LOS ANGELES, Sept. 11 (UPI) — Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam opened up Thursday about his devastating decision to back out of the lead role in the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey
Speaking to V Man magazine, the actor admitted to being haunted by the decision and how it was a tough choice to make.
“It was the worst professional experience of my life,” the actor said. “It was the most emotionally destructive and difficult thing that I’ve ever had to deal with professionally. It was heartbreaking.”
The upcoming star of Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur also said tears were shed during the conversation he had with the film’s director Sam Taylor Johnson.
“I called her and we both cried our eyes out on the phone for 20 minutes. I needed to tell her that this was not going to work,” he said, recalling his grueling work schedule. “There was a lot of personal stuff going on in my life that left me on real emotional shaky ground and mentally weak. I just got myself so fucking overwhelmed and I was sort of having panic attacks about the whole thing.”
The grueling schedule Hannam is referring to is the reason why the actor had to go back on his commitment to the role, not due to the speculation surrounding Hannam’s refusal to partake in the film’s sexually explicit scenes.
The decision ultimately came down to timing as the actor had signed onto Crimson Peak and was also finishing up the last season of Sons of Anarchy.
“I’d given Guillermo (del Toro) my word, over a year before, that I was going to do Crimson Peak,” Hunnam said. “People were saying, ‘Are you crazy? Guillermo still has got four months to recast, it’s the fourth lead, you can go and do this [instead].’ I said, ‘I can’t … I gave him my word.’”
The Fifty Shades of Grey franchise continues on however with its upcoming sequel Fifty Shades Darker now with new director James Foley. On Tuesday, actress Dakota Johnson discussed her excitement for the film and her enthusiasm to start working with Foley.
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