Stepping into the skin of one of America’s most infamous murderers isn’t something any actor does lightly. But for Ryan Murphy’s Monster: The Ed Gein Story, Charlie Hunnam took on the seemingly impossible, which was transforming himself from the charismatic tough guy audiences know from his body of work into the deeply disturbed, reclusive “Butcher of Plainfield.” In a recent interview, the actor revealed the Ed Gein evidence that initially threw him for a loop, but ultimately helped him solidify the character for the project on the 2025 TV schedule.
The new Netflix series, the third installment in Ryan Murphy’s Monster true-crime anthology, has sparked controversy and received a generally poor critical reception since its release. But what I find most interesting about the series is Hunnam’s portrayal of Gein. Speaking with TV Insider, the Sons of Anarchy star admitted prepping was far from easy, but one key to the performance came from something pretty unsettling: listening to a real, tape-recorded interview with Gein. The actor shared what unsettled him about listening to the tapes, explaining:
Just how naive he was… He would constantly be trying to make jokes. And he was seemingly completely unaware that he was in trouble or that he was responsible for the things that he was being accused of. He actually seemed like he was trying to help. He had co-opted himself into the detective team, like he was there collaborating with these detectives to try and solve the crime, which I do think is a consequence of his mental illness.
The interview in question was recorded merely two days after Gein was captured and arrested in 1957. This moment of discovery threw Hunnam completely off balance. This wasn’t the cold-blooded monster he had expected to hear, but more in line with a man who seemed to be completely detached from reality. The actor continued:
I actually don’t think at this point that it was prior to him starting to take medication and to sort of reconcile the extent of his mental illness... I don’t even really know if he understood what he had done. He was very naive and childlike.
That insight from the tapes changed how the Pacific Rim veteran approached the performance. He added:
I got these tapes very late on, in it confirmed this growing sense that I had that there was something childlike and really innocent in the face of these horrendous crimes.
“Horrendous crimes” might actually be putting it mildly, given what Ed Gein was accused of and ultimately convicted of. I mean, just think of all the many horror movies his gruesome acts inspired. Still, hearing those real recordings and getting that unnerving, almost firsthand glimpse into his mind would be deeply disturbing. Realizing the killer sounded so naïve and childlike could shake anyone, and it’s easy to see why it rattled Hunnam, too.
When asked about Hollywood’s responsibility to portray true crime accurately, Hunnam said he’s not sure he agrees that filmmakers are bound to strict realism. Still, he approached Monster: The Ed Gein Story with empathy, rather than exploitation. Rather than glorifying the grotesque, he focused on what drove Gein’s behavior and the psychological wounds that shaped him.
Alongside the creative team, The Gentlemen actor set out to make something more reflective than sensational. Still, like past Monster installments—which drew backlash for not consulting victims’ families before Dahmer—The Ed Gein Story has faced similar criticism for romanticizing its subject. Ultimately, the eerie recordings that shook Charlie Hunnam the most became the key to his haunting transformation.
And while The Ed Gein Story continues to divide audiences, his unflinching performance remains the show's most interesting element, in my opinion. You can stream the series now with a Netflix subscription.
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