Sons of Anarchy is a series that many fans remember mainly for its authenticity and the brutal portrayal of the biker life of the fictional club SAMCRO. The authentic representation has a reason, as several actors were also members of the Hell’s Angels, including a fan favorite.
What is Sons of Anarchy? Sons of Anarchy aired between 2008 and 2014. Over seven seasons, the story of the fictional SAMCRO club was told. This is a biker club. The series revolves around the criminal activities and the personal stories of the characters.
With actors like Charlie Hunnam and Ron Perlman, the series also had good performers. Especially the authentic depiction of crime and the club structure was the reason many loved the show. This could also be due to the actors, as four of the performers were real bikers themselves.
Those who need similar stories after Sons of Anarchy should check out this series list: 5 series like Peaky Blinders
A fan favorite was a consultant because he knows the ropes
Who was a real Hell’s Angels member? As Screen Rant reports, there were four actors who were real members of the American Hell’s Angels. David Labrava has played the fan-favorite Happy Lowman since the first episode. He was there until the last episode. However, he was not just an actor but also a screenwriter and consultant for the series.
He wasn’t the only one with experience in the area. Rusty Coones, who played Rane Quinn, Chuck Zito, who played Frankei Diamonds, and Ralph Barger, who played The Pimp, were all members of the Hell’s Angels.
Chuck Zito had an even more interesting story with the series. According to Screen Rant, he sued FX, the network behind Sons of Anarchy, for allegedly stealing his idea. FX won the lawsuit, but amusingly, Zito was then cast for the 5th season.
Charlie Hunnam is also said to have prepared for the series by spending time with real motorcycle clubs. He revealed this to the Huffington Post in an interview in conjunction with the end of the series.
The fascination with biker clubs seems to have not faded yet. The spin-off series Mayans M.C. received new seasons until 2023, and this year a film on the subject also premiered. In The Bikeriders, Tom Hardy and Austin Butler play members of an emerging motorcycle club. The film is based on the records of a documentarian. You can learn more about Charlie Hunnam’s preparations here: Charlie Hunnam met with real bikers so he could play his character authentically
