‘Sons of Anarchy’ Turns 10: Emilio Rivera Promises ‘the Ride Continues’ in ‘Mayans M.C.’

Emilio Rivera, the one Sons of Anarchy star who has a recurring role in the spin-off Mayans M.C., celebrated the 10th anniversary of Sons with a tribute to creator Kurt Sutter on Instagram.

“#SOA hit our tv screens 10 years ago today, tomorrow the ride continues,different place, different time, different family, but same great story, same insane crazy s–,” Rivera wrote on Instagram. “Thank You [Sutter] for bringing us this world. It’s time to Roll.”

Rivera also included a collage of photos with himself and Sutter, who Rivera once called a “really smart man” who “follows what’s going on in the outside world and incorporates it to the Sons of Anarchy world” in a Collider interview.

Rivera appeared in 31 episodes of Sons of Anarchy, including the first and last episodes. He played Marcus Alvarez, the president of the Mayans M.C. Oakland charter, the same part he plays in Mayans M.C. At first, the Mayans were antagonistic towards the Sons of Anarchy, but the relationship between the two clubs cooled over time.

Outside of the Sons/Mayans universe, Rivera is a prolific actor with over 100 credits to his name. He appeared in Hand of God, Z Nation, Saints & Sinners, The Night Shift and Gang Related. This year, he starred in Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot with Joaquin Phoenix and Jonah Hill.

Rivera’s journey to Sons of Anarchy was not easy. The 57-year-old was born in San Antonio but raised in Los Angeles’ Frogtown neighborhood. In a 2014 interview with Fox News, Rivera jokingly said he “should be dead by now.” More than 40 friends were lost to gang violence, Rivera said.

“I was being shot at. When you’re getting shot at, you become like Spider-Man and I was gone!” Rivera said.

Rivera also struggled with addiction himself, but has been sober for more than 25 years.

It is not clear how many episodes of Mayans M.C. Rivera will be in, as the series focuses more on Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes, played by J.D. Pardo. At the beginning of the series, EZ is released from prison and joins the Mayans M.C., following in the footsteps of his brother Angel (Clayton Cardenas).

Other members of the cast include Danny Pino as the head of a cartel, Sarah Bolger as EZ’s childhood girlfriend, and Edward James Olmos as EZ’s father. Maurice Compte also stars as a DEA agent on the trail of the cartel.

Mayans M.C. kicks off on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on FX. You can also find every episode of Sons of Anarchy available to stream on FX+ and Amazon Prime.

Photo credit: FX