Charlie Hunnam has broken his silence and given the reasons for why he chose to step down from his leading role in the screen adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey.
The British actor, whose departure was announced earlier this month, said his family and other filming commitments came first. Charlie was making his first public appearance at a fundraising event in California since the news broke.
"I am doing good," the star told E! Online, when asked how he was holding up. "I am just really concentrating on work. It's been a really busy time.
"I have had some family stuff going on so I'm just trying to stay focused and stay positive and keep trying to do a good job at work and be with my family and stay positive."
© Photo: Getty ImagesCharlie, whose father Billy passed away in May of this year, added that he would be returning to the UK to spend more time with his nearest and dearest.
"When I wrap the show, I am going to go to England and see my people," said the Sons of Anarchy actor. "Then I have a film that I am doing with Guillermo del Toro. So I am going to go and do that and concentrate on the final seasons of Sons.
"It was previously stated that Charlie had chosen to drop the role of Christian Grey because of his busy schedule.
"The filmmakers of Fifty Shades Of Grey and Charlie Hunnam have agreed to find another male lead given Hunnam's immersive TV schedule which is not allowing him time to adequately prepare for the role of Christian Grey," read a statement from Universal.Charlie's replacement will reportedly be finalised in the next few weeks, with a host of famous faces acting as possible front-runners, including Matt Bomer and Ryan Gosling.
