CELEB Charlie: My dad had hard man rep
GEORDIE actor Charlie Hunnam has revealed how his dad was one of Newcastle’s hard men.
The Sons of Anarchy star, whose first job was in Byker Grove, has admitted his father Billy had a reputation as a tough character in the North East.
Charlie’s father died four years ago, but the actor, who attended Newcastle’s Heaton Manor School, says he was respected in the villain community.
Charlie, who stars as a jungle explorer in the new Hollywood film The Lost City of Z, was commenting on the description of his father as a gangster on some internet sites.
He said in an interview with the Metro newspaper: “My father was a scrap metal merchant.
“They are tough old school men – very flashy guys, real characters – and there’s an aesthetic that goes with that. My father wore a diamond-encrusted Rolex, a massive diamond pinkie ring, and beautiful tailor-made suits, and he drove a Rolls Royce.
“So there is a perception they have that gangster aura about them.”
Charlie also spoke about the amount of money that changes hands in the scrap metal business.
“There’s also an element of having to self-police in the business because a lot of money changes hands and the very valuable commodity they are trading changes its integrity very quickly,” he said.
“My father had a big reputation in his home town Newcastle.
“He was well respected among the community of tough guys but certainly was never involved in any illegal business.”
Charlie’s break in Byker Grove happened when he spotted drunkenly fooling about in a shoe shop with his brother.
He appeared in three episodes cast as a boy called Jason.
The actor was later cast as a 15-year-old in drama Queer as Folk.
His career took him to America where is well-known for playing Jackson Jax Teller in Sons of Anarchy about a motorcycle club in California.
Charlie is also famous for pulling out of his role as Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey. Newcastle-raised actor Charlie Hunnam, who has revealed that his father, Billy, had a hard man reputation. Left, Charlie in current movie The Lost City of Z