The ‘Sons of Anarchy’ alum decided to go without the opinions of his critics — and his supporters.

Charlie Hunnam names the film that made him stop reading reviews: ‘I don’t need to go through this again’

The 'Sons of Anarchy' alum decided to go without the opinions of his critics — and his supporters.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

EW's editorial guidelines

January 5, 2026 8:53 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Charlie Hunnam doesn't read reviews. Credit:

Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Charlie Hunnam had amassed more than a decade of acting credits in movies and TV shows when he made the major decision to stop reading reviews.

"I don't read any of it. Not for years," he told *Access Hollywood* on Sunday at the Critics Choice Awards. "I learned that trick early in my career. I've been doing this for 27 years."

The project that taught him to avoid what others were saying about his work was a 2005 crime drama in which he costarred with Elijah Wood and Claire Forlani.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

"There was a film I did called *Green Street Hooligans*, which ended up getting a huge sort of cult following to it, but the critics were not particularly kind to me when that film came out," Hunnam recalled. "And I said, 'All right, okay. I don't need to go through this again.'"

Directed by Lexi Alexander, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2003 for a short film she did, *Green Street Hooligans *is about a London newcomer's introduction to the underground world of football hooliganism.

Charlie Hunnam worried Ed Gein role was 'a horrible mistake': 'There might be no coming back from this'

'Monster' director says he can't believe what Charlie Hunnam put himself through for Ed Gein role: 'What the f---'

In 2026, Hunnam's movie is rated 45 percent fresh, based on 64 reviews from movie critics, according to Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, audiences on the same site — more than 100,000 people — have awarded it 87 percent.

The *Detroit Free Press* summed up much of the criticism about the movie in general: "There's a good movie to be made about the violent world of British soccer, or football, as it's called on the other side of the pond. This isn't it."

The critic from ViewLondon, meanwhile, described Hunnam's acting as "utterly dreadful."

Charlie Hunnam stars in 2005's 'Green Street Hooligans'.

Universal Pictures

Hunnam said his avoidance of press about his own work meant that there was a delay in him finding out that he had been nominated for the awards that were handed out Sunday. He was nominated in the category of Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television for his role as serial killer Ed Gein in *Monster*. (Stephen Graham ended up winning for *Adolescence*.)**

"I was up at my ranch. I got a ranch up north of Santa Barbara, and I never really look at my phone when I'm up there, and I didn't know these nominations were coming out," Hunnam said. "I looked at my phone, and I had like 40-some missed calls and messages and I thought, 'Oh no, something horrible has happened.' Turns out something wonderful had happened."

Hunnam will have another shot at a trophy when the Golden Globes airs Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and streams on Paramount+.**

- Celebrities & Creators

- Entertainment Industry Roles

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Actors”