'Fifty Shades of Grey' Movie: Charlie Hunnam Defends Himself and Dakota Johnson Against Angry Fans [PHOTOS]

Weeks of having been subject to fan backlash and internet hate, Charlie Hunnam finally speaks up in defence of himself and co-star, Dakota Johnson, for having nabbed the lead roles in "Fifty Shades of Grey." What did E.L. James' Christian Grey have to say?

Last August, author of the best-selling erotica novel, E.L. James, finally announced the two leads for the film adaptation of "Fifty Shades of Grey." While James' choices were found suitable by some readers, not everyone was pleased with Charlie Hunnam being cast as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele.

In fact, an online riot began which led to a petition in hopes of the producers recasting the lead parts and giving them to fan favourites Matt Bomer and Alexis Bledel instead. Some fans had continued their protests online and had even claimed to boycott the film unless these two strong contenders would be cast.

"Charlie is not what many of the fans would have wanted, and that's sadly going to hurt the movie! When it was announced that an old-looking blond man was playing the role, E.L. James lost a movie fan in me," stated one negative comment about the casting.

Rather than feel depressed over the news that a few fans dislike him and Dakota Johnson, Charlie Hunnam has felt quite challenged. In an interview with the Associated Press, the "Sons of Anarchy" star defended himself and Dakota Johnson.

"You know what, I had such a baptism of fire with regards to sexuality on camera at the beginning of my career. I starred in the British Channel 4 miniseries Queer as Folk, where I played a young, gay character, and there were some incredible, explicit sex scenes on that show...Now I am 16 years older and more mature so I don't anticipate them being too much of a problem. It's like anything else, just an exciting challenge," stated Hunnam.

In a separate interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hunnam also took the time to praise his co-star Johnson.

"As soon as we got in the room and started reading with Dakota, I knew that I definitely wanted to do it, because there was a tangible chemistry between us. If felt kind of exciting and fun and weird and compelling, and so that was it," stated Charlie.