Charlie Hunnam admits there is one regret he has about bailing out on the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise.
While chatting with TMZ earlier this week, the Sons of Anarchy alum spoke about his Fifty Shades regret. “I’m not nearly as rich as I would have been,” he jokingly declared.
In 2013, Charlie Hunnam bowed out on the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise months after he was cast as the leading male role, Christian Grey. His reasoning was due to his “immersive TV schedule.” At the time, he starred as Jax Teller on Sons of Anarchy, which wrapped in 2014 after seven seasons.
Along with Sons of Anarchy, Hunnam had also committed to Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak.
A source told Us Weekly at the time that the Fifty Shades of Grey films would have been a “massive time commitment for Hunnam. “[His] loyalty will always be to Sons of Anarchy,” the insider stated.
Following Charlie Hunnam’s departure, Jamie Dornan was cast for the role. He starred in all three films.
In 2015, Hunnam admitted that his departure from the film franchise was “the worst professional experience” of his life. “It was the most emotionally destructive and difficult thing that I’ve ever had to deal with professionally,” he told V Man. “It was heartbreaking.”
Hunnam also said deciding to quit Fifty Shades was both “deeply unpleasant and challenging emotionally.”
Dakota Johnson Admitted Charlie Hunnam Quitting ‘Fifty Shades’ Was a ‘Confusing Moment’ For Her
While chatting with David Letterman in 2015, Dakota Johnson opened up about Charlie Hunnam bailing out on the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise
Johnson, who played the female lead Anastasia Steele in the franchise, admitted Hunnam’s departure was a “confusing moment” for her.
“I think his schedule conflicted,” she said about Charlie Hunnam. “He was busy.”
Despite the cast shakeup, the first Fifty Shades film was a huge success at the box office. It earned 569.7 million during its time in theaters.
Johnson pointed out that the film’s audition process took about two months. “The first few auditions, I did a monologue from ‘Persona’ which was really random but kinda the same vibe and the rest of it was just reading with a lot of really handsome men,” Johnson explained. “Then once I got the role [and] then it was another month to find Jamie.”
Johnson noted the shakeup was “well worth it” in the end. “it turned out OK,” she added.