Much of the current focus of the Sons Of Anarchy universe is currently revolving around the Mayans Motorcyle Club, as they are about to get their own spin-off series on FX. However, what many don’t know, is that the main rival club to the Sons Of Anarchy almost didn’t even exist in the show.
That’s crazy to think about, since the Mayans played a major part in all seven seasons of the series. But, as creator Kurt Sutter recently revealed, the Mayans weren’t around when the filmed the original pilot.
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While doing an interview with Desde Hollywood, Sutter spoke about his relationship with Emilio Rivera, who played Mayan president Marcus Alvarez on Sons Of Anarchy. He explained that Rivera initially played a different role, that he was actually a member of the Sons during the first pilot.
“There was an original pilot that we shot with a different actor as Clay. We went back and we recast Clay obviously with Ron Perlman, and we had an opportunity to look at things that worked and that didn’t work. Originally, I cast Emilio as a member of Sons Of Anarchy, as a character called Hawk, I believe.”
So, instead of beginning the show as the arch-nemesis of the Sons, Rivera was supposed to be a member. One of those things that “didn’t work” was Rivera’s original character, as it made the club seem a bit over-crowded. Instead of booting Rivera from the project, Sutter fused the actor with another one of his ideas, and created the Mayans as we know them today.
“We found that we wanted to simplify our characters. Ultimately, there wasn’t room for that character. But, I had the idea for this other club that came out of California as well. And then, offered Emilio that part. “
So, a motorcycle club that’s about to get its own TV show wasn’t even involved in the original SOA concept. That’s crazy to think about, but it couldn’t have worked out better. Emilio Rivera ended up being perfect for the role of Alvarez, and the rest is history.
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