Enjoy!

All Photos Courtesy of FX Media Relations (CR: Prashant Gupta/FX)

Titus Welliver

Chris Philpott Analyzes Jax Teller Who He Considers  One of a Handful of Really Well Written and Acted Anti-Heroes on Television

In times past, people liked their protagonists – the good guys – to be perfect: good-looking, highly intelligent, exceedingly masculine or feminine, not too big-headed, and capable of the extraordinary. Try to imagine Superman/Clark Kent crossed with James Bond. Why did we want perfect leading men? In part, because they embodied the traits we imagined in ourselves; “Hey, Clark Kent is good-looking, smart, extraordinary and good, and since I’m good that means I must also be good-looking and smart and extraordinary.”

Jax seems to be going through something of an internal struggle, trying to balance the new way he sees SAMCRO following the birth of his son (the goodness inside) with the actions he is forced to partake in as part of the club (the flaws).

We see glimpses of this throughout the early episodes of the show, from the moments when he sits back on the roof of his house and thumbs through his father’s memoirs, to the times when he looks through the window of the intensive care unit at his premature-born baby son or grips his sedated ex-wife’s hand while holding vigil at her bedside.

A couple of moments from last night’s episode showed this internal struggle again. Take the climactic scene in the forest when he realises Clay has used the rapist-hunt as an opportunity to push his own ideals – Jax seemed genuinely conflicted between doing what was right (turning the rapist over to the police after Oswald’s failure to enact justice) versus doing what he has sworn to do (following Clay’s orders and his vision for the club).

The scene where he leads ex-wife Wendy in to see her son for the first time was touching as well. You get the sense that Jax understands life a little more, and finally has something real to live for.

For all of his flaws – violent and murderous temperament, criminal activities, etc – Jax is a person who aspires to take the high road, even though he stumbles occasionally. The character works because we sympathise with the struggle he is going through, and we see ourselves in him inasmuch as we feel that the way he behaves is also the way we would behave in that situation. It’s the same reason we love Draper, McNulty, Bauer and the rest.

That makes Jax all right with me.

Check out the complete artice HERE.  Photo courtesy of FX Media Relations.

 

Nick Nunziata: You hear a lot of people, they say they have to approach a character like that as like they’re doing the right thing, justify it.  She’s in a weird spot because that character could be the hero character of a show, an agent who bends the rules to make their case.  But here, she’s the thorn in the side and there’s this weird balance that you have to strike.  I want to kind of get how you achieve that and how you make Agent Stahl work in the dynamic in the Sons of Anarchy, where she’s obviously painted as the black hat.

Ally Walker: Well, that’s an interesting question and that’s actually what I used to laugh at.  I’m the beginning, I said, “Look guys, I’m on the side of right.  You guys aren’t.”  I think the way that I sort of painted the character is that everything that she’s doing is for the right outcome.  If you really look at her reasoning behind everything, the problem with her is her own ego has gotten in her way, and now it’s all about “June.”  It was probably always this way.   It’s so personal that she wants to win.  It’s not about doing the right thing anymore.  It’s about, “I’m going to beat you at your own game.”  In that respect, she lowers herself.  But I really do believe that June is sociopathic, at least that’s how I play her.  I think in her mind, she’s always right.

I’m not really sure why the timing was right.  You’d have to ask Kurt Sutter that, but no, actually it wasn’t a surprise to me.  Last year, I had filmed a scene in bed with a female lover, so I’d kind of built that into the character last year.  Stahl, obviously, is kind of a sociopath.  At least that’s how I sort of like to play her and an opportunist, so I don’t think her sexuality is really about being— It’s interesting.  I think she is gay probably, but I think she swings both ways depending on what works for her.  So no, it wasn’t a surprise to me.  I actually had it last year and I loved it, but for some reason, they cut it out.

When I got the character thrown at me last—or given to me, not thrown at me—but there was a lot thrown to me right away with Stahl.  In order to really kind of understand her, I had to sort of understand that whatever worked for her in that moment was how I was going to go what—June—I was going to go.  That really is a sociopath, whatever works for her.  So she’s kind of like this wonderful little actress.  At least that’s what I like to think.  I don’t know if she’s so wonderful, but— That’s what I did with her.  I just made everything, anything that was to her advantage, she was lovely.  She could turn on a dime, and I really like that.

