Charlie Hunnam found his light in adopted kittens while struggling with his mental health. The actor, while filming Monster: The Ed Gein Story, found himself immersed in the show’s dark material.
Charlie Hunnam said caring for two rescue kittens became his escape after spending days filming dark material
Charlie Hunnam, who starred in Monster: The Ed Gein Story, directed by Ryan Murphy, played serial killer Ed Gein and said the role took an emotional toll on him.
While talking to The Hollywood Reporter, he said, “Being confronted with some of those images of the crime scenes, I really started to get afraid of the darkness and what it was going to be like to inhabit that.”
The actor researched Ed Gein while preparing for the role. He acquired the medical records of Gein that shed light on his character. However, reviewing the records deepened the impact on the actor’s mental health.
To escape the darkness, he found a unique way. Hunnam adopted two kittens while he was in Chicago for the second half of the movie.
He shared that he was staying at Four Seasons, which allowed him to keep the kittens. He said, “I was like, listen, I know this is a wild card, but like, I just adopted these two kittens. Can I keep them in my room?” And they said, “Yeah, tell us anything you need.”
Hunnam also hired a cat sitter for them as he was going to shoot for hours. After returning from the set, the actor would play with them for hours, helping him forget about the darkness of the role. The dedication to his role in the Netflix show has led to his first Emmy nomination, after his Golden Globe, Actor, and Critics’ Choice Award. His Netflix series Monster: The Ed Gein Story aired in 2025.
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