After months and months of speculation, many fans of 'Fifty Shades of Grey' were surprised to hear that the role of BDSM enthusiast Christian Grey went to none other than 'Sons of Anarchy' bad boy Charlie Hunnam -- an unexpected pick, to be sure.

Hunnam beat out the likes of Robert Pattinson (author E.L. James' dream vote, seeing as how 'Fifty Shades of Grey' is based on 'Twilight' fan fiction and all), rumored picks like Justin Bieber, fan favorite Ian Somerhalder and hopeful Chace Crawford to get to spank a woman on film for money.

To learn a little bit about the man who will bring Christian Grey to life, we have collected 10 things you may not know about the actor below.

 

  • 10

    He was born in England.

    Regardless of his ability to portray an American accent, Hunnam was born on April 10, 1980 in Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK.

  • 9

    He was bullied in school because of his birthplace.

    To prove that they could take on the Newcastle kid, other school children were constantly picking fights with Hunnam, which resulted in his painful and troubled childhood.

  • 8

    He was discovered in a shoe shop.

    Hunnam was goofing around while helping to buy shoes for his brother on Christmas Eve when he was discovered by a production manager for the British kid's show 'Byker Grove.' It became his first acting gig.

  • 7

    He has appeared on many Worst Accents in Movie History lists.

    Hunnam says he takes roles that he loves, not ones that will make him rich -- which didn't work out so good for the film 'The Green Street Hooligans.' His cockney accent was considered so bad that it's been voted the worst accent in film a few times over.

  • 6

    He met his first wife while auditioning for 'Dawson's Creek.'

    He met actress Katharine Towne in 1999 when they were both trying out for roles on the drama 'Dawson's Creek.' It was lust at first sight.

  • 5

    He married Katharine Towne after just four weeks of dating.

    After a mere four weeks of dating one another, Hunnam and Towne jetted off to Las Vegas to be married. They divorced in 2002.

  • 4

    He sold his first screenplay in 2009.

    Putting his Cumbria College of Art and Design film theory degree to good use, Hunnam sold his first screenplay, titled 'Vlad,' in 2009 to Summit Entertainement. The film follows Dracula as a young prince and is set to be co-produced by Brad Pitt's company Plan B Studios. Or at least it hopefully will, someday.

  • 3

    He is good friends with Anne Hathaway.

    After starring in the Charles Dickens adaptation of  'Nicholas Nickleby' in 2002, Hunnam kept up a friendship with co-stars Jamie Bell, Romola Garai and most notably, Anne Hathaway.

  • 2

    He is currently dating a jewelry designer.

    Hunnam began dating jewelry designer Morgana McNelis in 2007, and the couple are still going strong.

  • 1

    He lives on a ranch.

    In an effort to break out of what he considered to be the heavy party scene of Hollywood, Hunnam and McNelis moved from Los Angeles to a ranch on the outskirts of the city, where things are much more peaceful.

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