Charlie Hunnam reflects on transforming into a serial killer for 'Monster: The Ed Gein Story'

Charlie Hunnam recently shared his experience preparing for his latest role in Monster: The Ed Gein Story which premiered on Netflix on October 3 and the actor spoke about his intense physical and emotional journey while portraying the infamous serial killer, Ed Gein.

In an interview, he revealed how deeply he immersed himself in the character, both physically and psychologically to capture Gein’s complex nature.

Physical and psychological immersion

Speaking with Forbes, Hunnam explained that playing Ed Gein required a complete transformation.

He lost nearly 30 pounds in just three weeks to resemble Gein’s frail appearance and carefully studied rare audio recordings of the killer to perfect his high-pitched voice and tone.

The Gentlemen actor said his main goal was to “find the man behind the monster” and avoid sensationalising the crimes that made Gein infamous.

Finding humanity in horror

Hunnam admitted that portraying a figure like Gein came with emotional challenges. “There was an enormous amount of trepidation and fear initially,” the 45-year-old shared. 

He added,“And then it was just trying to understand him, trying not to judge him, trying to find the truth and find the man behind the monster.”

To stay in character, Hunnam remained immersed in Gein’s mindset throughout filming, rarely breaking between scenes.

Behind the Netflix anthology series

Monster: The Ed Gein Story is the third installment in Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s Monster anthology, following previous entries about Jeffrey Dahmer and the Menendez brothers.

The eight-episode series was written by Brennan and directed in part by Max Winkler. The cast includes Laurie Metcalf as Gein’s strict mother, Augusta, Tom Hollander as filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, and Suzanna Son as Adeline Watkins, Gein’s only friend.

A thoughtful approach to a dark story

In addition to starring, Hunnam also served as an executive producer on the series as the Green Street star explained that he and the creators spent a lot of time questioning what motivated Gein’s disturbing actions.

“We definitely didn’t want to sensationalise this or make a show that was gratuitous,” Hunnam said after completing filming, the actor visited Gein’s grave to symbolically say goodbye to the haunting character he had embodied so completely.