The lead male actor in the book to film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey says he’s spent a lot of time taking his role “very seriously.”

Hunnam and his Fifty Shades co-star Dakota Johnson were cast in the lead roles of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in August. The actor, who currently stars on FX’s Sons of Anarchy, recognizes that the book has many loyal fans who want as accurate an adaptation as possible.

“There are so many fans of that book and I know that on the surface, I’m probably not what everybody imagined,” he tells EW in a new interview. “Because reading is so personal and people bring a character to life in their imagination, they feel ownership over that character.”

He said that to make sure fans are happy, he will do his best job with Johnson and author E.L. James who has been closely involved with the adaptation. “I’m taking it very seriously and intend to explore the nature of who this character is, what motivates him—and also dress up nice and look good in those suits.”

Related: Fifty Shades wine collection announced in red and white varieties.

Fifty Shades of Grey will arrive in theaters August 1, 2014. The third cast member to reportedly join the production is Jennifer Ehle who will play Ana’s mom. The character is visited by Ana after she needs a break from Christian, but her hunk of a boyfriend stays on her heels while going to see her mother.

Do you think Hunnam will be able to pull off the role? We think he has the “built” look that’s described in the books, and we imagine they’ll change up the actor’s facial hair (both on his face and on his head) to make him look as Christian as possible.

Thanks, EW.