Sons of Anarchys series finale airs Tuesday at 10 p.m.
There was a movie that he really liked, it was a Paul Bettany movie [Gangster No.
1]he was a gangster who eventually becomes a killer.
Credit: FX
And we thought that whole thing was going to be three minutesit ended up being seven minutes.
It ended up being really, really compelling.
I think it took most of a day [to film].
Lewis Jacobs/NBC
Theres actually a model of the Chris Dun character [made by W.M.
The actor came in, he saw himself, and he just went, Oh my God.
The hair was perfect, and thats what we actually plunged a fork into.
FX
Jax has that ability to become completely emotionless.
That stare, that tone of voice.
Im gagged, and Im trying to say, It wasnt me!
Michael Becker/FX
That was kind of a frightening experience.
Its not like the dissention weve played, which was fun with Clay.
Everyone gets it, everyone understands, everyones behind Jax.
Byron Cohen/FX
Not that they all agree with him, but theyre behind him.
or Is this the right thing?
But ultimately, when Jax makes the decision, theres no dissention.
FX
Do they need somebody to say, Hey, this is a mistake?
And perhaps their love of Jax and their desire to be supportive ends up working against them.
Maybe he just has cancer.
FX
Its just cause Dayton is so fking great.
you’re able to just do anything with him.
He has a gravitas.
Prashant Gupta/FX
Charlie Hunnam:The guys playing those characters struggled with that a little bit in the moment.
We just all had to bear in mind through those moments that it was gonna go somewhere.
Its supported by pretty easily understandable psychology: They know Jax.
FX
They know how much Tara meant to him.
The guys dont know it yet, but one of those young men was Jurys son.
I have a feeling well still get sympathy from the fans.
Prashant Gupta/FX
So I hope they dont start hatin us for being just downright evil.
We wear the white hats.
Juice lets Unser go.
FX
Lets be honest, whos the only communication hes had up to that point?
At the same time, I think hes so exhausted.
I think hes so exhausted that hes just like, Get out of here.
FX
What else can happen?
He has nothing that he holds onto, he has nothing that he cherishes anymore.
Read the postmortemwith Flanagan and Rossiand interviewwith Hunnam.
FX
Im not saying that youll be in the club, but Im going to get you outta here.
I got your back.
Hes hoping hes going to say that.
FX
And what I love about that scene is the moment after, with Chibs reaction.
You see that he has this compassion, but he couldnt do it in front of Juice.
I dont think Juice went in there with any expectations, I think he just wanted guidance.
Because in Juices mind, then hed need to convince just one person, not everyone.
Im not going to come back.
I cant talk to anyone.
You just told me the way it is: Stop trying.
Youre gone, youre out.
Because of that, everything starts to go haywire.
Ive tried to help him and tried to save him, but he just went down that path.
Theres no redemption, that I can see.
Maybe there is, but I dont see any redemption for old Juicey….
If [Chibs] followed him out, I think hed probably have shot him.
You know, you cant be a rat.
I mean, it would break old Chibbys heart, but he wouldve shot him.
I think when Unser stops me, hes not really stopping me.
Im stopping myself, you know what I mean?
Its like, I wanna go after him, but I dont wanna go after him.
Thank you, Unser, for stopping me.
Dayton was so great in that scene.
He looked at both cameras and said, You focused?
And the guy said, Yeah.
OK, were done!
Thats one of my favorite quotes, actually, ofSons of Anarchy: You focused?
Well fk it, were done!
Read the full postmortemwith Rossi and Flanagan.
Walton Goggins:I think shes really seen Tig quite a bit.
I think they have talked at length about their childhoods and what their respective lives are like now.
I think theyve talked about politics.
I think theyve talked about everything that two people would talk about to further their intimacy and a friendship….
It was all there with the two scenes that Kurt [Sutter] had written.
Its not a gender thing, its a heart thing.
When were understood, regardless of who were understood by, were understood.
Theres no replacing that.
Its outside of the confines of gender.
