The one that got away. Charlie Hunnam revealed in a new interview that he still hasn’t seen Fifty Shades of Grey after giving up the role of Christian Grey in the erotic romance film series.
“I developed a friendship with [the movie’s director, Sam Taylor-Johnson]. That was a somewhat traumatic experience for me,” the Sons of Anarchy alum explained in an interview for Elle magazine’s March issue. “I didn’t want to open that wound.”
As previously reported, Hunnam, 36, cited scheduling conflicts and anxiety issues as reason why he dropped out of the film. “It was a really, really difficult time in my life,” he said back in September 2014. Hunnam was subsequently replaced by Jamie Dornan in the trilogy based on the best-selling books by E.L. James.
But in his Elle interview, the Lost City of Z actor also revealed that he finds filming sex scenes awkward (he memorably appeared in several raunchy scenes in Sons of Anarchy).
“I try to be sensitive to the fact that we’re doing something intimate, but also keep a clear boundary,” he said. “Because I’m in a very committed relationship, and I’m also cognizant that it’s not my girlfriend’s favorite part of my job. It’s a delicate balance to strike — to be emotionally open enough to have an experience that feels honest between two people but also maintain that it’s just for the film. It’s not my favorite thing to do. I’m also a germophobe.”
Explaining that he’s been “profoundly germaphobic” since he was 8 or 9, Hunnam added, “I don’t want to kiss anyone but my girlfriend [Morgana McNelis] for my whole life. … The point is, everyone thinks it’s great to be an actor and get to kiss a bunch of beautiful actresses in films, but I actually hate it.”
