Sons Of Anarchy Stars Reveal The Hardest Goodbye Of The Series

While Sons of Anarchy may have enjoyed a long run on FX, the celebrated biker drama was definitely the cause of a few heartbreaking moments for fans. Many had to watch the deaths of their favorite characters over the course of seven years, but there was one goodbye that was just as hard for the stars of the series.

During Walker Stalker Nashville this weekend, a couple of Sons of Anarchy alum participated in a panel where fans could ask questions about the show. Ryan Hurst (Opie), Tommy Flanagan (Chibs), and Ron Perlman (Clay) were all a part of the panel.

One fan asked the guys about the deaths on the show, and which one was the hardest to deal with on set. Without hesitating, both Flanagan and Perlman pointed to Hurst.

If you recall, Hurst’s character Opie Winston met his shocking end in season five, in the episode titled, ‘Laying Pipe’. He gave his life to save his club, particularly his best friend/club president Jax Teller. With Opie being one of the main characters of the series, this is something no one saw coming.

After pointing to Hurst, Flanagan also pointed to Perlman (whose character was killed over a season later). As the only actor on stage to have survived the entire series, Flanagan noted that it was hard to say goodbye to the men sitting on either side of him.

“Once those guys were gone, it was over.”

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Perlman went on to elaborate more on Opie’s death. It may have been difficult for everyone to endure – it was the first death of a major series character – it was the kind of death that Opie deserved.

“It was truly earth-shaking, Ryan’s departure from the show. The audience responded like we did, ‘Holy s**t really?’ He went out exactly the way a Son would like to go out, with beautiful epic heroism.”

Hurst was humbled in that moment, as he looked over to Perlman and thanked him. He also gave a thank you to the crowd, after they applauded Perlman’s comments.

The stars haven’t forgotten Hurst’s incredible portrayal of Opie Winston, and the fans certainly won’t any time soon.

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