Charlie Hunnam dove headfirst into one of the most unsettling roles of his career. He plays the notorious serial killer Ed Gein in the third season of Netflix’s Monster. Even the show’s most disturbing scenes didn’t faze the actor.
The new season, which dropped on Friday, October 3, features some truly gruesome moments. One scene in particular stands out: Hunnam, as Gein, is seen playing "La Vie en Rose" on an accordion. What comes next is even more shocking — he has sex with a corpse he just dug up.
Series creator Ryan Murphy, 59, expected Hunnam to raise an eyebrow at this. "That was the thing that made Charlie say, ‘Oh my God, this accordion,’" Murphy told GQ in an interview published Wednesday, October 8. But when Murphy asked about the sex scene, Hunnam’s reaction was calm. He simply replied, "No, piece of cake."
The entire production team praised Hunnam for his incredible transformation into such a dark character. Showrunner and writer Ian Brennan shared his surprise. He was on set when he caught sight of something turning the corner of the farmhouse they built. "I looked, and it was him. It was Ed Gein," Brennan recalled in the same interview. He added that the haircut, the look, the prosthetics, and Gein’s unique way of moving truly took his breath away.
Hunnam, 45, worked hard for the role. He lost 30 pounds and wore a prosthetic for a lazy eye every single day. Yet, his initial resemblance to the convicted killer helped Murphy choose the Sons of Anarchy alum. "He had a very similar face shape to Ed — a prison photograph of Ed that I had seen," Murphy explained. The two met early last year and began working together.
Murphy quickly understood the powerful effect Hunnam has on people. "Look, even a broom falls in love with Charlie Hunnam," Murphy told GQ. He went on to make a striking comparison: "I’ve worked with another actress who had that ability, and it was Meryl Streep."
Murphy further explained Hunnam’s appeal: "Men love Charlie, women love Charlie, the crew loves Charlie. I think you either want to sleep with Charlie or you want to be Charlie. And the line is pretty thin for a lot of people, and it’s not because he’s overtly flirtatious; he’s not. He’s very shy. But he has such a big spirit and heart. It’s almost like, I don’t know, there’s that little secret sparkle in his eyes."
It seems fans find it hard to look away from him, much like a chilling line delivered by Hunnam’s character, Gein, in Monster. "You’re the one who can’t look away," Gein declares in one scene, seemingly speaking to the audience itself.
Beyond the shocking portrayal, Hunnam sees a deeper question at the heart of the series. He spoke on the Today show earlier this month about the show’s main point: "Who was the monster?" He noted that Gein was a man who suffered terrible abuse, left isolated with untreated mental health issues. Hunnam also discussed how filmmakers sensationalized Gein’s life for entertainment, perhaps even darkening the American psyche in the process.
He added that before Gein, movie monsters were often fantastical creatures like Dracula, Frankenstein, or werewolves. But with Psycho, which was inspired by Gein’s life, "that was the turning point where we became the monsters," Hunnam concluded.