On my May visit to the "Sons of Anarchy" set in Los Angeles, I spoke with creator Kurt Sutter and four cast members.
For Sutter's thoughts on where the Sons are heading in Season 3, look here and here. My interview with Ron Perlman, who plays the motorcycle club's president, Clay Morrow, is here.
Below is an interview with Charlie Hunnam, who plays Jax Teller, and after that Q&A, there are short chats with Mark Boone Jr., who plays Bobby Munson, and Tommy Flanagan, who plays Chibs Telford.
Be aware that all of these stories assume that you have seen the first two seasons of the FX show, which returns Sept. 7. If you have not, Season 2 comes out on DVD Aug. 31. I highly recommend getting caught up with the biker drama; Season 2 ended up on my Top 10 TV list for 2009.
OK, here's my chat with Charlie Hunnam.
Mo Ryan: Where does Jax stand at the beginning of the season?
Charlie Hunnam: I think my initial way of handling it is to get very drunk and try to suppress a little bit of the pain. And the boys quickly remind me, that's not how we do it and we start to get a little more proactive.
MR: Do you think he puts being a father ahead of being part of the club?
CH: Yeah, I do. One of the things that [the Abel kidnapping] pulls into focus for me is that I think in my heart, Abel was always put first, but in practice, I think I was really neglecting him [in favor of] my responsibilities to the club. If Jax was asked where his primary responsibility is, he'd say Abel, but I don't think that was ever really in practice, and I think this is going to motivate him to make a big change.
MR: How much of Jax's path is influenced by reading John Teller's manuscript? And how much is just him being a restless soul?
CH: I think it informed the path that I'm trying to take. I think that was really always there, though, and it was reassuring me that I wasn't crazy for desiring these things. It pulled into focus exactly what I was [thinking about]. But I also think about the fact that, these were his wishes -- they were unrealized. Jax realizes how idealistic that was. I think I'm trying to figure out what I can actually change and be realistic and be happy with that. Obviously there are giant problems between Jax and Clay but I think all of that stuff, though it rears its head here and there, needs to be put on the back burner until we get Abel back and figure out what we're doing. There's also this big thing hanging over us [the gun charges the Sons face].
MR: I guess we learn more about John Teller this season. A lot of his life has been somewhat unclear up to this point.
CH: Unclear to Jax, I think unclear to all of us. I think we're going to learn more about him. There's a philosophy here, which I don't always agree with as an actor, that it's better for actors to know as little as possible. I actually don't agree with that because most of my experiences in acting are in film, where you know all of the answers going in, and you make your choices accordingly. Keeping actors in the dark is not always the right move, because without knowing the direction that something's going, one can make slight mistakes -- there has to be a big, psychological leap to get to where you're being taken.
But anyway, from what I understand, some of the things learn about John Teller are going to knock him off his pedestal a little bit, the pedestal and ideal vision I have in my mind.
MR: It seems as though Jax relies on Clay's rock-solid nature as he goes through these explorations.
CH: Yeah. The one real saving grace in our relationship is his devotion to [Gemma]. I see how serious he is about protecting his family and I see that he has, for the most part, done right by me.
MR: And how do things go with Tara through all this? It seems like she spent a lot of last season figuring out where she fit in this world.
CH: Obviously she factors heavily into the Abel story line. I really like the way it's been handled so far. I really like it, in that I find it easy to play because I relate to the way he's dealing with it, which is to go inside himself. He's kind of overwhelmed and one of the big struggles is how to deal with Tara through this whole thing. [It's about] where she fits in or if Jax needs to be by himself to get through these problems and whether he can justify putting her in jeopardy, which she's in when she walked into this world.
It's something I innately relate to and it's familiar to me. That same dynamic played out between my mum and my dad, which is why they split up. My dad was a tough guy and he was in the scrap-metal industry and it's a legal industry, but for many, many reasons, it's very tough. Violence is a currency in that industry. My dad was a super tough guy and ended up getting in some problems that were a little bit scary and my mom and he decided it wasn't an environment they felt safe raising kids in. So that's a dynamic I've always been familiar with, this question of where your loved one would fit into that type of lifestyle. It's very hard.
MR: Jax strikes me as having these parallels to Tony Soprano -- he was born into this life that he wishes he could get away from, but then again, it also forms the only community he's ever known. I mean, is it part of Jax's fantasy to just get away from the Sons entirely?
CH: He's a real thinker. For the last four or five years there's been a pretty healthy or unhealthy existential crisis that he's been going through. I think are times when he just wonders what life could have been like or would be out there, away from this. But by the same token, I think he loves it and it's all he's ever known. It's really a hard thing to walk away from. It's such a strong sense of identity.
These guys that live this, they've got 40 people to rely on. Most of us in our lives, we have one or two people we can call if the going gets really rough. Maybe you call on your family or a couple of dear friends. My friends that live this life, they have 40, 50, 60 guys that they can count on for anything at any time. It's kind of a beautiful thing. It's kind of a nice, dysfunctional community these guys have set up for themselves.
MR: I think that's what's redeeming about this world -- that they are loyal and the core of the club is about loyalty and friendship.
CH: Yeah. Even if some of the behavior is questionable, the founding values that these clubs are set up on are really admirable. And also, it's just sticking a finger up to the man. You have to have freedom. I just think the whole world is getting gentrified and generic. Everyone's living the same kind of existence. I really admire these guys for saying, "[Expletive] it. I'm going to live the way life makes sense to me." Within that world, it does get a little nasty and people get hurt. But for the most part, you can do whatever the hell you want.
