Sons of Anarchy is the highest-rated show in the history of FX. The cast and producers of the series joined the Television Critics Association on August 3, 2010 to discuss the series and their characters. The show revolves around an outlaw motorcycle club in Central California who make most of their money by selling illegal guns to street gangs.
Ron Perlman
Speaking to the journalists about the series and his character of Clay Morrow, actor Ron Perlman explained, “The luxury of television is that you get more than one shot at who you think the guy is that you're playing, and certainly now [that] we're almost through three seasons, there are just these colors to this character that are being revealed to me even as we speak, and it's a beautiful thing.
“You sort of like put your hand to your heart and make some choices and build a backstory to who you think this guy was or is and how he got to be who he is. And in this instance, we get to explore so many different facets of characters because of the luxury of time that we've been given that sometimes you're finding out things about him that you weren't aware existed, and you have to figure out ways to fold it into that big sort of overview of the character.”
Maggie Siff
Maggie Siff plays Tara Knowles on the series. She confided, “One of the writers recently said to me [and said] ‘I think you're the loneliest character on TV.’ And I was like, ‘Wow, I'd never thought of it that way.’ I guess there is something about the character that is a little bit lonely. I mean, I think she's there for love fundamentally. But as an actor, I think my role as sort of the outsider/insider has actually really been kind of fascinating and gets more and more interesting as the show progresses for me because the struggle of what this club is doing, what it means in the world, and what my role is sort of in the world and where I want to be, and I have this legitimate career and yet I'm compelled to be here. It's sort of a never-ending conflict. And it's really fun, actually, to sort of bounce around within those things.
“And Kurt [Sutter, the writer] and I have talked a little bit about how in some ways the character of Tara is really, in a way, connected to the audience's conflicted relationship with loving these people and yet having problems … loving these people who do bad things. And I never really think about my work in those terms, but when I step back a little bit, I can sort of see that that's true and appreciate how complicated, interesting, and rich that is as an actor. So I rather like my lonely place.”
Charlie Hunnam
Jax Teller is played by actor Charlie Hunnam. “I never think of ‘Jax’ as a good guy or a bad guy. I just try to find the truth in the situation that he's in. And, for me, thinking about how the audience will receive something is kind of corrupting to the process. I don't really think about that. I just try to be very honest and to really try to do justice to the great writing.”
Kurt Sutter and Dayton Callie
Kurt Sutter, the creator/writer/producer of the series told the journalists about the character of Chief Unser, played by Dayton Callie. “I will say that the character of Unser was really almost a second thought initially in terms of wanting to put that character in the mix. And really it was, at most, a 1 1/2-dimensional character. And I've got to say, Dayton is just one of the most soulful cats I know and he's a perfect example of an actor bringing way more to the table than is on the page. And really, because of that relationship and his depth as a performer, I just fell in love with that character, and that storyline became integral – that relationship became integral to the club.”
Katey Sagal
Sutter’s wife, actress Katey Sagal, plays the part of Jemma Teller Morrow in the series. Sagal confided to the gathered journalists, “I wouldn't even think to go in and sneak a peek at what Kurt was writing because it's not done until it's done. He had told me that he was writing a show about this world and sort of painted it like, ‘I think there's going to be a role for you,’ and so I was very excited to see what it was, but I had no idea that it would be what it was. And with what we do, something is not real until it's real. So it was all very nice conversation, and I was just glad that it ended up actually happening.
“In terms of what happened this last season, I felt that Kurt did explain to me the story that he was trying to tell and the piece of the puzzle that Gemma would be providing. So as an actor, I was really excited to be able to go to this place. All these people live in a world of secrets, but it's just an interesting place to work when you're having to be duplicitous and hold secrets, and that was the arc that Gemma had this past season, and just as an actor it was a learning experience.”
Sons of Anarchy premiers with its third season on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 on FX.
