Inside Charlie Hunnam’s Ed Gein Transformation

Charlie Hunnam has officially shocked fans with his chilling transformation into Ed Gein for Netflix’s “Monster: The Ed Gein Story.”

Known for his rugged charm in “Sons of Anarchy” and “The Gentlemen,” the actor completely disappeared into the role of one of America’s most infamous killers — thanks to meticulous makeup, haunting vocal work, and unsettling prosthetics.

The Ryan Murphy–produced series marks the third installment in the Monster anthology, following the stories of Jeffrey Dahmer and Menendez brothers. But Hunnam’s version of Gein isn’t just about horror — it’s about humanity.

“I wanted to get as close as possible to who Ed was, to do him justice, and for this thing to feel authentic,” Hunnam told Tudum. 

Hunnam Transforms Into Gein

To achieve the look, the actor spent hours each day in the makeup chair.

Gein’s eyes were notably asymmetrical, a feature Hunnam replicated using prosthetics to enhance the portrayal of Gein’s physical and emotional isolation.

Professional makeup artist Corey Castellano and prosthetics artist Mark Nieman crafted a droopy eyelid prosthetic, giving Hunnam a “lazy eye” effect that added to the unsettling realism of the character, according to Us Weekly. 

Castellano shared a video to Instagram to show their “daily routine” while on set.

The Voice Behind the Madness

Hunnam revealed he drew inspiration from real interviews with Gein, recorded the night of his arrest.

The 45-year-old was able to obtain 70 minutes of rare audio that was instrumental with helping him channel the voice. 

He replicated the soft falsetto Gein used when speaking to please his domineering mother, Augusta.

“I started to see him through a series of affectations to please his mother,” Hunnam told Variety. “That’s where the voice came from.”

He spoke more with PEOPLE about finding the voice.

“Imagining what the consequence of that would be when she was the only person he had a relationship with,” Hunnam said. “That really informed the voice work that we did and how he would interact with his mother and the world, which was really trying to really be the daughter that she wanted.”

The actor also lost nearly 30 pounds for the role, helping his body match the physical frailty of the Wisconsin grave robber.

“He’d been abused, he was left in isolation, so he had no real social context to reflect back to him, normal behavior. And he was a very skinny, malnourished type of guy,” Hunnam added. “So I mean, first of all, basically the basic first step was losing 30 pounds so I could look like him.”

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