During the auditions for his film King Arthur (2015), British director Guy Ritchie hesitated between three actors for the main role:
Henry Cavill
Jai Courtney
Charlie Hunnam
He had a slight preference for Charlie Hunnam, but he wasn’t sure he had the right physique for the role. In fact, Hunnam had just lost 10 kilos for filming the final season of the series Sons of Anarchy and he was slightly thin.
Guy Ritchie found it hard to imagine that he could have the physical presence to play King Arthur.
“I felt like he was fixated on my thinness,” says Charlie Hunnam.It bothered him. He told me that he liked the way I played, but he had doubts about my physique. During the audition process, he asked me three times if I thought I could put on enough muscle for the role. When he asked me the question a fourth time, I told him bluntly: “Look, man, you’re beating around the bush, you have a problem with my weight. You think I’m not massive enough. This is clearly the most important to you. So, what I suggest to you is to stop pretending. We’ll stop this audition bullshit and settle it the old-fashioned way: you bring in the other two finalists—I know who they are—and we’ll get on each other’s throats. And whoever emerges victorious from the confrontation has the role. Bring them here, I’ll show you if I’m strong enough.” »
Faced with a bulldog like Guy Ritchie, who is titillated by the scent of testosterone, it was the right approach.
Charlie Hunnman will get the role at the end of this discussion.
Charlie Hunnman in King Arthur .