Charlie Hunnam has had a successful career, beginning with appearances on British television and now including his most recent part as the infamous serial killer Ed Gein. This role is part of the newest season of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s Netflix Monster series, which has previously covered the stories of Jeffrey Dahmer, and Lyle and Erik Menendez.
The notorious killer Gein, called the “godfather of all serial killers” by one commentator, famously killed several women and treated their remains with disrespect. His crimes came to light in the late 1950s when investigators discovered he had dug up numerous corpses.
This role represents a fresh direction for Hunnam, who has taken on diverse characters ever since beginning his acting career in the late 1990s with Byker Grove.
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The actor recently told Variety that his family hadn’t originally envisioned an artistic career for him. His father, in particular, had hoped he would continue the family business, which involved scrap metal, in Newcastle.
He remembered his father as a remarkably strong and resilient scrap-metal dealer, working in a very harsh business. “He was like a leader in our city,” he said. His father hoped he would inherit the business, but he felt certain he couldn’t handle that kind of life.
After appearing in Byker Grove, Hunnam gained significant recognition for his role as Nathan Maloney in Russell T Davies’s innovative series Queer as Folk. Though it only ran for two seasons, from 1999 to 2000, the show was highly influential and celebrated for its realistic and optimistic depiction of gay life during that period.
However, he faced difficulties gaining traction in the US around this period. His appearances in Young Americans – a spin-off of Dawson’s Creek – and Judd Apatow’s Undeclared didn’t lead to lasting success, as both shows were cancelled after just one season.
Hunnam found greater success in film, notably starring in the 2002 movie adaptation of Charles Dickens’s Nicholas Nickleby alongside Jamie Bell, Jim Broadbent, and Alan Cumming. He also played Bosie in the 2003 film Cold Mountain, which featured Nicole Kidman and Jude Law. Furthermore, he co-led the 2005 football hooligan film Green Street with Elijah Wood, and the following year, he appeared in the acclaimed dystopian movie Children of Men with Clive Owen and Julianne Moore.
In 2008, he gained significant recognition in the US with his role as Jax Teller in Sons of Anarchy. He played a member of the show’s central, law-breaking motorcycle club, and the series continued for seven seasons, concluding in 2014.
After that, he got a part in Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 film Pacific Rim – and he says he accepted the role simply because he saw it as a fantastic chance to collaborate with a director he admired.
He continued, “I really wasn’t interested in giant robots battling giant monsters.” He explained, “After reading the script, I just didn’t feel any connection to the story or characters at all.”
Two years after that, he worked with the well-known director on Crimson Peak. He then starred in The Lost City of Z (2016), the controversial film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017), and the 2017 reimagining of Papillon alongside Rami Malek.
Charlie Hunnam was initially cast as Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades of Grey films, but he ultimately decided to withdraw from the project. He was then replaced by Jamie Dornan, who told Variety that he “just wasn’t thinking clearly” when he made the decision and feels he has “no regrets” about leaving the role.
In recent years, he’s been in the Apple TV+ show Shantaram and the initial installment of Zack Snyder’s Netflix film series, Rebel Moon.
I’m really excited about his newest project – it’s about Ed Gein! He’s the real person who gave the inspiration for killers in films like Psycho and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It’s fascinating to learn about the person behind those iconic characters!
Hunnam agreed to play the serial killer during his initial conversation with Murphy. He remembers the creator saying, after they spoke for two hours (according to Variety): “Ryan turned to me and said, ‘If you’re interested in playing the part…'”
The actor explained his approach to playing the real person, telling Tudum: “My goal was to accurately represent who Ed was, honor his life, and make the portrayal feel genuine and believable.”
This will be a truly personal, sensitive, and honest look at Ed’s life – not just what he accomplished, but who he was at his core. We’ll focus on the person he was, rather than simply his actions.
Monster: The Ed Gein Story is available on Netflix from 3 October.
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2025-10-02 19:50