Fan Expo Dallas: A look back at Sons of Anarchy with Charlie Hunnam and Ryan Hurst

Sons of Anarchy may be over, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want more from Charlie Hunnam and Ryan Hurst, and at Fan Expo Dallas the two actors shared a look back at the popular series.

At Fan Expo Dallas on May 4, fans of Sons of Anarchy were treated to a special fan question and answer panel with Charlie Hunnam and Ryan Hurst. Whether they were talking about the series itself or life after, it is clear that there is a lot to be thankful for when it comes to Sons of Anarchy.

From the excitement of the crowd when each man walked out, to talking about everything from yoga (both men practice yoga and were even scheduled to lead a session at the expo) to what it was like to say goodbye to their characters, this panel was a unique experience that is hard to explain. With topics bouncing all over the place, this was definitely an interesting session that left many fans wishing that Opie and Jax could ride again.

One of the first questions that the two actors was asked was whether they still ride motorcycles. According to Hurst, when they were on set, they would actually “ride all the time,” which he said blew people’s minds. In fact, he said that they would wear handkerchiefs over their faces and one time they pulled up at a light and came up next to someone cosplaying as Jax. According to Hurst, when they pulled up alongside the person, “the kids were mad dogging us.” They then looked at each other and then “blazed off.”

While this story of their riding on set didn’t answer the question, both men said that they do still ride.  At one point, Hunnam even told a story of one of their rides, which included him almost getting into an accident with a truck and a Lexus getting on the freeway. In his story, Hunnam explained that there was no way to get around the trucks, and whoever was driving the Lexus must have dropped something because when he looked over at the car, there appeared to be no one driving it. With the car getting to a point where it was going to hit him and send him into the trucks, he took matters into his own hands in order to prevent something truly bad from happening.

Following their two riding stories, a fan then asked which season of Sons of Anarchy was the most fun to shoot. Perhaps surprisingly, the answer was “none.” According to Hunnam, “going to work with the cast of Sons of Anarchy was sort of like going to work at the zoo.” He said it was like “a bunch of wild animals.” Even trying to rehearse scenes was like “fighting for your life.” (While the actor answered this question with a sense of seriousness, it is clear that he truly did enjoy working on the show, even if it was chaotic on set.)

In fact, Hurst even asked Hunnam if he remembered the time that he (Hurst) almost got knocked out by the other man’s knee. This led to Hunnam joking that his knee still hurt.

With the way the panel was going, and how the two actors interacted with each other, the moderator for the panel took the opportunity to ask about their friendship in real life. As he pointed out, in Sons of Anarchy, they played childhood friends, and it is clear that they really are friends away from the show as well. The question was this: at what point did they realize they had developed a friendship beyond the series?

Hurst said there was no real moment that made them realize they were friends. But at the same time, he knew very early on that they were friends. He pointed out that there was a real familial bond with Hunnam that seemed to be developing on set.

Hunnam even noted that at the beginning, Hurst was only supposed to be there for the first season and his character was then going to leave. Because Hurst was not supposed to be on the show beyond season 1, Hunnam said that he felt like the other man held himself back from everyone else for a while, as if he was trying not to get attached to anyone in order to protect himself.

However, things then got more personal, as the next question was about whether or not either man wanted to change anything about their characters’ endings. In response, Hunnam first said “there is a little show called the Mayans.” But ultimately, his answer was no, there’s nothing he would change. “It was such a beautiful, deep, incredible, life-changing experience,” he said, and he was happy with the way his story ended. For Hurst, the answer was similar in terms of not wanting to change the way his character went out either. For him, things just felt organic.

Speaking about ending the show, Hunnam pointed out that it was actually the “hardest creative thing I ever had to do.” In fact, for him it was hard to say goodbye to the character, and he pointed out that it was “a testament to how deeply immersed” he was in the experience. Even Hurst had a similar emotional experience letting go of his character, including a “grieving period” and some strong emotions after he heard “cut!” for the last time.

At the end of the day it is clear that saying goodbye to Jax and Opie was as hard on Hunnam and Hurst as it was on the rest of us. We can’t help but appreciate that for them, this experience was just as emotional as it was for the audience. It is also nice to know that even away from the show, both men are still friends and continue to do things together, including riding those motorcycles.