
Star dossier
Newcastle Boy - Brief Biography
Watching this self-confident and stately handsome man, one gets the impression that he is the darling of fate, born with a silver spoon in his mouth. In fact, Charlie Hunnam is an ordinary guy who, as a child, only dreamed of wealth and a better life. Apparently, the universe is favorable to this handsome guy with a radiant smile and a tempered character, but first things first.
Charlie was born in April 1980, in Newcastle. His father was a scrap metal buyer, and his mother had a small souvenir shop. His parents divorced when Charlie was two years old, but he always had a good relationship with his father and they communicated until his death in 2014.
“My father was the toughest man I know, sometimes it seems to me that in films I play exactly him.”
After the divorce, my mother remarried only 10 years later and moved to provincial Melmerby. Charlie has two younger brothers. Parents worked from morning to evening to feed their huge family. There was always a shortage of funds, so Charlie, being the second oldest son, began earning money from an early age.
The actor recalls his youthful efforts with a bitter smile. He knows what shorn sheep smell like and how to pick raspberries on an industrial scale.
As a child, Hunnam, like many children, loved to ride his bike through the streets of his hometown and played rugby. He was simply unstoppable on his bike and often got into accidents, and once cut his eyebrow so badly that he had to get several stitches in the hospital. The surgeon did not clean the wound well, so Charlie was left with several pebbles in his eyebrow, which caused him severe discomfort for a long time. In general, the ordinary life of an ordinary teenager, but there is one thing. Charlie grew up in a harsh place where guys constantly proved to each other who was stronger. So the actor knows firsthand about street fights.
And yet the guy was different from his peers. As a teenager, when his friends were hanging out with girls and fighting with fists, Charlie, running away from reality, disappeared at home, watching movies. Even then, he had grandiose plans for his future, and the universe gave him a chance.
The boy’s desire to become an actor appeared at the age of eight, after watching the film “Excalibur”. Therefore, when Guy Ritchie launched a project about King Arthur, the actor understood that this was a sign from above.
Start of a career
Hunnam had every chance of becoming a model. At the age of 16, Charlie was “lucky” to advertise Walls ice cream; soon one of the little-known English brands invited him to participate in its campaign. Then he advertised Kangol hats, but the modeling business did not attract the guy. Having earned some money, he entered the University of Cumbria and completed a course in film theory and history.
Unlike most newcomers, Charlie did not go to castings and did not send his portfolio to producers and directors. He was spotted by a casting agent in a supermarket on Christmas Eve. After a few drinks in the pub, Hunnam went shopping for Christmas gifts an hour before the supermarket closed. He tried on sneakers and fooled around in front of the mirror. A woman was staring at Charlie, and he, in turn, winked at her and blew a kiss. It turned out that she was the casting producer for the TV series “Biker Grove,” and that’s how the guy got on television.
In the show “Close Friends,” 18-year-old Hunnam played a gay guy, and this role made him famous in England.
He appeared in several episodes of the show as a guest model. Then the aspiring actor was cast in the soap “My Wonderful Life”. The next series literally made the young man famous. Charlie was cast as a gay character in the TV show Queer As Friends. The project and the participation of the young actor in it were favorably assessed by critics. Inspired by his first success, Charlie set off to conquer Hollywood.
Bad start overseas
Hunnam is one of the few Hollywood actors of the new generation who is not chasing the widespread recognition of his colleagues and multimillion-dollar fees. He rejected scripts in batches that could have long ago elevated him to the rank of world celebrities; this list included “50 Shades of Gray” and “Game of Thrones,” but first things first.
After a good start in his native Britain, Hunnam moved to Hollywood. Star Hills greeted the aspiring actor very coolly. He took part in the TV shows “Young Americans” and “Undecided” and even appeared in the same company with Katie Holmes in the thriller “Abandoned,” but these fruits of the acting profession did not bring Charlie either aesthetic or material satisfaction. Although, as Hunnam has repeatedly stated, he does not dream of fame and does not gravitate toward wealth, he just wants to live a life full of emotions, adventures, and this is what cinema gives him. 
Still from the film “Abandoned”
In 2002, Hunnam first appeared on screen as the main violinist. Dixon's "Nicholas Nickleby" did not bring the actor the long-awaited recognition in the film environment, but the young man gained experience and real friends in the persons of Anne Hathaway and Jamie Bell. In 2003, Charlie played a cameo role in the drama Cold Mountain.
As a result, after several years of hard work overseas, the Briton did not receive any worthy offers from producers in Hollywood. In addition, he acquired a bunch of unnecessary fears, a feeling of complete dissatisfaction with himself and his acting skills. He decided to end his wanderings in Hollywood, went to his native Britain and was right.
