When James Gray’s The Lost City of Z finally hit theaters in 2017, it felt like a relic from a different era of filmmaking. It wasn't just the 35mm film stock or the sprawling, meditative pace. It was the way the actors carried themselves. Usually, when we talk about the cast of The Lost City of Z, people immediately point to the physical transformations, but the real magic was in the restraint.
Charlie Hunnam plays Percy Fawcett. Honestly, it’s the role that should have made him a massive, prestige-drama superstar. He captures this specific kind of British obsession—a man driven by "destiny" but constantly weighed down by the mud and the mosquitoes of the Amazon. It’s a quiet performance. He doesn't chew the scenery. He just sort of... dissolves into the jungle.
How Charlie Hunnam Redefined His Career in the Jungle
For years, everyone knew Hunnam as the leather-clad lead of Sons of Anarchy. He was Jax Teller. He was the guy on the motorcycle. When he took on the role of Percy Fawcett, he had to shed that modern grit for something much more formal and stiff-necked.
Fawcett was a real person, a British artillery officer who became obsessed with finding an ancient civilization in the Mato Grosso region of Brazil. Hunnam spent a lot of time researching Fawcett’s actual journals. He reportedly stayed in character, avoiding his family and living in a state of near-isolation during the shoot in Colombia. You can see it in his eyes. There is a scene toward the end of the film where he looks at his son, played by Tom Holland, and you realize he’s no longer entirely "there." He’s already gone, consumed by the idea of "Z."
Robert Pattinson and the Art of Disappearing
If you didn’t know it was him, you might actually miss Robert Pattinson. Seriously.
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As Corporal Henry Costin, Pattinson is nearly unrecognizable behind a thick, bushy beard and a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. This was right in the middle of his "indie era," where he was doing everything possible to distance himself from the Twilight shadow. He plays Costin with a loyal, grounded energy that balances Fawcett’s manic idealism.
While Hunnam’s Fawcett is looking at the stars, Pattinson’s Costin is looking at the ground, making sure they don’t step on a venomous snake. It’s a fascinating dynamic. Pattinson reportedly ate very little to maintain a gaunt, weathered appearance, and his chemistry with Hunnam feels like a real brotherhood forged in the worst possible conditions. He’s the anchor. Without him, the movie might have felt too ethereal.
Sienna Miller: More Than Just the "Wife at Home"
One of the biggest criticisms of historical biopics is that the "wife" character is usually just there to cry when the husband leaves. Nina Fawcett could have been a footnote. Instead, Sienna Miller makes her the intellectual equal of her husband.
She’s a suffragette. She’s sharp.
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In a pivotal scene, Nina asks to join Percy on his expedition. She argues that her biology doesn't make her any less capable of enduring the Amazon than he is. When he refuses, the heartbreak isn't just about him leaving—it's about the era's limitations on her own potential. Miller brings a fierce, simmering resentment to the role that makes the domestic scenes in England just as tense as the jungle scenes.
The Tom Holland Factor
Before he was swinging around New York City as Spider-Man, Tom Holland was Jack Fawcett. He enters the movie in the final act as Percy’s eldest son.
It’s a tough role. He has to play a kid who grows up hating his father for being absent, only to eventually fall under the same spell of obsession. Holland’s youth and energy bring a desperate vitality to the film’s conclusion. You see the cycle of obsession starting all over again. It’s tragic. You want to yell at him to stay home, but Holland plays it with such earnest conviction that you understand why he goes.
Supporting Players Who Made the World Feel Real
The cast of The Lost City of Z also features some incredible character actors who flesh out the stuffy, judgmental world of the Royal Geographical Society.
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- Angus Macfadyen as James Murray: He is the antagonist of the second expedition. Murray is a real-life figure who was, by most accounts, a disaster in the jungle. Macfadyen plays him as a man completely out of his depth, someone whose ego nearly gets everyone killed.
- Edward Ashley as Arthur Manley: A loyal member of the team who often gets overlooked but provides the necessary grit to make the expeditions feel lived-in.
- Ian McDiarmid as Sir George Goldie: Yes, Emperor Palpatine himself. He brings a gravitas to the British establishment scenes that makes Fawcett’s rebellion feel meaningful.
The Grueling Reality of the Shoot
The actors didn't just play-act in a studio. James Gray insisted on filming in the Colombian jungle. This meant the cast was dealing with real heat, real insects, and real exhaustion.
Hunnam lost about 40 pounds. Pattinson lost a similar amount. They were living in remote locations with limited communication with the outside world. This "method" approach shows up on screen. When they look tired, they aren't wearing "tired" makeup. They are actually spent. That’s why the film feels so authentic compared to other modern adventure movies that rely heavily on green screens and CGI.
Why the Casting Choices Mattered for the Story
James Gray wasn't looking for "action stars." He was looking for people who could convey the internal rot of obsession.
The cast of The Lost City of Z had to bridge the gap between Victorian propriety and primal survival. It’s about the cost of greatness—or the cost of a delusion, depending on how you view Fawcett’s journey. By casting actors who were willing to disappear into their roles, Gray ensured that the audience would focus on the psychological toll of the journey rather than just the spectacle of the jungle.
Actionable Insights for Cinephiles and History Buffs
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of Percy Fawcett after watching the film, here is how you should approach it:
- Read the Source Material: David Grann’s book, The Lost City of Z, is a masterpiece of non-fiction. It provides much more detail on the Royal Geographical Society's internal politics than the movie could fit.
- Compare the Performances to the Records: Look up the real photos of Percy Fawcett and Henry Costin. The costume design and the physical casting of Hunnam and Pattinson are eerily accurate to the historical record.
- Watch James Gray’s Earlier Work: To understand the pacing of this film, watch The Immigrant or We Own the Night. Gray is a master of "slow cinema," and seeing his evolution helps explain the specific choices made in The Lost City of Z.
- Explore the "Z" Theories: Research the real Kalapalo people's oral histories. They have their own stories about what happened to Fawcett, which offer a different perspective than the "disappeared into the void" narrative popular in the West.
The film remains a haunting look at what happens when a man values an idea more than his own life, or even the lives of his family. The performances are what keep it grounded in reality, even as the story drifts into the mystical and the unknown. Instead of just another adventure flick, the cast of The Lost City of Z turned it into a somber meditation on legacy and the terrifying beauty of the unexplored world.