‘Sons of Anarchy’: Charlie Hunnam Based Jax Teller on a Real-Life 22-Year-Old ‘Straight F***ing Outlaw
Sons of Anarchy made a star out of British actor Charlie Hunnam. For seven seasons, he played tough guy Jax Teller, the president of an outlaw motorcycle club. But Hunnam says in real life he’s actually a “hippie” who’s nothing like his character. Instead, he based Jax on a real-life 22-year-old “straight f***ing outlaw.”
‘Sons of Anarchy’ dictated Charlie Hunnam’s life
When Sons of Anarchy came to an end in 2014, Hunnam admitted it was “bittersweet” saying goodbye to Jax Teller.
The actor said the “sweet” side for him was that Sons of Anarchy had “really dictated the whole rhythm” of his life for seven years. And he was excited to get back to a freer way of life as opposed to the “regimented routine” that he had gotten used to.
“This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. So it’s kind of sad to say goodbye and say goodbye to the character,” Hunnam told HuffPost ahead of the Sons of Anarchy finale. “I loved playing this guy for these seasons.”
Charlie Hunnam based Jax Teller on a real-life 22-year-old
When Hunnam was doing research for Sons of Anarchy and the role of Jax, he started out knowing nothing about the world of motorcycle clubs. So he went to Oakland to hang out with a well-known club. And that’s where he met the real-life Jax Teller.
“This one kid in particular that I met was amazing. It was kind of a dream come true for me in a lot of ways when I went up there. Because he was Jax Teller. His dad was in the club and had been in the club his whole life,” Hunnam explained.
He continued: “And he was 22. He’d had 22 birthday parties in the Oakland clubhouse of this motorcycle club. He was the heir apparent, like the history and future of that club and just an amazing guy.”
Hunnam said he was drawn to the real-life Jax before he even knew who he was because he “just had an amazing presence about him.”
The ‘Sons of Anarchy’ star says the real Jax Teller was an ‘old school outlaw’
Hunnam proceeded to base Jax’s looks, style, and mannerisms on this 22-year-old, whom he described as the kind of guy they just “don’t make” anymore.
“He was like an old school outlaw, cowboy, f***ing badass gunslinger. But modern day, you know? A 22 year old fearless kid. They used to say he put his gun in his belt before he put his shoes on, like he was just a straight f**king outlaw,” Hunnam told HuffPost.
Sadly, just one week after Hunnam left Oakland — and just before they started shooting Sons of Anarchy — the man Hunnam based Jax Teller on was killed. Hunnam said he bought a necklace to wear as a memorial because he was the perfect inspiration for the role that changed the actor’s life.
“The whole aesthetic of that character, literally Jax wears the jeans and the shoes he wore. I just thought I couldn’t find someone that would be more prototypically perfect than this kid. So I just based everything on him,” Hunnam said.
All seven seasons of Sons of Anarchy are available on Hulu.