Hunnam is known for being selective in his roles even early in his career. He participated only in projects that, in his opinion, were worthwhile. The actor was broke, but did not take on work if the script did not captivate him. Charlie believes in his star, and he also believes that if you sacrifice something, but don’t give up on your dream, it will definitely come true.
Through thorns to the stars
Charlie returned to his homeland and continued to search for the very script that he would completely immerse himself in. Such a project was found. The low-budget drama “Hooligans” became for the actor a breath of fresh air, which was necessary for his inner world and career. Charlie portrayed Peter Dunham, the desperate leader of football fans of one of the British clubs. The drama paid off at the box office, and directors noticed Hunnam’s charisma. Of course, experts completely criticized his terrible Californian accent, but they saw huge potential in the blond guy with a sparkling look and sculpted abs.
After arriving in Hollywood, Hunnam was very upset that he was not being cast as bad guys. At castings he was told that he was “too nice.” Charlie didn’t know what to do and even decided to fight with someone on the set during one of the castings, but his upbringing took over, and Hunnam went to the gym to look more impressive. The actor gained weight and became the owner of seductive reliefs. Only after such transformations did the directors begin to see him as a tough guy.
In 2006, Hunnam auditioned for the drama Children of Men. The secondary character performed by the Briton was immediately remembered by the audience. It was he who became the personification of the horror that threatened humanity. Despite his short stay on the set, the actor was lucky enough to take part in the film along with recognized Hollywood gurus Clive Owen, Michael Caine and Julianne Moore.
During a period when Charlie was unemployed and nearly lost his house due to the inability to pay bills, he wrote and sold a script about Vlad the Impaler, the prototype for Dracula. Brad Pitt's production center became interested in the story.
Son of Anarchy
One of the right people who was impressed by the Brit’s performance in “Hooligans” was writer and director Kurt Sutter. He can rightfully be called Hunnam’s Hollywood father, because it was he who offered Charlie the role of Jax Teller in the mega-popular TV series “Sons of Anarchy.”
Surprisingly, Charlie Hunnam became widely known, at least in Europe and America, not from a big movie, but from a TV show. In 2008, he was invited to audition for a series about bikers. The actor’s creative dream came true; he was entrusted with the role of not a cute boy, but a bad boy.
“Sons of Anarchy” is the series that made the British star of the first magnitude. Work on the TV show went on for eight years. With each season, the character of Charlie Jax Teller transformed and struggled with his inner demons.
Hunnam put all his acting skills and abilities into his character. As a result, the viewer saw not just a tough biker killer, but also a father, a loving husband, a man torn between his duty to brotherhood and his own feelings and desires. Hunnam showed such a flurry of conflicting emotions on screen that it became clear to film critics that the range of his acting roles could be enormous. The public applauded the Briton, and directors began to invite him to participate in new projects in big cinema.
Photo gallery: In the company of an acting family of “anarchists”
Kurt Sutter becomes Hunnam's Hollywood father
After a long day of filming
After participating in the show, the actors became friends in everyday life.
On the set of "Sons", 2011
The audience of the show after the third season exceeded 5 million viewers
At the Season 7 premiere of "Sons"
In 2014, the seventh and final season of the show was filmed. The actor admitted that the people on the set became a real family and transformed into friends, which is why parting with the series and the image of Jax Teller is very difficult for him. Nevertheless, the show about bikers and the criminal world of the small town of Charming has become so popular that its creators have already launched a project about the Mayantsy motorcycle club, which also appeared in the series “Sons of Anarchy.” So, according to unconfirmed reports, Charlie Hunnam in the shell of Jax Teller will return to the screens.
Big cinema - filmography
During his eight years of work on television, Hunnam managed to appear in big films. So the actor appeared in the complex drama “The Price of Passion.” His partners on the set were Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson and Terrence Howard. The film received mixed reviews from critics as it dealt with many deep themes - life and death, religious fanaticism and atheism, gay issues, adultery and many others. As a result, the film was nominated for the Sundance Film Festival.
In 2012, Hunnam took part in two projects - the comedy Frankie Makes a Ruckus and the thriller Blackbird. As the actor himself admits, dramatic cinema is closer to his spirit. Charlie doesn't see himself as a comedian, although he doesn't mind making jokes in good company. This is probably why dramas dominate in his filmography. As for the thriller “Blackbird,” it turned out to be very chaotic, despite a fairly strong cast. Hunnam was accompanied on the set by Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde. The film did not gain much love among fans either.