Juice breaks down in front of Gemma and Wendy and admits he cant be alone.
Rossi:Not even close to the low point, sadly.
I think its the true expression of what I felt he always was, which is just lonely.
His loneliness, his wanting this family so bad, has been the reason for all his errors.
This has never been a malicious guy, and some people dont understand that.
There are people who I challenge when they say, Oh, Juice is a rat.
Im like, Where?
Hes actually talked to the cops less than Jax, less than Chibs, less than anybody.
When Im playing him, I dont ever feel like, Im going to really hurt this person.
Its always just, I gotta get myself out of this situation.
Sutter:Obviously it impacts Nero [Jimmy Smits] deeply.
But I have to get out.
It impacts Nero much deeper than it does Jax.
And Nero says, Really?
For Jax, its business.
We always see the ramifications.
Thats definitely the case with Diosa.
Read the full postmortemswith Sutterandwith Goggins, and the interviewwith Rossi.
Lin survives the lengthy beatdown, but is headed to jail on drug and gun charges.
Kenneth Choi:When I work, I like to just kind of stay quiet, stay to myself.
Ive watched Charlie throughout the years, and he kinda does the same thing.
And with this fight scene, it was no different.
He was on one end of the street, I was on the other end of the street.
And then you go to your separate corners.
You watch him when he does these performances, and he brings so much heat to every moment.
Hes really trying to live it as authentically as he can.
You dont really get to see it while youre on set.
But afterwards, when you go to your trailer, it looks amazing and horrifying.
(Laughs) They wouldnt let me do it.
Thatd be the greatest, right?
I cut myself shaving.
Do you guys have any Band-Aids?
Rossi:[Katey and I] were so excited by [the scene].
Theres that turn, and you go, Oh my God.
These are two of the most unstable people.
This cant be good for anybody.
You know whats coming, and theres so much tension leading up to it.
When it all goes down, it was just so much fun.
Read the postmortemwith Choiand the interviewwith Rossi.
Director Guy Ferland:We took a lot of time filming that.
I wanted it all to take time.
I think its important to see everybodys different reactions and feelings.
You could understand everything without one word.
Everyone wanted to get it right.
Whats great about that show and that cast is everybody knows how to find their moments.
Its a perfect example of aSonsscene working at its best.
The Grim Bastards and Mayan Stockton charter help SAMCRO ambush the East Dub crew working for Marks.
So I got to take him from there to here.
It was a big scene.
So its always a little stressful, but it really went exactly as I wanted it…. SAMCRO gets into a fistfight with Tullys local AB crew, led by Leland (Brad Carter).
But first, Leland fires a shotgun and holds it at Jaxs chest and throat.
The dumbest mistake Ive ever made.
Im tellin ya, I was scared.
I thought I had permanently lost my hearing in my left ear.
They had offered my earplugs, and I didnt think to put them in right before we started.
And then holy st, Ill never make that mistake again.
SAMCRO shows the Aryan Brotherhood the bodies of the East Dubs to prove they can be trusted.
Thinking will just get in the way.
Youre showing us something weve never really dreamed of seeing before.
(Laughs) Its so horrendous.
And it was hot.
I felt kinda bad for them, just all stacked on each other like that.
And then the one guy, the blood had dried and he was stuck to the floorboard.
(Laughs) They all had a good sense of humor about it.
Alvarez hands Juice over to SAMCRO.
It just sort of happened through rehearsing.
Read the full postmortemswith Ferlandandwith Carter.
The club members pay their respects to JT.
Mark Boone Junior:Bobby had the most connection to John of the ones left there.
And yes, I spent a long time there.
It was cut [laughs], but that was a huge moment for Bobby.
I was asking for strength and guidance through what was going on at that point.
Director Paris Barclay:They didnt see the video before we actually filmed the scene.
Tommy Flanagan just broke down, and some of it is in the episode.
Sometimes you just need to be rolling the cameras.
So Tommys reaction is his reaction to seeing the video for the first time.
What I do remember is we got to the park, and it was filled with about 200 people.
