#because harley is being annoying and doesn't break down boxes

[babaohhhriley]

Things I've just learned from and about the Sons of Anarchy cast

(Tommy Flanagan, Kim Coates and Mark Boone Jr. were guests at the Comic Con Scotland. I tried to collect the Sons of Anarchy related stories they told us during the Q&A panels and the M&G there)

* When they shot the Pilot, the budget used to be pretty low, the showrunners could only afford cheaper Harleys with crap features for the Sons. Later, when the show got the green light and the big financial support, they didn't buy new ones, the characters got stuck with the bikes they didn't like. Boone, for example, was constantly complaining about the non-working kickstand of his bike.

* Tig was a last minute addition to the series, he wasn't in the original pilot, Kim only came to the show the day before they re-shot the episode. Because there was no time left for riding lessons, they needed an actor who was a pro on motorcycles - and Kim Coates perfectly met the expectations. At that time the budget has significantly increased, so they could give the new character a proper bike with all the features he wanted - while the rest of the cast had to use their original, basic Harleys. Kim never stopped teasing them about his luck.

* Later, in season 5, when the Irish tried to show their power and crashed the Sons' bikes, it was a tragedy for the characters (and a shock for the viewers) - but for the actors it was the pure "Hallelujah!" moment, Tommy said. They were pretty relieved that they finally lost those original bikes. And only then could the actors get the new Harleys they've been crying for for years.

* Kim used to watch his co-stars riding and check their bikes while on set. He stopped the shooting numerous times when he noticed something wrong with anyone's bikes, boots, behavior or something on the track - saving them from accidents but also annoying them with his remarks. He joked that "Safety First!" was his middle name. Still, all of them dropped their bikes from time to time, which seemed to be the perfect material for teasing each other for years.

* Boone pointed out that nothing that wasn't in the original screenplay has ever made it to the screen. There was no place for improvisations, they had to stick to the paper. "If it isn't in the script, it won't be on the show, period"

* Kim said how grateful he was for Tig's character arch, he enjoyed playing his part and the way Tig was coming along - although initially he didn't want to take the role because of Tig's violence and behavior. There were scenes he didn't feel right, but Kurt always talked him through them and explained the reasons behind. For example: in season 2, when Tig & Gemma almost hook up - Kim immediately said no to that scene, he refused to play it. His point was that Tig's extreme loyalty to Clay would never let him touch Gemma. Then Kurt described him the emotional rollercoaster Tig was in at that time, how vulnerable and confused he was, and that actually Gemma made the first move. Kurt pointed out that in the very next scene Tig makes his big confession and breaks down at TM, touches bottom in front of everyone, then he slowly builds himself up from that low in the next episodes - and in the end that made the Gemma mistake understandable.

* Kim also said that he appreciated the Venus storyline Tig got at the end of the show. He felt it was a great character arch, the big bad biker falling in love with such a unique lady. And he loved working with Walton Goggins who played her with such a passion, stayed in character the entire time and they had a lot of fun on the set with him.

* Tommy, Kim & Boone all said how much they loved being a part of this show, playing their characters and spending time together. Boone specially emphasized the riding scenes, how much fun it was to do them, the rehearsals and shooting, how they all used to come to work riding bikes for years. Tommy mentioned that there was a bit too much weed involved while shooting season 1, there're parts he doesn't remember any more (that's where I said jokingly that the car bomb affair in season 2 helped a lot in Chibs' character arch)

* All 3 of them emphasized multiple times how much they appreciated the screenwriters' way to create complex characters, vivid conversations and unique storylines for them. All the connections and relationships that slowly develop during the seasons made the whole story real. They didn't get much information about their characters' storylines in advance, they only knew the very next episode, except if there was a super complex scene or if something needed to be talked over. Kim mentioned how hard it was for him to prepare for Tig's emotionally difficult scenes in the beginning of season 5. He couldn't go to his family, he needed an escape, some "me time" and a shoulder to lean on when his character was so deep in suffering. He was riding a lot alone those days and met with a friend who helped him go through that phase.

* The main actors usually got a phone call in the beginning of the season if their character was going to die that year, but Boone didn't know about Bobby's fate until the day before that certain episode's shooting. He was shocked - and so were his fellow stars, it wasn't how it was supposed to be. In the scene where the club members open the box with the iPad and saw Bobby's torture, their reaction was all natural: they hadn't been told what to expect and the actors literally broke down there, that's what we got to see on screen. Tommy mentioned that he got really sick watching that video and that memory still haunts him.

* The actors said that in the last 2 seasons they felt things were changing for the worse. The screenwriters knew the dark path the whole story was going, everything slowly turned out to be violent and instead of the meaningful conversations the characters used to have before, almost every scene ended bloody. They often didn't understand the storyline (for example when they're burying-then-digging-out-the-man's-body in season 7 - why?), there were too many confusing and physically/emotionally draining scenes and they started to miss the first 5 seasons' rhythm. Especially the part where they worked together as a brotherhood - now they started to miss each other: in season 7 many main characters go on separate ways and didn't have scenes together and they didn't like it. As much as they used to love the show's atmosphere, they got very very tired in the end.

* Boone was talking a lot about DL, told us he was a maniac and drove everyone crazy. But he could do the most perfect parallel parking and was a pro while driving in formation. Boone said it was his mission to tame him and they became good friends.

* Kim is like a big PapaBear, his whole behavior is so calming, he's incredible patient and nice with fans. Tommy keeps teasing him about his "grandpa" reading glasses he's wearing around his neck, in response Kim points out that at least he still got his dark curls and no grandpa grays like them. By the way Kim keeps touching his own face, eyebrows, lips, hair all the time while talking with people (and it can be pretty distracting).

* Tommy is basically an adolescent, couldn't sit still for five minutes, he was constantly fidgeting around, playing with his shoes or coat zipper, putting his feet up the table, playfully kicking objects on stage. He is loud, cracking inappropriate jokes, chiming in during an interview, yelling to his friends over from across the room, but he can also turn pretty serious quickly when the topic requires it and that makes him a completely different person. When he is focused and interested in the conversation, he can be pretty overwhelming and genuine.

📸 Kim Coates on Twitter

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