Charlie Hunnam Joked He’s “Not Nearly As Rich” Because Of His “Heartbreaking” Decision To Drop Out Of The “Fifty Shades” Franchise At The Last Minute
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Charlie Hunnam reflected on how different things could’ve been if he’d starred in the Fifty Shades franchise.
Today, we know Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey. However, the Northern Irish actor wasn’t the first pick to star as the fictional billionaire and S&M enthusiast in the Fifty Shades film adaptation.
In September 2013, Universal Studios announced that Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson, then aged 32 and 23, had been cast as the main characters, Christian and Anastasia.
At the time, Charlie was best known for starring in the TV series Sons of Anarchy, while Dakota had only had a few minor roles in titles like the 21 Jump Street movie and The Social Network.
However, a little over a month after the casting announcement made headlines, the filmmakers backtracked and said they would select a new actor to play Christian after Charlie was forced to drop out over scheduling issues.
In a statement released by Universal, the team behind the adaptation said that, along with Charlie, they’d “agreed to find another male lead given Hunnam’s immersive TV schedule, which is not allowing him time to adequately prepare for the role of Christian Grey.”
As we now know, the search for the new Christian didn’t take too long. Within only a few weeks, Jamie was announced as the replacement — and the rest is history.
With Jamie and Dakota leading, Fifty Shades of Grey was released in 2015, followed by Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed in 2017 and 2018.
Though critics certainly didn’t love the movies, the franchise was a huge commercial success, bringing in a combined total of more than $1 billion at the box office — and now, Charlie’s joked about missing out on such a significant payday.
Last week, Charlie was asked by a TMZ reporter how the decision to drop out of the Fifty Shades movies worked out for him in the long run, prompting him to reply: “I’m not nearly as rich as I would’ve been.”
When asked if he’d ever taken the time to watch the films despite not being in them, Charlie revealed that he hadn’t — yet.
“I have not seen it, but that’s not by design,” he said. “I want to see it. I’ve been waiting!”
Though Jamie has discussed the damage that the Fifty Shades franchise did to his reputation as an actor, Charlie previously said he has major regrets about dropping out of the films, describing the decision as “heartbreaking.”
“It was the worst professional experience of my life. It was the most emotionally destructive and difficult thing I’ve ever had to deal with professionally,” the British actor told V Man magazine in 2015, explaining that he backed out primarily because of a previous commitment to appear in Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak.
“I’m pretty mercurial and a very difficult, long-winded decision-maker at the best of times. It was deeply unpleasant and challenging emotionally,” he went on, revealing he was “having panic attacks about the whole thing.” “I really, really pride myself on being a professional and a man of keeping my word. It means a lot to me, truly.”
"Fifty Shades Of Grey" Movie Needs A New Christian As Charlie Hunnam Drops OutJordan Zakarin · Oct. 12, 2013
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"Fifty Shades Of Grey" Officially Casts Its Anastasia, Christian GreyJordan Zakarin · Sept. 2, 2013
