Let's get to know the man behind the character's steely exterior.
By Ashleigh Schmitz — Written on Sep 02, 2013
Selecting Christian Grey: It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it! We can't imagine the laundry list of names that came across the producers' desks (Ian Somerhalder, Henry Cavill and Matt Bomer—oh my!), but in the end they went with a hunky actor who will surely do the role justice. Hey there, Charlie Hunnam.
This Fifty Shades casting is proof that rumors can hold some shred of truth, after all. While the coveted role has been tied to almost every eligible actor in Hollywood, Charlie's name surfaced at the top of the heap as a real contender in recent weeks. So—aside from his new gig and obvious good looks—what else is there to know about the future Mr. Grey?
1. He's British! Charlie was born in Newcastle, England and now splits his time between Los Angeles and London. After 15 years of acting stateside you'd be hard-pressed to notice an accent, but the suave debonair quality associated with British men is perfectly suited for the role of Mr. Grey.
2. Unlike his on-screen persona, he's not afraid of commitment. Charlie tied the knot to fellow actress Katharine Towne in 1999. While that relationship didn't last, he's been with his current girlfriend, Morgana McNelis, since 2007. The two even own a ranch outside of L.A. together.
3. Charlie's riding a wave of good acting roles. Since landing the lead role of Jax Teller in FX's hit show Sons of Anarchy in 2008, he's also gone on to helm this summer's blockbuster Pacific Rim before being named Christian Grey. Something tells us he's comfortable with playing the lead.
4. He has experience playing a leather-clad bad boy. The only difference is that he'll trade in the leather motorcycle garb from Sons of Anarchy for the S&M gear from emotionally-restrained Christian and his Red Room of Pain.
5. He doesn't need to add any reps to his workout routine. He's already in ab-tastic shape to play our favorite tortured billionaire, as evidenced by his shirtless physique on display in Pacific Rim. Don't let us stop you from a shameless Google image search.
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