When we shoot nights, we usually shoot towards the end of the week.
This ended up being the last scene to shoot on Friday night.
Friday night in this North Hollywood park is very popular.
We dont really kill the park to shoot Sons of Anarchy.
Its a big ass park.
They wanted to take pictures.
I dont really want to take this selfie with you right now.
Because we dont want to be rude.
Barclay:It just reminds me of the joy of Jimmy Smits.
He really, really wants her to come with him, and she wants to go.
The two of them just really played off each other.
Abel overhears Gemma confess to Thomas that she accidentally murdered Tara.
I think Abel finding out becomes part of the twist that sends us into our final spiral…
I love her scrambling.
And she goes, Oh.
I need to stop at my house and get some guns out of my hat box!….
Take me up to the cabin, that is where they whack people.
Nero offers Winsome a job at Diosa.
They give her a ray of hope for a brighter future.
They were both hurt and disappointed by lifes course.
I think they allow each other to mourn their mistakes and make peace with them.
Theres no judgment when theyre together.
Read the full postmortemswith Barclayandwith Lavi, and the interviewwith Boone.
Jax lies and tells Jurys VP that Jury admitted to being the rat.
That had nothing to do with Abel.
He aint that vicious.
That would put him right up there with Moseshes a baby Moses.
If you know one thing about Kurt, hes very particular about his phrasing and language.
He charted that from 703 forward.
Moses cuts off the fingers on Bobbys clutch hand.
Youre like, Ohmygod.
Think back to when Clay was dealing with his arthritis in his hands.
It was like, you gotta ride a certain number of times or youre out of the club.
Even though its just his hand, its very cruel.
Murray:Do you?
(Laughs) That was his best line reading.
Whatever direction your family takes, it always filters back into how the next generation sees things.
Read the full postmortemwith Murray.
Marks shoots Bobby in the head.
Im fishing down there.
Charlies keepin a straight face.
He can sense somethings off.
I havent brokeIm holdin on to it.
But the whole thing got real farcical.
If you get too dramatic about it right away, then you show your cards.
You gotta stand away and choreograph it like a dance.
The only tone note from Kurt [Sutter] was that the gun comes out of nowhere, i.e.
Bobbys back, so youre surprised at the gun and youre surprised at the killing.
That was his only comment, just to ensure that happens quickly.
I shot one camera at 46 frames, so it was a little bit slo-mo.
And then you got DL, David Labrava, literally sobbing in the back of the van.
(Laughs) I dont think any of that was acting, really.
Kurt wisely just said, Whatever happens, happens.
Those guys are just so wonderful.
Weller:Well, look, lets get really pornographic here.
It was suggested that he bends her over the car, right?
I told Kurt, I dont want to do that.
Youve gotta look somebody in the eye if youre gonna do that kind of passion immediately.
The quickie against the car, that aint gonna work there.
I loosely gave them physical adjustments.
He was just really, really great.
The only adjustment I suggested to her was, Dont dare him or threaten him with it.
You know what Im saying?
Its not like saying, If you love me, fk me.
Its not that confrontational.
Thats all it needs.
You just want to invite someone to prove it and not push it.
She was really, really good.
To be a cop, you have to be an adrenaline junkie, you know.
So I think that was fitting for her.
They cant just go have dinner at a restaurant and go on a date.
Gish:That scene in particular is a crucial turning point because it reveals so much.
Read the full postmortemswith Boone,with Brown,with Gish, andwith Weller.
EPISODE 10, FAITH AND DESPONDENCY
Goggins:It was just two people becoming friends organically.
They had pain in common, and laughter and humor, and a zest for living.
So their relationship wasnt about sex, and then it happened.
It was only after that came into the room that there was ugliness.
And then it was one person who said, And all that being considered, fk that.
This makes me happy, and this completes me as a person…. And Im not a fool for allowing myself space for that emotion.
Im a better person for it.
Because she was able to say that, Tig came around.
I mean, Im gonna cry right now talking about it.
And Paris said, Absolutely.
