Charlie Hunnam has landed one of the most talked-about roles in Hollywood.
He'll play Christian Grey in the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey, set to hit theaters Aug. 1, 2014.
To play the character, he's got to be hot, sexy, dominant — and tortured.
Can he pull it off?
"I've been swaggering since I was 14 years old!" Hunnam told USA TODAY's Brian Truitt when touting the film Pacific Rim in July. In that movie, his character had to take a giant robot into war against futuristic monsters. He's also know for playing tough biker-club president Jackson "Jax" Teller on FX's Sons of Anarchy. He told GQ UK in July that Season 6 was being filmed and he's signed for Season 7.
Both were a good fit for Hunnam, 33, who learned to be tough in real life early on.
The actor is originally from Newcastle, England, a working-class town. As a kid, he moved to the Lake District, where fighting was common. He is one of two sons of what he has described as a "tough-guy" father and a "bohemian" mother. They split up when he was 2 years old.
Hunnam went on to get his degree in the performing arts from Cumbria College of Art and Design in Cumbria, England. His first big role came at age 18, when he was cast in the British TV series Queer As Folk. He appeared in 10 episodes, playing a gay teen, before moving to Los Angeles. He went on to land roles including the lead in 2002's Nicholas Nickleby, a part in Cold Mountain in 2003 and Sons of Anarchy in 2008.
So will he be ready to bare his bod for the film, which will have plenty of sexy scenes?
He has a chiseled physique that he maintains by boxing, swimming and weightlifting among other things, according to Australian Men's Fitness. In a 2011 feature for the magazine, he revealed that he owns 82 pairs of sneakers.
"I'm happier, more confident, and more positive when I work out. And I feel like I'm a better actor because of the clarity it gives me," he told the mag.
As for his personal life? He's not single.
He met Katherine Towne at an audition for Dawson's Creek in 1999 and the two got married a few weeks later in Las Vegas. They divorced in 2002.
For the past six years, according to E!, Hunnam has been dating jewelry designer Morgana McNelis. In an interview with Britain's 7 Nights magazine in July he said they had bought a ranch so they could escape the Hollywood scene. "We've got 30 chickens and a couple of donkeys, a couple of ducks and we've got a big, organic garden. We are going to try to live a bit more sustainably."
Both were a good fit for Hunnam, 33, who learned to be tough in real life early on.
The actor is originally from Newcastle, England, a working-class town. As a kid, he moved to the Lake District, where fighting was common. He is one of two sons of what he has described as a "tough-guy" father and a "bohemian" mother. They split up when he was 2 years old.
Hunnam went on to get his degree in the performing arts from Cumbria College of Art and Design in Cumbria, England. His first big role came at age 18, when he was cast in the British TV series Queer As Folk. He appeared in 10 episodes, playing a gay teen, before moving to Los Angeles. He went on to land roles including the lead in 2002's Nicholas Nickleby, a part in Cold Mountain in 2003 and Sons of Anarchy in 2008.
So will he be ready to bare his bod for the film, which will have plenty of sexy scenes?
He has a chiseled physique that he maintains by boxing, swimming and weightlifting among other things, according to Australian Men's Fitness. In a 2011 feature for the magazine, he revealed that he owns 82 pairs of sneakers.
"I'm happier, more confident, and more positive when I work out. And I feel like I'm a better actor because of the clarity it gives me," he told the mag.
As for his personal life? He's not single.
He met Katherine Towne at an audition for Dawson's Creek in 1999 and the two got married a few weeks later in Las Vegas. They divorced in 2002.
For the past six years, according to E!, Hunnam has been dating jewelry designer Morgana McNelis. In an interview with Britain's 7 Nights magazine in July he said they had bought a ranch so they could escape the Hollywood scene. "We've got 30 chickens and a couple of donkeys, a couple of ducks and we've got a big, organic garden. We are going to try to live a bit more sustainably."
