New Again: Charlie Hunnam

In New Again, we highlight a piece from Interview’s past that resonates with the present. 

We called it over a decade ago: Charlie Hunnam was destined for mainstream heartthrob status. Sure, it may have taken a little longer than we initially anticipated—he didn’t really start to gain a diehard female following until he landed the role of bad-boy with a heart of gold Jackson “Jax” Teller on Sons of Anarchy—but these days it is really happening for the handsome blonde Brit. Hunnam is poised to become an object of diehard obsession for every female on the planet now that he has landed the coveted role of Christian Grey in the upcoming 50 Shades of Grey adaptation. Sure, the reception for Hunnam as bondage-billionaire Grey has been lukewarm at best; however, we’re guessing that’s only because there is limited crossover between fans of 50 Shades of Grey and fans of Sons of Anarchy. Once Grey fans see Hunnam with his shirt off, wielding handcuffs, and speaking raunchily in his authentic British accent, we reckon they will be singing a different tune. Here’s what we had to say about Hunnam back in 2002, when he was gearing up for his first Hollywood role in Stephen Gaghan’s poorly received Abandon. —Allyson Shiffman

Charlie Hunnam
By Patrick Giles

Charlie Hunnam plays the handsome, elusive figure at the heart of Stephen Gaghan’s thriller Abandon: So smart, rich and gorgeous he could drive a girl crazy. Playing an object of desire is how this English actor first gained notice, as the boy toy in British TV’s Queer as Folk. As the roar over that series went transatlantic, so did he, relocating to Los Angeles.

On big and small screens, Hunnam, 22, has won attention for his efforts, but his breakout is as the heartbreaker fascinating Abandon‘s heroine, Katie Holmes. The title role in next month’s feature Nicholas Nickleby, as well as a supporting part in 2003’s Cold Mountain, should help make the actor into a figure not only characters in his movies dream about.

THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY RAN IN THE NOVEMBER 2002 ISSUE OF INTERVIEW.

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