Fifty Shades of Grey Movie Release Date, Cast News: Charlie Hunnam Says Role Would Have Been Disaster Amid Schedule
Charlie Hunnam is well-known to have formally declined the offer to play the role of Christian Grey in the movie "Fifty Shades of Grey," a move that has since drawn him a lot of flak from fans.
A few weeks after initially being cast for the role, Hunnam bowed out, saying his role as Jax in the FX show "Sons of Anarchy" gave him very little time to concentrate on "Fifty Shades of Grey."
The movie is based on an erotic novel of the same name written by E. L. James.
After news broke that Dakota Johnson and Hunnam were cast as the leading actors in the film, a petition on change.org was created to force the makers of the film to recast the roles. While Dakota did not bow out, Hunnam's subsequent exit was seen as a source of major embarrassment for the filmmakers. However, Universal Pictures and Focus Features announced that his departure was mutually agreed upon.
Subsequently, the role of Christian Grey was recast and Jamie Dornan was recruited for it. Since then it has been speculated that Hunnam left as the result of the negative fan reaction and that his "full schedule" had nothing to do with it.
Hunnam stated earlier this year that stepping away from the role of Christian Grey was "heartbreaking," adding that he still feels connected to the character. He also noted at that time he was scheduled to do Guillermo Del Toro's film "Crimson Peak" soon after "Fifty Shades of Grey" wrapped.
In a recent interview in Men's Health, Hunnam provided more details as to why he left the film. He noted that he had just finished playing Jax in "Sons of Anarchy," who had lost his wife, and five days later he was scheduled to step into the role of Christian Grey.
At that time he felt that it would be a "disaster" and that he felt he was stretching himself too thin by jumping from one role to another. Also he felt he did not have time to prepare for the role.
