He portrayed Jax Teller in the FX drama series Sons of Anarchy (2008–2014), for which he was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor.

Hunnam has been featured as the lead in numerous films, including Green Street (2005) , Nicholas Nickleby (2002), Pacific Rim (2013), Crimson Peak (2015), Triple Frontier (2019), and The Gentlemen (2019).

[12][13] Hunnam was discovered at the age of 17 in a branch of JD Sports on Christmas Eve, while playing around with his brother during a trip to buy shoes.

A production manager for the Newcastle-based teen drama Byker Grove approached Hunnam and he was later cast in his first role as Jason for three episodes of the show.

"[18] From 2008 to 2014, Hunnam starred in Sons of Anarchy as Jackson "Jax" Teller leader of SAMCRO, a prominent motorcycle club set in the fictional town of Charming, California.

[21] In 2012, he starred as the title character in the indie comedy 3,2,1... Frankie Go Boom alongside his Sons of Anarchy co-star Ron Perlman.

[24][25] Hunnam starred as Raleigh Becket in Guillermo del Toro's sci-fi film Pacific Rim,[26] which opened in July 2013 and grossed $411 million worldwide.

[27] However, on 12 October 2013, Universal Pictures announced that Hunnam had withdrawn from the film due to conflicts with the schedule of his series Sons of Anarchy.

[29] Hunnam reunited with del Toro in the horror film Crimson Peak,[30] alongside Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, and Jessica Chastain.

[31] Hunnam starred as geographer Percy Fawcett in James Gray's adaptation of author David Grann's 2009 book, The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon.

On 9 February 2023, Deadline Hollywood reported that Hunnam joined Zack Snyder's Netflix project Rebel Moon.

The epic space opera, Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire had a limited theatrical release on 15 December 2023.

In May 2024, Hunnam was cast in the lead role for Amazon Prime Video's adaptation of the comic series by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, Criminal.