Fans of Charlie Hunnam may best know the British actor for playing Jax Teller in the FX series “Sons of Anarchy,” but two years before Hunnam was tearing up the asphalt as a motorcycle outlaw, he appeared in the 2006 sci-fi film “Children of Men.” If you’ve seen both the film and Sons of Anarchy, and didn’t know Hunnam was in the former, we wouldn’t blame you: He’s barely recognizable.
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, “Children of Men” is an adaptation of the 1992 P.D. James novel of the same name. The story follows a dystopian world on the verge of collapse after two decades of global infertility. War and famine are abundant, and the UK has become a horrific police state. The film kicks off when Theo Faron (Clive Owen), an activist-turned-politician, is kidnapped by a refugee alliance known as the Fishes. Charlie Hunnam portrays Patric, a Fishes soldier with a frightening demeanor.
While Hunnam doesn’t get a ton of screen-time in the film, the actor reportedly passed on Zack Snyder’s “300” for this role — because he wanted to work with Mexican auteur Cuarón, who would go on to direct “Gravity”. If you’re looking for other great sci-fi epics to indulge in, take a look at our list of the best ’70s sci-fi movies.
From dystopian soldier to cable TV star
In the years since “Children of Men” was released, Charlie Hunnam’s acting career has taken off. He seems to enjoy choosing roles that are both physically and emotionally challenging, which may be best exemplified by his starring role in “The Ed Gein Story”, the controversial serial killer hit on Netflix. Other noteworthy roles include Lin Ford in “Shantaram”, a major Apple TV+ release and Percival Fawcett in “The Lost City of Z.”
“Children of Men” fared well critically, earning a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 84 out of 100 on Metacritic. Film critic Roger Ebert gave the movie four out of four stars, saying, “Here is certainly a world ending not with a bang but a whimper, and the film serves as a cautionary warning.” While “Children of Men” is currently available on the Criterion Channel, Amazon Prime, and Fandango at Home.
