Fifty Shades of Grey almost starred one Sons of Anarchy actor, but I’m glad that didn’t happen. Back in 2015, the film adaptation of E. L. James’ 2011 novel Fifty Shades of Grey was released, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. Fifty Shades of Grey was as controversial as its source material, but despite that, it was a huge box office success. The popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey led to two sequels (based on James’ sequel novels) that, unsurprisingly, weren’t well received by critics either, and the trilogy ended up becoming one of the most hated ones in recent years.

Fifty Shades of Grey follows college graduate Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson), who meets young business magnate Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). Anastasia and Christian start a relationship, though not as she expected, as Christian is into BDSM and has strict rules on how their relationship should be, pushing Anastasia to her limits (physically and emotionally) and making her question what she truly wants. One of the biggest criticisms of Fifty Shades of Grey was the lack of chemistry between Johnson and Dornan, but that could have been different had Christian been played by the actor who was originally cast in the role.

Charlie Hunnam Was Cast As Christian Grey In Fifty Shades of Grey Before Jamie Dornan

Charlie Hunnam Would Have Been A Different Christian Grey

The search for the actors who would play Anastasia and Christian in Fifty Shades of Grey began in 2013, and in September of that year, James announced that Johnson had been cast as Anastasia and Charlie Hunnam was set to play Christian. At the time, Hunnam was the star of the action crime drama TV series Sons of Anarchy, which was in its sixth season when he was announced to play Christian Grey. In Sons of Anarchy, Hunnam played Jax Teller, the VP of the title motorcycle club who went on to become the President of it.

Although Hunnam was not a newcomer when he joined Sons of Anarchy, the series boosted his career and opened many doors for him, leading him to star in projects like Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, in 2013. However, Hunnam dropped out of Fifty Shades of Grey and Jamie Dornan was cast instead, with Hunnam citing scheduling conflicts as the reason for his departure. Given the box office potential of Fifty Shades of Grey, many questioned why Hunnam didn’t rearrange his schedule, but he had big reasons not to do it.

Hunnam told V Man in 2015 (via Vanity Fair) that, in addition to filming Sons of Anarchy season 7, he had signed on to do Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak, which was set to start filming around the same time as Fifty Shades of Grey. Hunnam had promised Del Toro he would star in his movie, so he left Fifty Shades of Grey in favor of Crimson Peak.

Hunnam went on to call passing on Fifty Shades of Grey “the worst professional experience of my life”, the most “emotionally destructive and difficult thing” he ever had to deal with professionally, and that developing a friendship with Taylor-Johnson was “a somewhat traumatic experience“, further proving he made an excellent decision.

Charlie Hunnam Dropping Out Of Fifty Shades of Grey Saved His Career

Charlie Hunnam Starred In Better Projects

While being involved in Fifty Shades of Grey and dropping out of it might have been an unpleasant experience for Hunnam, it was a decision that pretty much saved his career. Christian Grey and Fifty Shades of Grey were going to have a not-so-positive impact on the career of whoever played the role, and I won’t deny that Jamie Dornan did a great job with what he had – a script with laughable dialogue and an underdeveloped character who, to top it all off, was a walking red flag –, but no matter his efforts, he was going to be destroyed by critics for the quality of the story and character.

Dropping out of Fifty Shades of Grey allowed Hunnam to star in Crimson Peak, one of 2015’s most critically acclaimed movies, while Fifty Shades of Grey had the complete opposite reception. Hunnam kept the recognition and respect he earned with his performance in Sons of Anarchy and has seized the impact it had on his career since then, appearing in movies like The Gentlemen and Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire.

In addition to that, seeing Hunnam as Christian Grey while still having him as Jax Teller on TV would have been too weird. Surely, Jax wasn’t perfect nor was he a green flag, but he was a much better-written and developed character than Christian Grey (you bet Jax would have made fun of Christian and everything he did and said). Had Hunnam played Christian Grey, it’s unlikely some of his best projects would have happened, including Crimson Peak, and thus his career wouldn’t have progressed. Charlie Hunnam would have been a different Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey, but that was definitely not his place.

Source: Vanity Fair.

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  Sons of Anarchy

  Sons of Anarchy, created by Kurt Sutter, follows a notorious outlaw motorcycle club, the Sons of Anarchy, as they confront drug dealers, corporate developers, and law enforcement to protect their livelihoods and their hometown of Charming, CA. Loosely based on William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” Sons of Anarchy explores what happens when the seduction of money and power comes between family. The show follows the Teller and Morrow family legacies, with Jackson ‘Jax’ Teller handling his duties as the V.P. of the club while dealing with the new president – his stepfather – Clay Morrow.

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  Fifty Shades of Grey

  Based on the book by E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey is the first film in the trilogy that follows naive literature student Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson), whose life changes upon meeting the complicated and tormented billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dorman). Drawn to each other, the two start a romantic relationship where Steele uncovers Grey’s secrets – and explores her own personal desires.