On what makes Sons of Anarchy crackle:

There’s the obvious sort of bad-guy element, bad-boy element that everybody wants to be a rebel and sort of a renegade and bikers sort of epitomize that, but I also think that the soulfulness and the sort of family bonds that these people have—the way they watch each other’s back—is a very old-fashioned notion, if you will.  Maybe not old fashioned but it’s a romantic notion.  You don’t really see a lot of that anymore.  It’s become much more of a narcissistic society where it’s the loners are there for themselves and people don’t hang together.  This is really a wonderful family.  They all take good care of each other.  There are codes that they live by that are very honorable.  I think that really appeals to people, especially in tough times having, knowing that people have your back and they definitely do.

 Read the full article HERE.

Scenes of “Turas” Airing on November 2nd.

All photos courtesy of FX Media Relations  (CR: Prashant Gupta/FX)

Ron Perlman as Clay Morrow

Charlie Hunnam as Jax Teller

Katey Sagal as Gemma Teller

Walker considers Stahl a Sociopath. She also discusses her new ”Lifetime” pilot.

On June’s motivation

About June, Ally said, “She’s sort of a sociopath; at least that’s how I like to play her.” Ally thinks she’s an opportunist and “a great little actress.” While she believes that June was at least initially working for the right outcome, now her ego has gotten in the way. Ally said that June’s attitude is “I’m going to beat you at your own game” and “in her mind, I think she’s always right.” Ally also described June as someone who “flies over all the logical steps to get somewhere.”

In terms of getting close to other characters, Ally said that for June, “there are only those who can do for June and those who can’t.” She doesn’t get attached. Ally said June “didn’t feel for Hale. She thought he was an idiot.” As far as Opie goes, Ally thinks June lost respect for him when he let her go.

When asked if she thought June was jealous of the SAMCRO brotherhood, Ally said that she does because no one has ever had June’s back. She has a “disturbed background” with a bad childhood and so her character is man-made. June has had to become a chameleon.

Ally is obviously having a great time playing June, and she said that she’s “trying to keep it real” even as June gets nuttier. She loves June’s fearlessness.

On what scares June

When asked whether June was afraid of retribution from any of the SAMCRO members (Opie, for example) she had wronged, Ally answered no, saying “She’s more afraid she missed a step” because June always has to be right. She added, “June fears smarter people and what she can’t see. Of course, her ego has gotten so big she’s not seeing much anymore.”

On June’s sexuality

It wasn’t a surprise to Ally last season that June would have a female lover because she actually shot a scene with a different female lover in season one that didn’t make it to air (it’s on the S1 DVD as a deleted scene). She was initially concerned onky because she didn’t want June’s sexuality to be linked to her evilness, but said that while June probably is gay, “she’s kind of beyond sexuality, anyway” because she is such an opportunist.

Will June Stahl will be back next season?

This and more can be found in the complete interview which can be found  HERE.

For immediate release

SONS OF ANARCHY RIDES INTO THE APPLE APP STORE

FX’s Highest-Rated Series Ever Releases Its Very Own Mobile App

App Takes Fans Deep into SAMCRO’s Roots And Will Feature

Never-Before-Seen Bonus Material

Los Angeles, CA – The Men of Mayhem are coming to an iPhone near you, as FX’s hit original series Sons of Anarchy releases its very own mobile app today, available for .99 cents on iTunes.  The show’s past and present come together with never-before-heard stories, bonus materials and club history. This new app takes fans deep into SAMCRO’s roots and explores “John Teller’s” original vision for the club, the origins of its relationship with the IRA as well as its link to Belfast and much more.

SOA creator Kurt Sutter said this regarding the new mobile app: “Welcome to Sons of Anarchy. What follows is an insider’s glimpse of the SOA mythology from Charming to Belfast.  The MC history, character backstory and the details of the large narrative arcs my writers and I draw upon to create the show. I think you’ll dig it. If not, what the hell, it was only a buck.” For a video introduction to the app by Sutter, click on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cXPy0kdCJo

The SOA app is updated every Monday and Wednesday with a new story that will work in tandem with the on-air storylines for the show’s current season.  Exclusive photography, bonus materials, deleted scenes and never-before-seen script pages will also be included.  To access the app on iTunes here is the URL: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sons-of-anarchy/id393648165?mt=8

ABOUT SOA

FX’s original series, Sons of Anarchy, is an adrenalized drama with darkly comedic undertones that explores a notorious outlaw motorcycle club’s (MC) desire to protect its livelihood while ensuring that their simple, sheltered town of Charming, California remains exactly that: Charming. The MC must confront threats from drug dealers, corporate developers, and overzealous law officers. Behind the MC’s familial lifestyle and legally thriving automotive shop is a ruthless and illegally thriving arms business.

ABOUT FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 96 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning original series, an established film library of acquired box-office hit movies, and an impressive lineup of acquired hit series.

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