Thats exactly what were gonna do.
It was their relationship.
And Paris just let the camera roll.
He came in and tweaked us as needed, and that was it.
We did it maybe three times total.
It was so pure and so without ego and so not result-oriented.
The camera assistants were crying.
Goggins:I think [Venus] got dolled up.
And they sat and ordered the most expensive bottle of wine.
And then they ordered another bottle of wine.
Jax schemes with Niners leader Tyler (Mo McRae) and Grim Bastards president T.O.
(Michael Beach) to send Moses to an Aryan Brotherhood compound.
Tyler gets his hands dirty to free captive T.O.
Mo McRae:That was a huge moment.
Everytime Id look him in the eye, and he questioned me, Well, who are you with?
I would say, Im with you guys.
I could have taken out Ratboy and T.O.
and hung everybody out to dry.
But that moment solidified the bondat least for right now.
Because you know how this show goes: Friends one day, enemies the next.
That was hours of excitement.
Everyone wanted their picture with him and the eye.
It was so disgusting.
Just watching it on the monitorhed flop over and itd flop over.
The way he was flailing and resisting, it was awesome.
The minute they let me out of the gate of the scene, I was so emotional.
I remember Paris saying to me, I dont know how were gonna duplicate this from every angle.
This time, it was like, Are you kidding me?
(Laughs) Like onThe Sopranos, the more insanity of the crying, the better.
And on this one, I had to really temper myself towards the end….
I have two children, and Im separated from their dad.
So you walk around all day with all of these emotions (Laughs), and then boom!
But as an actor, we have to orchestrate it and temper it.
But in that moment, I lost it.
It could have been years of sadness that just exploded into the scene.
It was probably just too much for that moment.
Read the full postmortemswith Goggins,with Barclay,with McRae,with de Matteo, andwith Anderson.
It was just two people talking.
Sometimes we forget how powerful that is with really, really, really good dialogue.
What Ive gotten from people is them saying that every pause, they were waiting for the next word.
Whats he going to say next?
Oh my god, whats going to happen?
There were people who went through 15 different emotions in the nine minutes.
They were standing up and sitting down.
There were people who wrote me on Twitter and Facebook who said they watched the scene like 20 times.
Thats incredible for a TV show to evoke that kind of passion.
Theres that kind of passion.
I have such a love for Juice.
I dont have to hide it anymore.
Charlie and I, we have a pretty similar way of going about things on the set.
[Like] the characters, you keep your distance a little.
Most of the time I was shooting, he wasnt.
Most of the time hes shooting, Im not.
So were very separated since the end [of season 6].
Going and doing that scene, there was no rehearsal.
There was just light it, set it up, lets shoot it.
I think we did two takes each only.
Its probably the shortest amount weve ever done.
It was all right there.
It was on the page and it was in the eyes.
Gemma meets Nero to say goodbye, though she wont tell him why.
Jax phones Nero and reveals that she murdered Tara.
And when I watch Jimmy Smits, its the same deal.
Hes just got a symphony in him.
The best thing you’re free to do with somebody whos got a symphony in them is listen.
Nero tries to caution Jax that theres no recovering for a son who kills his mother.
Jax admits he still loves Gemma, which is the worst part.
Weller:Jimmy and Charlie have a very unique relationship.
So I set two camera angles up: one favoring Jimmy, one favoring Charlie.
Because they were next to each other, I could do that.
If they were across from each other, I gotta do one and then the other.
There is a paternal aspect to it.
I think thats one of the reasons why theres an emotional bridge between them.
Its okay for them to have these softer moments.
Read the full postmortemswith Wellerandwith Smitsand the interviewwith Rossi.
How we discuss it is, Wheres his loyalty?
Wheres his loyalty to Jax?
How does that play itself out?
Or does he do what he did?
Rossi:This is the first choice hes made on his own.
No one pressured him into it.
He said, You know what, Im exhausted.
Ive told everybody what Ive had to tell them.
Ive gotten everything off my chest.
My conscience is clear.
Its now time to end the madness.
