Charlie Hunnam Drops 30 Pounds to Play Ed Gein in Netflix’s Monster

Netflix’s hit anthology series Monster returns with a harrowing new chapter, and this time, it’s diving into the twisted world of Ed Gein—the “Plainfield Ghoul” whose crimes inspired Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Leading the cast is Charlie Hunnam, who revealed how he underwent an intense transformation to embody one of history’s most infamous murderers.

A Radical Physical Transformation

For Charlie Hunnam, the process began with the body. “First of all, basically the basic first step was losing 30 pounds so I could look like him,” he said at the New York premiere. Ed Gein was a malnourished, reclusive figure, and Hunnam wanted his appearance to reflect that. The Sons of Anarchy alum’s drastic weight loss mirrors the actor’s commitment to authenticity—a hallmark of his career but taken to a new extreme for Monster: The Ed Gein Story.

Getting Inside Gein’s Head

But the bigger challenge was mental. “We were much more interested in why Ed did what he did, rather than exploring what he did,” Charlie Hunnam explained. The show dives deep into Ed Gein’s abusive childhood, isolation, and warped bond with his mother, which shaped his obsessions and crimes. Hunnam said imagining the consequences of a mother who “told him every day of his life that she hated him” informed his voice work and portrayal.

Charlie Hunnam’s Transformation for Netflix Monster Ed Gein

This focus on Ed Gein’s psychology sets Monster apart from traditional true crime fare. Instead of sensationalizing, it aims to “help us understand ourselves,” Charlie Hunnam said, even in the darkest corners of human behavior.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Netflix US (@netflix)

A Dark Story, A Light Set

Despite the bleak material, Charlie Hunnam said the production itself was uplifting. “The actual process … was really joyous and light. We were proud of ourselves, and we were reaching for something.” Working with director Max Winkler, a close friend, made the experience “very satisfying and beautiful” even while filming one of the most disturbing true crime stories in history.

Monster: The Ed Gein Story is now streaming on Netflix, bringing viewers face-to-face with the man who forever changed the cultural landscape of horror and true crime. As Hunnam warns, “It’s an impossibly bleak story” — but also an unflinching look at the roots of monstrosity itself.