Charlie Hunnam has enjoyed an interesting TV and movie career since landing his first notable role in the groundbreaking LGBTQ+ drama “Queer As Folk” on Channel 4 in 1999.
The actor went on to appear in the soccer hooligan movie “Green Street” and period comedy “Nicholas Nickleby.” Now, he’s arguably best known for his portrayal of Jax Teller, the tortured heir to a criminal motorbike gang, in “Sons of Anarchy,” one of the best FX shows ever made.
Hunnam, however, more recently made headlines for his portrayal of real-life serial killer Ed Gein in Ryan Murphy’s “Monster” series on Netflix. Hunnam will return for Murphy’s next “Monster” chapter, “The Lizzie Borden Story,” which premieres Thursday, September 17. To celebrate his latest role, we’re highlighting Hunnam in today’s quote of the day.
Quote of the Day by Charlie Hunnam
“Everybody, at some point in their life, has fallen down and not felt like getting back up, but you have to, no matter how difficult it is. That’s something that’s pretty easily relatable to audiences, I hope.”
Charlie Hunnam gave the above quote when speaking to Collider in 2013 during a lengthy conversation about “Pacific Rim” alongside Guillermo del Toro. Since the movie is about pilots who use giant robots across the world to fight gargantuan monsters that come through an otherworldly rift at the bottom of the ocean, Hunnam explained how his character could still be relatable to audiences — even if viewers hadn’t embarked on their own kaiju-brawling adventures.
Deeper meaning of Charlie Hunnam’s quote — overcoming adversity
Charlie Hunnam’s comment is both understanding and compassionate, as well as rousing and motivational. He expressed an awareness that life cannot go right for everybody all the time — everyone has bad days, weeks, or even a whole bad year. But per Hunnam, admitting defeat should not be an option.
Getting back up and dusting yourself off after taking a hit is the best way to move forward. It probably won’t feel great at the time, but wallowing in life’s woes forever will get you nowhere. Whether you’re dealing with rejection, grief, or heartbreak, getting back up will help make you more resilient. Ultimately, defeat can teach us how to cope with difficult situations, making these sorts of challenges important learning experiences.
Though in real life he doesn’t fight the skyscraper-sized monsters of “Pacific Rim,” Hunnam himself has faced challenges during his career. The poor box office results of both “King Arthur” and “The Lost City of Z” created a “difficult hurdle” for him to get over. He told The Talks: “That was quite a big fight to reconcile the anticipation of what those two films could have been with what they ended up being.”
More quotes from Charlie Hunnam
- “I always think that the ability to fight and defend oneself is a skill that every man should have but endeavor never to use, you know?” — from a 2013 interview with GQ
- “I do try not to dwell on the past too much because I have a tendency to do that, and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten very good at distancing myself from shoulda, woulda, coulda.” — from a 2015 interview with Entertainment Weekly (via Daily Mail)
- “Freedom is an illusion and kind of fleeting. I experience moments in my life where I feel very free and moments where I feel completely beholden to the rhythms of my life and the responsibilities that I have and my mind. And that is just a framing thing. It’s just perspective. But one certainly has to fight to get that perspective.” — from a 2018 interview with The Talks
- “I feel like we all have one or two innate talents, and a task of life is to identify those and then do that as much as you possibly can. Because that’s where the joy and the presence is going to come from. That’s where the grace is going to come from.” — from a 2020 interview with GQ