I just want to finish my pie and lets just end this.
Thats why he seems so happy and at peace.
Because hes exhausted by it all.
His thought process was if he takes out Lin, then hes going to be back in the club.
After that, he says, Well, Juice is never going back to the club.
It doesnt matter anymore.
He finally made a choice, and his choice was just to go.
I love that because he had to.
[The pie] symbolizes everything.
Its the hopes and dreams.
Its his full innocence.
This was him saying, Im going to have my cake, my pie, and then thats it.
Then Im going to go wherever that next place is.
Hopefully its not here.
Hopefully its not with Tully.
And hopefully its not with Clay and everybody manipulating me.
I said, Lets make this as late in the day as possible.
I think it was the second to last scene.
He was such a gentleman.
We had a robust round of applause and a send-off from our crew.
Juice has been a huge part of our love affair with SAMCRO.
You could see it.
Its always whats in between the words or whats under the words.
I just thought it was incredibly moving.
Just like the Tenus scene, which people really responded to.
I coined another phrase along with fktage.)
and the way Jax is like, Its going to be fine.
Aaron Sorkin would probably find words to describe these feelings; Kurt Sutter doesnt seem to have to.
Gemma visits her Alzheimers stricken father (Hal Holbrook) at the nursing home and says goodbye.
While he doesnt recognize her, he does remember his sweet girl who loved their garden.
He tells her god forgives everyone.
Barclay:First, I love Hal Holbrook.
I was just thrilled that we finally got him for this one day to do the scene.
He had the misdirection of thought.
Katey Sagal:Ive always looked at [Gemma] as having sort of a spiritual journey.
Is there not a guy?
He begs Unser to leave, but he wont.
Sagal:Well, I would say to Kurt, Well, she should just blow her brains out.
(Laughs) The mounting of the lie was so just intolerable.
I think she could justify things up to a certain point.
I think once Bobby went down, it had gone too far.
But I dont think she even knows that Jax is going to be the one to kill her.
I dont think shes thinking that when she gets to her dads house.
Do you know what I mean?
She knows that eventually hes going to find her, because hes Jax.
But I dont think she knowswhen.
Dayton Callie:I went up there to save two friends.
Im the only guy that I think couldve gone.
So its me wanting to stand between two friends with my arms out saying, Listen, calm down.
We can do manslaughter.
Theres a lot of st.
I dont think it was premeditated murder, so she doesnt have to go get the electric chair.
She doesnt need to go away for life.
I mean, unfortunately people kill people all the time and get out in five years.
So I went up there trying to get her to surrender and take her in.
Lets put the guns down.
I said, Look what we came toa bunch of jerkoffs with guns pointed at each other?
We love each other.
I know Jax since he was born.
Im not gonna shoot him.
He didnt do anythingyet.I dont know he killed all those people.
(Laughs) Prick.
I think putting Unser in the way humanizes [Jax].
And in the way that the scene carried out, Jax was like, Go home.
Get out of here.
Let me do what I have to do.
And I think Usner saying, This is all I got doesnt make Jax a monster.
I mean, its monster-like.
Gemma and Jax talk.
Yeah, I like that look.
You were so sweet.
But it kind of got them back into the place where they could have a conversation at all.
Charlies idea was, Im going to keep my gun in my lap.
And then he cant do it.
We didnt do that final scene a lot.
It was so emotional for the crew and everyone else, and with Kateys performance there.
I didnt want to drive them through this a gazillion times, and they killed it.
Katey knew without looking where Charlie was.
Great performances by both.
Sagal:I could feel Charlie.
Theres a certain rhythm to the way the scenes written.
We have worked together for a long time, so you just sort of sense that.
Charlie and I, when we shot this episode, were both just pretty much a wreck.
It was very emotional for Gemma and Jax.
It was extremely emotional for Katey and Charlie.
It was a lot of tears.
I think wed just been sort of happily in denial.
Read the full postmortemswith Sagal,with Callie,with Rossi,with Barclay, andwith Murray.
