Charlie Hunnam’s girlfriend just wanted him to come back as himself.
As he prepared to take on the role of graverobber and serial killer Ed Gein in Monster: The Ed Gein Story—the third installment of Ryan Murphy’s Netflix anthology series, streaming now—the actor was armed with girlfriend of two decades Morgana McNelis’ stipulation for him taking on such a dark character. As he admitted, she’s seen first-hand the toll these kinds of roles have previously taken on him.
“She got frustrated with me showing up and being a bit of a shell after doing a role,” Charlie recalled to E! News in an exclusive interview. “So, she said to me, probably about 10 years ago, ‘Here's the rules of engagement: Go do your work. Be as selfish as you need to be, but then take some time, because when you get back, you better be ready to see me.’ Which is completely fair and really lovely.”
So indeed, after wrapping the crime drama, Charlie took some time to fully disengage from his time playing Ed—who was convicted of 2 murders and suspected of more—not wanting to bring the bad energy home with him.
“I take a week, at least, however long I need once I finish,” he explained. “This time was the most extreme decompression, because I was in Chicago, which is close to where Ed Gein lived in Wisconsin. So I drove up and spent the day and visited his grave and spent some time with him, which was a healing way to say goodbye and put a full stop at the end of the thing.”
So, knowing he would take the time to come back to her as Charlie, Morgana was more than supportive of the Sons of Anarchy star taking on the role.
“My partner had incredible conviction that this was an important thing to do,” Charlie said. “She’s a great fan of the psychoanalysts, so she understands shadow work and the value of staring into the abyss and confronting the darkness much more than I do. So she was an amazing support to me, saying, ‘You just got to go do this thing, you got to enter the cave and face the dragon.’”
And face the dragon he did, delving deep inside himself and the mind of Ed to bring this role to life.
“I felt a huge obligation and responsibility because he was a real person, and also exacerbated by the fact that he had committed all of these terrible crimes,” the 45-year-old explained. “I wanted to find the truth of it. Right from my early conversation with Ryan, we were less interested in what he did, but we really wanted to understand why he did what he did, and take the audience and take ourselves through that journey of understanding how a human being becomes a monster.”
It's those underlying psychological questions of how and why that guided Charlie, too, as he considered whether to take on the role.
“I'm not a fan of horror and dark, bleak stories at all,” he confessed. “I really did grapple for a little while with the responsibility and the ethics. And I do believe—with the attempt not to sound highfalutin—but I do think that there is a value to storytelling in helping us to understand ourselves. And evil and darkness is part of the collective human experience.”
So, he added, “Telling stories about that and giving us a way to confront the boogeyman is valuable. As long as it's done responsibility, as long as it's done through the lens of actually trying to really explore like human psychology, then there is value to it.”
For more stars who underwent huge psychological and physical transformation for their roles, read on.
Christian Bale, American Hustle & Vice
The British actor packed on more than 40 pounds for his Oscar-nominated performance as a beer-bellied con artist in 2013's American Hustle. He put on the same amount to play former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in the 2018 movie Vice, which also earned him an Oscar nomination.
For his 2019 movie Ford v Ferrari, Bale dropped dropped 70 pounds to play slender race car driver Ken Miles. And it wasn't his first time losing weight for a role, having also lost about 30 pounds while filming the 2011 film The Fighter.
Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
To transform the actress into her role of real life Appalachian grandmother Mamaw Vance in the 2020 film, makeup and special effects artist Matthew Mungle pulled Close's head cast from 2011's Albert Nobbs and sculpted her a new set of false ears and a false nose, according to Variety. The actress received an Oscar nomination for her role.
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
For his role as Donald Trump, not only did the actor work with the same hairstylist and makeup artists who transformed him into Tommy Lee for 2022's Pam & Tommy, but he also packed on the pounds to fill out the reality star-turned-president's frame.
Stan said he gained around 15 pounds by eating instant ramen mixed with soy sauce—a dish recommended by his nutritionist to look bloated in the face—and drinking soda.
Andra Day, The United States vs Billie Holiday
The actress lost almost 40 pounds to play the iconic jazz singer in the 2021 film, which earned her an Oscar nomination.