MR: What's it like having to do the American accent?
CH: I just have to go home and do a couple of extra hours work every night, that's what it amounts to. We spend 14 or 15 hours here, then an hour of travel then go home and I work for two hours preparing for the next day. But it's a little price to pay for getting to do my dream job.
I also spoke with Mark Boone Jr., who plays club consigliere Bobby "Elvis" Munson.
On why there haven't been more Bobby Elvis performances: "If you want to do an Elvis song, it costs you a lot of money. I don't know for sure, but I suspect [that's the reason]. [He added that he wished he didn't have to shave for the Bobby Elvis scenes]. I see Bobby as the Outlaw Elvis that Elvis always wished he was."
On the appeal of the show: "I think it's the fantasy of it, more than anything. It's like the pirate fantasy of men. And as far as the women, this is a show where women do just about whatever they want to do at any moment. And women really like that!"
On where Bobby stands with Clay and the club: "Bobby's all about the club, more than anyone. Because of what happened in the latter part of the last season, [the conflicts are put aside] but I don't expect it to be over. You've got to take care of business first. Bobby had a very small reaction to the fact that Tig had killed Donna, we didn't see that [reaction] much at all. Hopefully there will be a time for him to voice the problem he had with Clay and the way business was being conducted there."
On Bobby's relationship with Jax: "For Bobby, Jax is not a son, but I feel that Bobby has been at least an uncle-type figure for his entire life. He's been really instrumental in shaping some of his attitudes and behavior."
Here's Tommy Flanagan on Chibs' Season 3 story line:
"The backstory is that Chibs was born in Ireland, but moved to Scotland, that's why he has the Scottish accent. Then I go back to Belfast in my teens, and join the IRA. And once you're in there, it's for life. But I have a falling out with Jimmy O, who runs off with my wife and kid and I get excommunicated from the IRA and I have to leave town, and the Sons of Anarchy take me in.
"Then Jimmy O rears his head again, he's been with my kid all this time. He did me a lot of damage when I was in the IRA. So you'll get to know more about my daughter and family this year. James Cosmo is on the show this year. I worked with him on "Braveheart." He's a phenomenal actor and a good friend of mine. He plays the parish priest where I grew up in Belfast. [Cosmo's character] has known my daughter, he probably baptized her and all that. He knows my whole life story. But there's a bit of antagonism with him as well."
Last edited by WyldeMan45; 08-14-2010 at 03:43 AM.
Absolutely stunning photography work. Holy cow. Opie's is especially awesome.
It's so rare to almost never happens to see Ope without his beanie so I was surprised to see just how much hair he actually has under there. I too thought after Doc, Opie's photos look fantastic.
It's so rare to almost never happens to see Ope without his beanie so I was surprised to see just how much hair he actually has under there. I too thought after Doc, Opie's photos look fantastic.
Too true. I had to do a double take - for a second there thought it was Josh Brolin!
TMZ has learned ... "Sons of Anarchy" star Mark Hiedrich -- aka Mark Boone Junior -- was arrested in Glendale, CA earlier today for allegedly assaulting a police officer.
TMZ has learned ... "Sons of Anarchy" star Mark Hiedrich -- aka Mark Boone Junior -- was arrested in Glendale, CA earlier today for allegedly assaulting a police officer.
I posted the link on Sutter's facebook page....I hope it gets resolved quickly.....
David LaBrava who plays Happy was arrested before season 2 started for a Hells Angels related "activity" and I think he plead out. Hopefully this story isn't the full truth. I just checked Sutter's facebook after reading the article and he has nothing up yet, or on his twitter. He tends to keep very quiet about things involving his actors. he says their privacy is none of his business.
It's so rare to almost never happens to see Ope without his beanie so I was surprised to see just how much hair he actually has under there. I too thought after Doc, Opie's photos look fantastic.
Love this, my favorite running back Ryan Grant of the Green Bay Packers is now addicted to my favorite show, lol. A lot of celebrities seem to be twittering about their recent discovery and love for this show. Every little bit helps fuel the publicity machine.
Quote:
My brother has me hooked on that show Sons of Anarchy now...thanks brother lol for messing my life up hahah
Here are the details on Boone's arrest. Sounds to me like the cop tripped and felt like an a$shole, so he tried to cover his ass and say Boone swung on him. Since he didn't connect on the "punch", no bruise no proof, stupid cop. Frame job!
'Sons of Anarchy' actor's traffic stop escalates into arrest
Quote:
"The Sons of Anarchy" actor Mark Boone Jr. was taken into custody Tuesday in Montrose after a traffic stop escalated into an arrest on suspicion of resisting arrest and battery on a police officer, both of which are misdemeanors.
Boone, whose legal name is Mark Heidrich, was driving his 1955 Ford Thunderbird when he was pulled over for allegedly talking on a cellphone and not wearing a seat belt, the Glendale News-Press reports. He and the officer began to argue, a police spokesman said; a struggle allegedly broke out as the officer tried to handcuff the actor, and the officer fell. The actor then allegedly took a swing at the officer's faced, but missed. The officer wasn't seriously hurt.
Heidrich was released Tuesday evening on $20,000 bail. On "The Sons of Anarchy," he plays a biker gang member Bobby Munson.
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