The casting rumors regarding who would win the coveted role of Christian Grey in the film version of the phenomenally popular book series "Fifty Shades of Grey" were silenced this weekend when Charlie Hunnam was announced as the titular character of the adaptation set to premiere next summer.
Many people know Hunnam from the FX series "Sons of Anarchy" or his lead role in this past summer's robot vs. monsters fanboy wet dream "Pacific Rim," but some might remember him from the role that made him famous, Nathan on the original UK version of the hit gay TV series "Queer As Folk."
The eight-episode series premiered in the UK in 1999 and quickly made headlines for its graphic portrayal of gay sex, which Hunnam's character participated in as the new boy on the gay scene in Manchester, England. Though Hunnam was 18 while filming the series, his character was 15, and involved with a man more than twice his age, which fueled much of the controversy surrounding the series (for the US remake, Nathan's age was changed to 17, to avoid the same controversy).
A second series of "Queer As Folk" aired in the UK in 2000, in which Hunnam reprised his role, and since then he's been busy starring in films and playing Jax on "Sons of Anarchy."
Check out a scene from "Queer as Folk" above which features Aidan Gillen (who is currently playing Petyr Baelish on "Game of Thrones") getting hot and heavy with Hunnam after bringing him home after a night out on the town. If you like what you see you can check out the first 10 minutes of the first episode here.
Also, doesn't there seem to be a bit of irony in Hunnam having played gay in the past and still being cast in "50 Shades of Grey" considering what a stink was made about the idea of openly gay actor Matt Bomer playing the same role?
If you need more Hunnam to hold you over until next summer when "Fifty Shades of Grey" is set to debut in theaters, you can catch him on "Sons of Anarchy" when the new season premieres September 10 on FX.
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