Charlie Hunnam Says King Arthur Movie Paints Arthur As A 'Mother-effer'

03/31/2017 02:32 pm EDT

After being fused as Jax Teller for eight years on Sons of Anarchy, Charlie Hunnam has seen his mainstream popularity -- as well as geek-friendly popularity -- grow in the three years since the show ended.

Having starred in Pacific Rim and Crimson Peak, he will now cross back in history with King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword. ComicBook was able to speak with the star on the red carpet of CinemaCon to see how the new translation will be different that that of old and how Jax seeped into the filming.

"We just wanted to make sure that it was fresh and felt modern and had something to say that hadn't been said before," Hunnam said. "We've seen the version of Arthur that's the noble man who goes on the journey to be the noble king.

"We said we wanted to do something the opposite of that; we wanted to make him a little bit of a motherfuXXer. So he starts off he's tough; he's streetwise; he a little bit selfish but at center of it he has a good heart."

Acclaimed filmmaker Guy Ritchie brings his dynamic style to the epic fantasy action adventure King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Starring Hunnam in the title role, the film is an iconoclastic take on the classic Excalibur myth, tracing Arthur's journey from the streets to the throne. When the child Arthur's father is murdered, Vortigern (Jude Law), Arthur's uncle, seizes the crown. Robbed of his birthright and with no idea who he truly is, Arthur comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword from the stone, his life is turned upside down and he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy… whether he likes it or not.

The actor revealed just how profound of an effect Jax has had on the rest of his career, and how the character continues to influence his work.

"I've never had an experience of getting so close and so deeply meshed with a character before," he said. "I felt when I finished sons that it was a real process to get back to center, and try to exorcise him out of my psyche for as much as possible. Because I'd been living with him for eight years you know, trying to bring him to life.

"I started this movie maybe three months after I finished Sons so I'm sure there's flavors of him in there. It certainly wasn't intentional though."

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is directed by Guy Ritchie, from a screenplay by Joby Harold and Guy Ritchie & Lionel Wigram, based on a story by David Dobkin and Joby Harold. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is produced by Akiva Goldsman, Joby Harold, Tory Tunnell, Steve Clark-Hall, Guy Ritchie, Lionel Wigram and executive produced by David Dobkin and Bruce Berman.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword opens in theaters May 12, 2017. It currently has a 3.07-of-5 in the ComicBook Anticipation Ratings by users, good for No. 40 prior to release.

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