Monster showrunner gets candid about why he wanted Charlie Hunnam to be in the fourth season as well. The latest role follows Hunnam’s previous role as Ed Gein, the infamous murderer and grave robber, in season 3 of the Netflix anthology series.
Talking to PEOPLE, showrunner Ian Brennan said it was an easy decision to bring the actor back for The Lizzie Borden Story because he did not want to “say goodbye to him” just yet.
“We had such a great time working on the last season. It was just a joy,” Brennan explained. “Charlie, you just can’t get enough of it. He’s so lovely and has such a great presence on set, and it just felt like, ‘Oh, this is perfect for him.’”
What is Monster Season 4 about, and who does Charlie Hunnam play?
Monster Season 4, Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, centers on the infamous 1892 double-murder trial of Lizzie Borden. Lizzie was accused and later acquitted of brutally killing her father, Andrew Borden, and stepmother, Abby Borden, with an axe.
In this season, Hunnam embodies the role of Andrew, Lizzie’s wealthy, mild-mannered father and one of the primary victims of the historic axe murders. This time around, the actor transformed into a hostile, long-haired father — a stark contrast to his previous character’s softness and famous comb-over.
For Brennan, watching Hunnam take on “vastly different” characters was “really cool and a testament to his strengths as an actor.” He said, “I remember seeing him the first time as Ed Gein, and I couldn’t believe it. [Now,] he’s the victim, but in a way, he is playing a monster again. Andrew was a very, very troubled and troubling man himself.”
“Charlie, he’s just so sympathetic in everything that he does. He just rounds out every character with this deep well of sympathy that really filled out what could otherwise be a stereotypical bad dad. He really filled [the character] out in such beautiful detail,” the showrunner continued, adding, “It was really impressive.”
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story is available to stream on Netflix.
Originally reported on ComingSoon.