One of the first brilliant directors who noted the actor’s potential was the legendary Guillermo Del Toro. The first attempt at collaboration between these two was Hunnam's failed audition for the Hellboy project. When the director told Charlie about his new creation, Pacific Rim, the actor was so inspired that he could not sleep, imagining giant robots and monsters. As a result, Hunnam played the title character and helped prevent an on-screen apocalypse. The film received average reviews from critics, but was favorably received by audiences around the world, especially among Chinese fans. As for Del Toro, he was so taken by Hunnam's creative magnetism that he even talked him into playing a supporting character in his next project, Crimson Peak.
Guillermo Del Toro: “I am fascinated by Charlie Hunnam, he is a great actor, a bright and kind guy. I would love it if my daughters brought someone like Charlie into our home as a boyfriend.”
In 2013, it was announced that Hunnam had been cast as sadistic billionaire Christian Gray in the acclaimed Fifty Shades of Gray franchise. The actor himself confirmed his participation in the project and even spoke about the tangible chemistry between him and Dakota Johnson, but after a few months he dropped out of it, which extremely upset the filmmakers. Nevertheless, many film industry experts believe that with this decision Charlie did a great favor to his career by not putting an end to it. Today it is not known for certain what was the reason for the actor’s refusal to participate in “Shades”. Hunnam stated that he left the cast for family reasons and due to a banal conflict in filming schedules.
The actor wanted to take part in the sequel to the film "Pacific Rim", but due to lack of time he abandoned this idea
Not long ago, the actor admitted that he is a germaphobe (germophobia is a panicky fear of germs). And all because as a child he received psychological trauma - in the town where his family lived, an unknown infection spread, due to which a couple of children went blind. The actor remains fearful to this day. That is why kissing in front of the camera is real torture for him. The Sons of Anarchy director doesn't think so. In an interview, he said that filming intimate scenes with Charlie is a pleasure. The actor is as relaxed as possible on set, cheerful and always thinking about his partner. For Hunnam, intimate scenes are choreographed.
In 2016, Charlie Hunnam took part in the historical action film about explorer Percy Fawcett, The Lost City of Z. A British lieutenant colonel and explorer was looking for an advanced civilization in the Amazon delta. While trying to scientifically prove this fact, he and his eldest son disappeared in 1925. Director James Gray recreated this story and presented the film at the New York Film Festival in 2016. Critics greeted the film with applause. Hunnam got the main role of Percy Fawcett. The actor called this film the best thing he did in his career.
Filming took place in the Colombian jungle for five months. According to the director, at the end of the filming process everyone went a little crazy and were physically and mentally exhausted.
To get into the role, Hunnam barely spoke to anyone except for moments on the set, and did not communicate with his common-law wife. Gray said that Charlie looked very unhappy and lonely, but diligently did everything he was told. In addition, during the 8 weeks of filming, the actor lost 20 kg of weight, lightning knocked him down and an insect got into his ear, so Hunnam will remember this experience for the rest of his life.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
One of the long-awaited premieres of 2017 was Guy Ritchie's film The Sword of King Arthur. The original director entrusted the main role in it to Charlie Hunnam. In the process of creating fantasy, Guy and Charlie became real friends. Watching the interaction between these two at the premiere of the film, it’s even difficult to imagine that Richie initially rejected Charlie’s candidacy for the role of Arthur. The backstory about Hunnam's involvement in the project is that he heard about Guy's new film and immediately responded, but the director was not impressed with Charlie's portfolio and his request was rejected.
Hunnam is a purposeful guy - he bought a ticket to London, invited Richie for a cup of tea and told him about his vision of the role, and what he could bring to this image. The actor's persistence won over Guy, and he gave Charlie a chance. Hunnam arrived for the audition and saw that Henry Cavill and Jai Courtney were vying for the role, but such rivalry only spurred the determined Briton on.
The director was impressed by the actor's performance, but his physical fitness after The Lost City of Z and the final season of Sons was unimpressive. Richie was looking for a man who would put pressure on his opponent with his appearance, but Hunnam, who had lost a fair amount of his weight, could not boast of this. Charlie emerged victorious and in this situation, Richie proposed to arrange a fist fight between the contenders for the main role, but Guy decided to avoid such extremes and gave the role to the self-confident Hunnam. In turn, he made Charlie promise that before filming began, he would gain impressive muscle mass. The actor spent his days doing fitness and lifting weights, and during filming he did push-ups a thousand times a day. The result was achieved.
The film turned out to be daring, as usual in Richie's style. Foreign critics tore it to smithereens, which ensured low box office receipts for the film overseas, and the Russian audience received the film very warmly. It is still unknown whether the fantasy will become a franchise, but the fact that Hunnam is already in the top star Hollywood actors is a fact.
