Actor Kim Coates is currently taking on the mob world in the CityTV series Bad Blood, but would he ever be willing to step back into the Sons of Anarchy universe?
Coates played Tig Trager, the right hand man to Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman) in every season of the FX biker drama. Many have speculated he and other S.O.A. characters could make “pop up” cameos in the S.O.A. spinoff series Mayans M.C., much like Gemma Teller (Katey Sagal) did in the show’s pilot episode.
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Coates talked with PopCulture.com about the possibility of reprising his role on Mayans M.C., to which he had a mixed reaction. His hesitance was first rooted in the fact that he has not had a chance to watch the show, which is currently in the midst of its first season. He also pointed out that a crossover would have to organically come from the show’s creator, Kurt Sutter.
“First of all, I have no idea how to answer that, because this is Kurt Sutter’s show, and John Landgraf — the greatest CEO in our business — who runs FX. It’s their show now,” Coates said in a Wednesday phone interview. “I haven’t been able to see it yet. I hope it’s a massive hit for everybody involved.”
However, Coates then squarely weighed in on the possibility. He stressed just how special of an experience playing Tig on S.O.A. was, adding how he would consider coming back if Tig had an integral role to play in Mayans M.C.‘s plot.
“All I do know is there will never be another Sons of Anarchy. That was what it was, and it was magic in a bottle,” Coates said. “What we all did on that show, which I’m sure they’re doing and trying to do with the Mayans, only their way, it was special. It was so special. There’s no ‘pop up’ for me. I mean, I’m not into any kind of a ‘pop up,’ ever.”
He continued, “However, depending on how the show goes, or you never know what the future brings, I mean, maybe Tig puts his cutte back on. I don’t know. For me to go back to any kind of a Tig Trager moment, it would have to be a bunch of moments. It wouldn’t have to just be one small one. That’s for sure.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the Bad Blood actor also touched on the fact that he initially passed on the S.O.A. role due to its brutality. However, Sutter promised him the role would grow and eventually Tig would become “the moral compass” of SAMCRO.
“You know what? Kurt was right. He didn’t lie to me. That’s exactly what happened over seven years,” Coates said. “You need to take a leap of faith. If you say yes to a series and it ends up being a hit, you just hope that that character will go — maybe not even where you saw it go — but to a place where you’re comfortable in playing, or at least stretching you as a character. That’s what Tig did with me. I really got to stretch with that guy.”
Coates’ latest role, Bad Blood‘s Declan Gardiner, is similarly violent, as he is a mafia enforcer turned mob boss. The show’s first season allowed him to sink his teeth into Declan and really explore the darkness behind the character’s tough guy exterior.
“Declan Gardiner, he’s a perfect example of this guy was born to be a mobster,” Coates said. “But there’s always someone darker, or worse, or more ruthless. That’s what makes you want to watch these characters. … Some of the scenes I had in the first season, I didn’t say a word, but it was all seen through my eyes. In other scenes, I couldn’t stop talking. He was a powder keg that didn’t explode very often, because he kept all his emotions in.”
In Canada, Bad Blood season 2 airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on CityTV. Details on a U.S. release for the series is expected later in 2018.
Photo Credit: FX