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Was eating, as his onscreen wife Emily Blunt joked "like, an almond every day," a bit nutty? Sure. But the Irish star really wanted to nail atomic bomb scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer's appearance.
"Oppenheimer had a very distinct physicality and silhouette, which I wanted to get right," he explained to The New York Times. "I had to lose quite a bit of weight, and we worked with the costume and tailoring; he was very slim, almost emaciated, existed on martinis and cigarettes."
Charlize Theron, Monster
At the 2004 Academy Awards, the gorgeous A-lister was honored with a Best Actress win for her chilling portrayal of real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos.
Joaquin Phoenix, The Joker
The actor lost 52 pounds to play the deeply disturbed Arthur Fleck, the man who would become Batman's adversary. The won the Best Actor Oscar in 2020 for his performance.
Nicole Kidman, The Hours
It took three hours (and an infamously large prosthetic nose) for makeup artists to render the Best Actress winner completely unrecognizable for the 2002 drama.
Tom Hanks, Philadelphia
The actor shed 35 pounds and shaved his head to play an HIV-stricken attorney suing his former firm for wrongful termination. Hanks took home Best Actor at the 1994 Oscars, and made a similar transformation for his Oscar-nominated performance in 2000's Cast Away.
Renee Zellwegger, Judy
The actress, who famously gained a reported 17 pounds to play the title role in Bridget Jones's Diary, did not have to change her physique to transform into Judy Garland for the 2019 film Judy, for which she won her first Oscar. You can thank the makeup and costume department for her transformation.
"Renée was extremely emotionally and artistically involved in Judy, the movie's costume designer, Jany Temime, who also worked on the Harry Potter films, told Vulture. "It was her film. I think she really got into Judy's skin."
Zellweger told the outlet, "Jany fit the costumes to Judy's posture. So the dresses didn't fit me unless I stood like I was supposed to stand. The zipper wouldn't go up."
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Quite a departure from Robbie's sultry character in The Wolf of Wall Street, several prosthetics, braces and wigs helped the Best Actress nominee bring disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding's career-ending scandal to life in the 2017 flick.
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
The Academy recognized McConaughey's extreme commitment to playing an HIV/AIDS stricken electrician with a Best Actor win during the 2014 ceremony.
Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
The late actor received a posthumous Oscar in 2008 for his chilling and mesmerizing performance as The Joker in the second film in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. His look as the iconic villain differed greatly from those previously seen on past actors onscreen.
"What would it be if this guy slept in his makeup, this psychopath?" makeup artist John Caglione Jr. told IGN. "If he didn't spruce up his makeup for two or three weeks? He never changes his clothes It's those kinds of organic details that really helped."
He continued, "You think of a clown's makeup and for the most part, they're pretty detailed with sharp lines. But this had to be the opposite of that."
Hilary Swank, Boys Don't Cry & Million Dollar Baby
The two-time Oscar winner dramatically altered her appearance to play real-life transgender man Brandon Teena in the 1999 drama, and then again in Clint Eastwood's 2004 Best Picture winner.
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
In order to play British prime minister Winston Churchill, the 2018 Best Actor nominee spent upwards of four hours in the makeup chair every day and wore a "Victorian corset" style bodysuit.
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Before taking home Best Actress at the 2011 Oscars, the petite actress shed 20 pounds and trained up to 16 hours a day for her role as a mentally ill ballerina.
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
Ever the chameleon, the 2014 Best Supporting Actor winner prepared to play a HIV-positive transgender woman by losing 40 pounds and only staying in character on set.
"I had done similar things with weight, but this was different," Leto told E! News in 2013. "I think the role demanded that commitment…It was about how does that effect how I walk, how I talked, who I am, how I feel. You know, you feel very fragile and delicate and unsafe."
Brie Larson, Room
The Best Actress winner gained 15 pounds of muscle to play a mother who escapes years of captivity with her 5-year-old son (Jacob Tremblay) in the 2015 film. Larson said she even limited her exposure to the outside world, restricted nutrients like Vitamin D and tailored her eating habits to better grasp what her character experienced.
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
At the 2012 Academy Awards, the typically fresh-faced starlet was honored with a Best Actress nomination for her performance in the thriller. Mara went as far as to pierce multiple body parts, bleach her eyebrows and chop her hair to transform into Lisbeth Salander.