Future projects
Mr. Hunnam has had more work lately, but knowing his selectivity and approach to each role, it is difficult to predict anything. Rumors are spreading in the media about two projects in which the actor may take part - a continuation of the adventures of King Arthur and the series “Mayans”. Hunnam also agreed to play Green Arrow and James Bond if such offers were received.
As for real projects, only one has been announced so far - the drama “The Moth”. A remake of the 1973 film of the same name. The Brit will play the lead role and play imprisoned safecracker Henry "The Moth" Charrière. The film is currently in post-production.
Awards
Actor Charlie Hunnam already has three awards:
- In 2002, the US National Board of Film Critics Award in the category “Best Acting Ensemble”.
- In 2014, he received the Huading Film Awards as the best actor of the year in international projects for the film “Pacific Rim”.
- In 2017, CinemaCon Award critics named Hunnam the winner in the Male Star of the Year category.
The actor also has 8 nominations for various awards as part of the TV show “Sons of Anarchy.”
Charlie Hunnam, like the rest of the Anarchists cast, has a strained relationship with the Emmy Awards. Charlie even burst into obscene language at her. As it turned out, critics of the award for some reason ignored the series “Sons of Anarchy” for eight years, which incredibly upset Kurt Sutter, the creator of the show.
Charlie Hunnam as a model
The Briton's attractive appearance and success in the world of cinema have turned him into a model in demand in the world of gloss. Charlie is regularly invited to grace advertising campaigns of famous brands. In 2005, he was the face of Armani, advertising one of the collections of the fashion house. In 2014, the actor was invited to become the face of the Calvin Klein fragrance Reveal. The sexy blonde's partner was model Doutzen Kroes.
REVEAL Calvin Klein perfume roller
The actor has repeatedly collaborated with Vouge, Mens Hills, Mr. Porter. Charlie constantly finds himself on the list of the sexiest men on the planet.
Photo gallery: Charlie Hunnam on the pages of glossies
I love you endlessly: the actor’s personal life
Charlie Hunnam, despite all his unbridled sexuality, which goes off scale and seeps through the screens, is very stable in his personal life, although at the age of 37 he has already been married and divorced.
First love
Arriving in Los Angeles, the actor went to castings for days on end. While auditioning for Dawson's Creek, Charlie met Katherine, a charming blonde actress. The young people fell madly in love with each other, and after three weeks of the affair they became legal spouses. The marriage lasted only three years. Gossips say that Catherine Towne could not stand Hunnam's infidelities and simply left him. Charlie himself jokes in an interview and admits that his wife was his first love, but three years of marriage were the most painful time in his life. Despite this fact, Catherine and Charlie are still friends to this day.
Morgana McNelis
After the divorce, Charlie is credited with affairs with Stella Parker, Rashida Jones and Sophie Dahl, but all these are fleeting affairs. But jewelry designer Morgana McNelis managed to win the blond’s heart. The couple's dating history remains a secret to the public, but their romance has lasted for about twelve years.
Little is known about Charlie's beloved. She is the owner of her own jewelry brand, Maison de Morgana jewelry designs. Morgana is actively involved in charity work, supporting veterans.
Morgana gave her lover a ring with the engraving “I love you forever,” and Charlie wears it all the time. So this fact indicates the seriousness of the relationship between both of them towards each other.
A few years ago, young people moved to the suburbs of LA to their own ranch, acquired chickens, ducks, donkeys and improved their own garden. They stay away from the Hollywood crowd, but their photos together periodically appear on the gossip pages. Perhaps the decision to move came after McNelis was accused of illegally selling marijuana. This incident, not without the efforts of Hannam, was smoothed over. Morgana got off with two days in prison, a suspended sentence and a multi-thousand-dollar fine. Despite everything, young people remain devoted to each other.
The actor admitted that, as a true Californian, he already has a stock of gold and a collection of weapons, and now his own autonomous farm, so if the apocalypse comes, he plans to survive.
After the popularity that befell Hunnam, it was not easy for his other half. A group of female fans constantly attacked Morgana on social networks and harassed her with insults. Charlie reacted immediately, addressed the inappropriate fans through his fan page on Facebook and asked them to stop attacking the man he loves infinitely. Hunnam said he plans to spend another 60 years with his girlfriend.
Photo gallery: Love is a wonderful country
Celebrity biographies
20039
10.04.15 10:06
The fact that he did not play Gray in the film “Fifty Shades of Gray” is probably for the best: Jamie Dornan, who received this role, is not delighted with the film. Although, perhaps, in the biography of Charlie Hunnam, along with this image, a new stage would begin, he is still a good actor, and the movie collected an impressive box office.
