Charlie Hunnam on his sexy image, germophobia, real reason why he quit ‘Fifty Shades’ (conclusion)

Charlie Hunnam. Photo by Ruben V. Nepales

(Conclusion)

LOS ANGELES—At age 13, Charlie Hunnam received Valentine’s cards and gifts from 27 girls. “I was killing the game in Newcastle (in North East England),” said the star of “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” with a laugh.

Now, at 37, Charlie is killing the game in Hollywood, where he is making a splash with “King Arthur” and “The Lost City of Z.” In this part two of our column on the “Sons of Anarchy” star, he talks about his growing up years, working again with his “Queer as Folk” series costar Aidan Gillen in “King Arthur,” competing against Henry Cavill and Jai Courtney for the chance to be Guy Ritchie’s Excalibur hero and more.

Excerpts from our recent talk in New York:

Can you talk about working with director Guy Ritchie in “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword”? One of the things that Guy had been eager to do, which I thought was wise, was to make Arthur just an Everyman. The idea being that you or I could just be going about your life then, all of a sudden, have this grand destiny thrust upon you.

So that was an exciting reimagining of Arthur because, traditionally, he has always been the noble man on a noble journey to become a noble king—which is great, but it isn’t that relatable.

Guy is so infectious in his personality. I always feel that his films are deceptively personal. It’s not like he’s exploring his deepest, innermost fears and bleeding all over the screen in the way that some great directors do.

Can you talk about the humor of Guy Ritchie, because when he was asked which actress would play Guinevere should there be another film, he cracked, “Who says King Arthur is straight?” What a rascal (laughs)! As you just demonstrated, he has a very robust sense of humor. I have a good sense of humor [too], but I’ve had a tendency in the past to be very serious about my work.

Guy recognized that early on. He said, “Whoa, OK, here’s the mandate for the film—you and I need to have fun together every day. We’re going to make the audience laugh.”

That was liberating for me. I had more fun on this film than I’ve ever had on anything I have done before. His humor defuses every tense situation on set.

And about his quip on Guinevere? Who knows? But I hope that he casts a girl (laughs). It’s a love triangle. It’s one of the most dynamic and exciting parts of the Arthurian legend.

Of course, Guinevere is the love of Arthur’s life. But Lancelot is the second love of Arthur’s life, sort of the brother he never had.

What was it like to work with Aidan Gillen? My first job was playing his lover in “Queer as Folk.” I worked very closely with him, literally (laughs). The biggest single impact of my career that I can identify was working with Aidan.

I was excited when Guy told me he hired Aidan, and I was going to work with him again.

What kind of training did you undergo to be in such good shape for this movie? The physicality was a challenge for me because I was doing the last season of “Sons of Anarchy” when I got hired for this movie. It almost prevented me from getting hired because, in that show, the character I was playing (Jackson “Jax” Teller) had to endure a traumatic event in his life. So, I lost an enormous amount of weight.

Then, I auditioned for Guy halfway through that season. He was very concerned about the physicality because I showed up like a skeleton. He kept saying, “Are you sure you can get big (laughs)?”

There were three or four other movie stars (including Henry Cavill and Jai Courtney, reportedly) who were also
auditioning for this role. I said, “Why don’t you bring those chimpanzees in here, and we will fight? Whoever prevails and walks out of this room gets the role.”

I saw Guy with a glint in his eye and he thought, that’s the Arthur I’m looking for.

But to answer your question, I had to work out very hard. I had very little carbs. No sugar and no dairy are the two big ones for me to put on a lot of muscle and stay lean.

You recently made waves in “The Lost City of Z.” Which movie did you shoot first? It was an enormous challenge. I shot “King Arthur,” then I had eight days before shooting “The Lost City of Z.” The night
I wrapped “King Arthur,” I didn’t go to the wrap party. I went home and started reading “Lost City.”

The next day, I had a meeting with James Gray (director). He came to a costume fitting so we could talk. He was impressed with the way I was going about exploring my character. Then, I took my shirt off, and he went white (laughs). He said, “We are so f***ed (laughs). We cannot have Percy Fawcett looking like a UFC fighter!”

I said, “I know, it’s a disaster, but I have a plan.” It was foolproof. I starved myself for 10 days. I ate an avocado a day and lost 17 pounds. I finished “King Arthur” at 185 pounds and finished “Lost City of Z” at exactly 145. I dropped 40 pounds over the course of 10 weeks, which was an enormous challenge.

Can you talk about your growing up years? I was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. I lived there until I was 13. I had a lovely childhood in Newcastle, an economically depressed place with little opportunities. But I grew up in a household full of love and creativity. I had one brother with my father and mom. When I was 12, [my mom] met another man, and we moved across the country.

On my last day in Newcastle, I had just started high school. I was 13, and it was Valentine’s Day. I got 27 cards from 27 girls, a watch, a Walkman, chocolates and flowers. I say that like I was a stud.

Then, I went to the Lake District (in North West England). Everyone there hated me. I was immature and hadn’t developed great people skills at that point. So, I ended up having few friends and spent most of my teenage years alone.

This dream that I had about being an actor became the thing that kept me alive, that I just needed to make it to 17.

Can you talk about channeling your inner Steve McQueen for “Papillon”? Inevitably, we’re going to have to endure the weight of comparison, Henri Charrière (who wrote “Papillon,” a memoir) was a real man, and it’s a true story, like the story of Jesus Christ or Alexander the Great.

In terms of the creative process, we felt like we were doing a completely different adaptation in the sensibility of the wonderful Danish filmmaker Michael Noer, who directed the film.

I hope we can mitigate as much as possible the endless comparisons because no one wants to be in a position where he’s being compared to Steve McQueen.

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