‘Twilight’ Author Stephanie Meyer Once Claimed That Charlie Hunnam ‘Refuses’ Scripts That Include Vampires
Twilight author Stephanie Meyer didn’t have a say in the casting decisions when Hollywood was turning her book series into a film franchise. But that didn’t keep her from having strong opinions about her ideal Edward Cullen. Spoiler alert, it wasn’t Robert Pattinson.
Meyer actually had her eye on two unknown actors who would eventually become huge stars. One was Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam. But Meyer says he “refuses” scripts that include vampires.
The ‘Twilight’ author’s top choice for Edward Cullen eventually became a superhero
Pattinson beat out several young actors who auditioned for the role of Edward in Twilight back in 2007. But before RPatz got the part, Meyer shared her opinion with fans about who she wanted in the role.
According to Cinema Blend, the making of Twilight was a long process that began in 2004. By the time they got to casting, Meyer’s top pick for Edward had aged out of the role. Meyer wrote on her blog that she wanted Man of Steel star Henry Cavill to play the immortal teen. She called him her “perfect Edward.”
At the time, Cavill only had a handful of films on his resume. But, the Twilight filmmaking process had taken so long that Meyer thought he had aged out of the role.
“Years have passed, my actors have aged, and I think the time has come to recast the Twilight Movie. (For fun, of course! I still have no say in who gets hired),” Meyer wrote. “The most disappointing thing for me is losing my perfect Edward. Henry Cavill is now twenty-four-years old. Let us have a moment of quiet in which to mourn.”
Charlie Hunnam was also on the ‘Twilight’ author’s short list
Meyer still didn’t want to let go of her dream of having Cavill star in the Twilight franchise. When she realized he was too old to play Edward, she put forward a new idea.
“I’m not willing to relinquish Henry completely; since I hear that Charlie Hunnam refuses to consider scripts which include vampires, I propose that Henry play Carlisle! Would Henry dare to find out if blondes DO have more fun??” Meyer wrote.
That’s right. Not only did Meyer really want Cavill in the Twilight movie, but she also had Hunnam in mind. Meyer seems to have quite an eye for talent since both of these actors were absolute unknowns at the time.
Hunnam was only a few years into his career when they were casting Twilight. His most notable role at the time was on Judd Apatow’s short-lived Fox series Undeclared. It doesn’t appear that Hunnam ever got the chance to audition for Twilight. At least, he’s never spoken publicly about it if he did. However, Hunnam has famously turned down some big roles during his career.
Charlie Hunnam famously turned down a billion-dollar franchise
As TV Over Mind recalls, Hunnam famously turned down the role of Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades of Grey film trilogy. It was a big deal at the time. And the 40-year-old has described his experience with the role as the worst of his career.
“It was the most emotionally destructive and difficult thing that I’ve ever had to deal with professionally. It was heartbreaking,” Hunnam said.
The Sons of Anarchy alum officially dropped out of Fifty Shades because of a scheduling conflict. Hunnam was still working on the final season of SOA, and he had also committed to Guillermo Del Toro’s Crimson Peak.
Christian Grey wasn’t the first role that Hunnam turned down, though. Just before he landed the role of Jax Teller, Hunnam turned down a film role that his friend Jason Segel wrote specifically for him. Hunnam passed on the role of Aldous Snow in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