Biography of Charlie Hunnam
"Gay Icon"
A native of Newcastle, Charles Matthew Hunnam comes from a large family. His parents raised four children, and Charlie turned out to be the second child of the Hunnams. He was born on April 10, 1980, and grew up as an active and athletic boy. And Charlie’s hopes for a great acting future were born with his participation in the show “Biker Grove”. He got the role of Jason by accident: casting assistants met a handsome blond guy in a Newcastle store - Hunnam was choosing his shoes and ended up on the set.
But Charlie Hunnam’s truly creative biography began with the mini-series “Close Friends.” The nineteen-year-old Briton became the star of the project, playing one of the central roles in it. His hero, the young modest Nathan, is seduced by the handsome Stuart (Aidan Gillen, who created the image of Petyr Baelish in “Game of Thrones”). Gradually the guy falls in love with his older friend and becomes, like him, a playmaker. Nathan became a real “gay icon”, because Charlie played him very convincingly, without being embarrassed by explicit scenes.
To America!
Having starred in his homeland in the low-budget comedy “Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?”, the Englishman moved to the States. There he made his debut with a role in the show “Young Americans”, and then joined the large cast of the sitcom “Undecided”. The script for the show was written by Jude Apatow, so it was full of quite bold jokes and unusual situations, and along with Charlie in the series (which was a kind of continuation of “Hooligans and Geeks”), Apatow’s favorite Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel played.
In between filming the sitcom, Charlie Hunnam's biography was supplemented with several films. Among them was the English classic, Dickens's Nicholas Nickleby. Despite the excellent casting (in addition to Hunnam and the young Jamie Bell, the film featured the experienced Jim Broadbent, the beautiful Anne Hathaway and the funny Alan Cummings), the drama failed at the box office. Apparently Dickens is not to everyone's taste. And the film was not bad: it even competed for the Golden Globe.
Fan and biker
Hunnam's cameo in Minghella's Cold Mountain and his role in Cuarón's post-apocalyptic film Children of Men were not very well received by the public and critics. But the low-budget American-British sports drama “Hooligans” unexpectedly covered the costs of the film by almost 10 times, and the film’s ratings were unrealistically high. The main roles in the film were played by American Elijah Wood and Briton Charlie Hunnam. Interestingly, the film about London football fans was directed by a female director, Lexi Alexander.
Charlie always said that he approaches the choice of a role very carefully, because it determines the course of the artist’s future career. So he happily plunged into the biker-criminal world of the Sons of Anarchy series, sensing that this was a story that could hook viewers. The show was launched in 2008, and in December 2014, Americans saw the last, seventh season. Hunnam gives a brilliant performance as Jax Taylor, the leader of a motorcycle gang trying to bring order to his town.
Commercial success
Charlie's participation in the blockbuster "Pacific Rim" also did not go unnoticed.
Guillermo del Toro's epic high-tech fantasy film earned more than $411 million - it was the first commercially very successful film in which a Briton had a leading role.
You won't be nice by force
When Robert Pattinson refused James's offer to play in the film adaptation of her book Fifty Shades of Gray, Ryan Gosling could have applied for the leading male role, but the project seemed uninteresting to him. Then the role of Gray was offered to Hunnam. After much hesitation, Charlie agreed, but unexpectedly met with a whole stream of negativity from fans of the novel. He decided that “you can’t be nice by force” and left the project.
Victorian thriller and Arthurian legend
Film fans were eagerly awaiting del Toro's next film starring Hunnam - the Victorian mystical thriller Crimson Peak was released in October 2015. Along with Charlie, the film stars Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska and Tom Hiddleston. The horror (or rather, gothic drama) turned out to be: atmospheric, rich in bright colors, intense.
And in the spring of 2017, Hunnam appeared in the image of the legendary King Arthur (who has not yet sat on the throne) in the new film by Guy Ritchie. The antagonist of the future monarch was played by Jude Law.
Personal life of Charlie Hunnam
Early marriage
As soon as Charlie moved to the USA, he almost immediately met Catherine Towne - this happened at one of the castings. Both auditions for Dawson's Creek didn't work out, but Catherine and Charlie's wedding followed. The marriage turned out to be short - already in 2002, the young people divorced it.
Many years together
Charlie Hunnam has never made a big secret of his personal life; for almost ten years now he has been dating the same girl. His lover is Morgana McNelis, she designs jewelry. The star is in no hurry to formalize her relationship - apparently, the mistake of youth reminds of itself, well, these two are fine without any formalities.
