‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Latest News: Charlie Hunnam Says Decision to Back out of Erotica Film was ‘Emotionally Destructive’

Charlie Hunnam, widely known for playing Jackson "Jax" Teller on the hit FX series, "Sons of Anarchy," has opened up about his decision to back out of "Fifty Shades of Grey," a romantic movie based on the book series written by E.L. James.

When Hunnam, who was casted as the leading male character, Christian Grey, announced that he was departing from the project, many people were speculating that he was not comfortable with the amount of sexual content that would be in the movie. The book, "Fifty Shades of Grey," has a lot of very graphic details about Grey and Anastasia Steele's (Dakota Johnson) sex life, which includes BDSM.

"It was the worst professional experience of my life," Hunnam, 35, told V Man magazine n regards to giving up the role. "It was the most emotionally destructive and difficult thing that I've ever had to deal with professionally. It was heartbreaking."

Hunnam stated that when he told the director, Sam Taylor-Johnson about his decision over the phone, they were both in tears. The role went to Irish actor, Jamie Dornan.

At the time, Hunnam had agreed to star in Guillermo del Toro's "Crimson Peak." After realizing that he only had the time and commitment for one movie, he made the hard decision to give up on "Fifty Shades of Grey."

"I'd given Guillermo my word, over a year before, that I was going to do this film," he explained. "People were saying, 'Are you crazy? Guillermo still has got four months to recast, it's the fourth lead, you can go and do this.' I said, 'I can't. He's my friend.'"

The British actor added, "I really, really pride myself on being a professional and a man of keeping my word. It means a lot to me, truly."

Hunnam revealed that ultimately, the decision came down to the fact that his filming schedule became too hectic.

"I was going to finish Sons ... fly to Vancouver the next day, have ten days of rehearsal, and then start shooting," Hunnam said. "Then I was going to have three days after that and I'd have to start shooting Crimson Peak and then I'd have two days to travel and go back into season 7 of Sons."

Hunnam can be seen in "Crimson Peak," which hits theaters on Oct. 16, 2015. His other upcoming projects include "The Lost City of Z" and "Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur."