Charlie Hunnam's swordplay cost his brother a shot at young love

Charlie Hunnam 'destroyed' his brother's life with a little childish swordplay when he was a kid.

The actor, who portrays King Arthur in director Guy Ritchie's new movie, has always been fascinated by blades ever since he saw John Boorman's film Excaliber as a child, but one battle recreation in his yard turned his brother against him.

"I grew up in the countryside and was always carving sticks into swords," he tells WENN. "I had one particular that was my masterpiece that I whittled down from a very large piece of wood into my version of Excaliber. I'd spend all day trying to coerce my big brother into engaging me in combat! Successfully one day.

"I was the dorky little brother, so I finally wore him down and he said, 'Alright, let's go!' And we went into the backyard and we were engaging in a pretty dynamic sword fight and then all of a sudden, much to my brother's horror, we realized the next door neighbor - this girl he had a huge crush on for years - was watching us!

"Not only did I not sword fight with him anymore after that, I was hated for many years for destroying his life. Also the swords disappeared, so I think that was my brother's revenge."

But Hunnam has never given up his love for swords and all manner of blades, and now boasts quite the collection.

The Pacific Rim star started collecting swords and axes from second-hand fairs after realizing his pad had become a target for thieves following one backyard encounter with an intruder.

"I made it my business to arm myself... and I just accumulated (things)," he told chat show host Conan O'Brien in 2013. "I'd be somewhere, at a swap meet or something, and I'd think, 'That will be good'... I got a hatchet, I have a Samurai sword, but I also have a machete, but it's kind of old and rusty..."

He was also eager to grab his character's sword from the new King Arthur film as a keepsake - but his plan was quickly foiled.

"There was a man whose job it was to look after the sword, who's this lovely, old English fella," Charlie smiles. "One day I was just casually sort of walking after shooting, and he said, 'Charlie, where are you taking the sword?' I said, 'Home, naturally!'"

Charlie had a change of heart after learning Ritchie was planning a special gift for his leading man.

"He (the prop master) said, 'You know what, I think you're so great, I would actually let you take the sword, but Guy wanted to do something really nice for you and so he's asked for a brand new sword to be made for you to present it to you on wrap (day),'" Charlie continued. "I said, 'Ahhh, that's so nice', and so I gave him back the sword.

"Wrap (day) came and no sword arrived! I got bamboozled...!"