"I watch these actors who when you go to buy a pint of milk you see them smiling on the cover of 20 magazines. Then when you see them in a film it's hard to believe the character because you just see them everywhere"

In this quote, Charlie Hunnam expresses a concern about the prevalent existence of stars in media and how it can affect the audience's capability to engage with their characters in movies. At its core, the quote discuss the relationship between celebrity culture and the suspension of shock that is important for immersive storytelling in movie theater.

Hunnam's images of going to purchase a pint of milk and seeing stars on the cover of numerous publications is evocative of the modern consumer experience, where star faces are universal. This exposure is not restricted to publications; it encompasses tv, social media, and different digital platforms. The effect is that these stars become less of people and more of ubiquitous brands or personas that people recognize on sight.

He argues that this constant visibility affects how audiences perceive these actors in their movie roles. When audiences see an actor's face all over, they might have a hard time to disassociate the star from their roles in movies. This is problematic for storytelling since the power of movie theater often lies in its ability to transfer audiences into an imaginary world, where they can engage with characters as if they are experiencing them for the very first time. When an actor's celebrity status eclipses their character, the audience's suspension of shock is disrupted, and their immersion in the story ends up being compromised.

Hunnam's observation raises interesting questions about the nature of popularity and acting. It recommends a stress in between the career benefits that come from media exposure and the potential artistic drawbacks. Stars who preserve a specific level of mystique, appearing primarily within their film roles rather than across every element of media, might be more effective at protecting the stability of their characters.

Ultimately, this quote from Charlie Hunnam is a commentary on the challenges stars face in preserving their artistry in an age where celebrity culture focuses on visibility and marketability, in some cases at the expense of narrative authenticity and audience engagement.