Charlie Hunnam talks 'heartbreaking' decision to leave 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

Charlie Hunnam is finally speaking out about dropping his role in Fifty Shades of Grey. Almost two years after announcing that he would no longer star as Christian Grey in E.L. James' film adaptation of the book, Charlie calls the decision "heartbreaking."

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Photo: Tim Walker/V Man magazine #34

"It was the worst professional experience of my life," Charlie tells V Man magazine, while also gracing the cover. "It was the most emotionally destructive and difficult thing that I've ever had to deal with professionally."

The 35-year-old Sons of Anarchy star added that his choice to leave the film was due to his loyalty to friend Guillermo de Toro and his work on the film Crimson Peak. "I'd given Guillermo my word, over a year before, that I was going to do Crimson Peak."

Photo: Tim Walker/V Man magazine #34

Charlie admits that the schedule would have allowed him to keep his word to his friend and star in Fifty Shades of Grey on top of finishing Sons of Anarchy, but it would have been too much for him to handle. "I was going to finish Sons, fly to Vancouver the next day, have ten days of rehearsal, and then start shooting," he shared. "Then I was going to have three days after that and I'd have to start shooting Crimson Peak and then I'd have two days to travel and go back into season 7 of Sons."

The actor admits that the filmmaker had plenty of time to recast his role, and that those around him questioned his decision to pass up on the chance to star opposite Dakota Johnson and catapult overnight to stardom. "People were saying, 'Are you crazy?" he continued. "'Guillermo still has got four months to recast, it's the fourth lead, you can go and do this [instead].' I said, 'I can't. He's my friend.'"

Instead of breaking the heart of his friend, Charlie had to break the heart of director Sam Taylor-Johnson. "I called her and we both cried our eyes out on the phone for 20 minutes," he said. "I needed to tell her that this was not going to work."

Charlie is gearing up to star in Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur in 2016.