All British boys all the time. Welcome to Union Jack’d. This week, we talk Charlie Hunnam.
The truth is … I had absolutely no idea who Charlie Hunnam was until I binge watched every episode of Sons of Anarchy available on Netflix. Here’s what I learned – Charlie Hunnam is Jackson ‘Jax’ Teller, basically the hottest bad boy on TV today.
But first, I have to talk about the shows I watched after Sons of Anarchy, you know, when I was in full-on fangirl mode and couldn’t resist those search bars.
Hunnam rose to fame on the British small screen in Queer as Folk, playing Nathan Maloney, a 15-year-old gay man living in England. There are really only two interesting factoids about this series. One, it was originally titled “Queer as F*ck,” which I think could have changed the whole feel of the show. Two, the primary writer Russell T. Davies referenced Doctor Who throughout the series and later revived the epic sci-fi show six years later.
Next up were Hunnam’s first roles on the big screen with Nicholas Nickleby and Abandon in 2002. Nickleby is possibly Hunnam’s only family friendly character, as the movie holds a PG rating. Don’t worry, though, he still manages to go shirtless for at least one scene. The Victorian period piece also stars Jamie Bell.
Abandon, on the other hand, began to highlight Hunnam’s true acting niche – the lovable sociopath. Once you wade through the fact that Joey Potter Katie Holmes is being yet again depicted as the girl every guy wants, this New Adult-style thriller about psycho Embry (Hunnam) disappearing mysteriously and then reappearing in all the wrong places is a fun summer watch. Also: Zooey Deschanel plays the quirky roommate. Win!
Hunnam’s next project is (at least in my house) a cult classic. Undeclared, starring Hunnam, Jay Baruchel, and Seth Rogan as college roommates, is ridiculous good fun. Had all three of the stars not risen to fame quickly, I assume this sitcom would still be on the air. Hunnam plays the ladies’ man/foreign exchange student and uses his British accent to full force. You’ve been warned.
Green Street Hooligans came next and apparently is very good. I, unfortunately, have never watched it. It stars a hobbit and the IMDb tag reads, “A wrongfully expelled Harvard undergrad moves to London, where he is introduced to the violent underworld of football hooliganism.” I count it as a win for the use of the word “hooliganism” alone.
In 2006, Hunnam filmed one of my personal favorite dystopian flicks, Children of Men. Of course, the first dozen times I watched it I had no idea Hunnam was the psychotic, blonde, dreadlocked terrorist that killed Julianne Moore.
After the fact, I realized we should really start preparing for dystopian futures, because if it can make easy-on-the-eyes Hunnam look like this … heaven help the rest of us.
Then, sure, Hunnam was in The Ledge, which was trite and boring, and Deadfall, which was okay mainly because it starred Eric Bana, but we really need to move on so we can talk about Jax Teller. Like, really… because Jax Teller is the epitome of the anti-hero with a heart of gold wrapped up in a tattooed bad boy archetype. His complicated relationships with his mother, Gemma, and his wife, Tara, and his extended family/motorcycle gang are in turn heartbreaking, enthralling, and frustrating. The show itself is AH-mazing in an “I feel dirty watching this but I just can’t stop” kind of way. Oh yeah, and Jax looks like this…
Sons of Anarchy heads into the seventh and final season this fall. Meanwhile, Hunnam is busy racking up blockbuster roles such as Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 Pacific Rim, which was awesome if you like to watch hot guys manning giant robots. I know I do.
And we can all look forward to 2015’s Crimson Peak co-starring none other than Tom Hiddleston. Hiddleston and Hunnam, ladies. Hold on to your panties. #cannot
Outside of movies, Hunnam plays a seductive, stalker-type peeping tom in Calvin Klein’s Reveal fragrance campaign.
The campaign is rehashing the “he is so Christian Grey” rumors, all of which are long dead, but Hunnam fans can still dream, right? Completely unrelated: Hunnam is my fantasy Travis Maddox.
Final random tidbit, we share a birthday … April 10.
For all these reasons, Charlie Hunnam, I love you and #thatsnormal.
Do you love a good bad boy or a more buttoned-down Brit? Who should I feature NEXT on Union Jack’d?
