Charlie Hunnam‘s portrayal of Jax Teller gradually got darker as Sons of Anarchy progressed, but Jax Teller will seemingly be nothing compared to the grim character the actor will play in an upcoming Netflix show. Despite remaining fairly underutilized in recent years as an actor, Charlie Hunnam has some compelling television roles lined up.
Although Charlie Hunnam has been acting for quite some time, he came into the limelight for his brilliant portrayal of Jax Teller in Sons of Anarchy. While he played many memorable movie roles after Sons of Anarchy, his television career experienced a dip when Apple TV+’s Shantaram, which had him as its lead, failed to leave its mark.
Fortunately, Charlie Hunnam is all set to make his television return with two new exciting projects. While one is Amazon Prime Video’s adaptation of Ed Brubaker’s Criminal comics, the other is a new installment of a popular Netflix series. The latter will interestingly feature him in a role far darker than Jax Teller.
Charlie Hunnam’s Role As Ed Gein In Monster Season 3 Will Be His Darkest Yet
Monster Does Not Shy Away From Giving Harrowing Portrayals Of Some Of The Most Notorious Killers
Created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, Netflix’s Monster focuses on the lives of some of the most well-known serial killers in human history. With each new season, the show walks through the life of a new killer, highlighting all the events surrounding their murders and the motives behind them.
While the show’s season 1, titled The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, focused on Jeffrey Dahmer. Season 2 walked viewers through the criminal timelines of Lyle and Erik Menendez. The controversial show’s season 3 is all set to focus on Ed Gein, who will be portrayed by Charlie Hunnam.
As many would know, Ed Gein is known to be one of the most notorious serial killers to have ever lived. Also known as “the Butcher of Plainfield” or “the Plainfield Ghoul,” the American murderer not only confessed to the murders of two women but was also believed to have exhumed several corpses from graveyards and fashioned keepsakes from their body parts.
Sons Of Anarchy Had Some Dark Moments, But They Won’t Come Close To Monster Season 3
Jax Teller Is Portrayed More As An Anti-Hero In SOA
Even though Jax Teller walks down a violent path in Sons of Anarchy, the show does not portray him as a cold-blooded killer. He seems to have many redeeming qualities, especially when it comes to loyalty towards the members of his motorcycle club and deep love for his family.
Given how Monster‘s previous seasons attempted to evoke empathy in viewers for its central murderer characters, season 3, too, will likely attempt to do something similar with Ed Gein. However, the nature of Ed Gein’s crimes will make the show far darker than Sons of Anarchy.
In Monster season 3…the violence will give a glimpse of the chilling details of Ed Gein’s real crimes, highlighting how the killer slowly descended into monstrosity.
Sons of Anarchy, too, is jam-packed with several gory moments where Hunnam’s character brutally murders people. However, the fact that Monster will portray Ed Gein’s real crimes and murders will make the Netflix show’s violence much more unsettling.
Jax Teller’s criminal actions in SOA were also deeply rooted in the drama, where he killed people to seek revenge or protect the people he loved. In Monster season 3, on the other hand, the violence will give a glimpse of the chilling details of Ed Gein’s real crimes, highlighting how the killer slowly descended into monstrosity.
Monster Season 3 Is Slated To Be Charlie Hunnam’s Most Divisive Project
Charlie Hunnam Hasn’t Done A Lot Of Controversial Roles In The Past
Most of Charlie Hunnam’s movie and television roles in the past have been received quite well by viewers. However, it seems likely Monster season 3 will finally break this trend. Monster‘s seasons 1 and 2 were both very controversial because of how they portrayed their central killers.
Evan Peters, who played Jeffrey Dahmer, earned critical acclaim for his performance in season 1 and even won a Golden Globe. However, the portrayal of the real-life killer was heavily criticized because the show struggled to separate fact from fiction. Even in season 2, the show took many creative liberties and attempted to frame a narrative that seemingly justified the actions of the central killers.
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Charlie Hunnam’s new show can not only be his perfect Sons of Anarchy replacement but also give him his much-needed TV breakthrough after 11 years.
Many have also raised concerns surrounding the seemingly sensationalist approach Monster takes towards its portrayal of real-life crimes. Monster season 3 will likely tread the same path as its predecessors and turn out to be no less controversial.
Owing to this, it is hard not to believe that the Netflix series will not only give Charlie Hunnam his darkest role since Sons of Anarchy but also his most ethically and morally complex performance to date.