Sons of Anarchy: Tommy Flanagan & Johnny Lewis Talk Shop

Ann Murray
Fancast.com

Tommy Flanagan (Filip “Chibs” Telford) & Johnny Lewis (”Half-Sack”) play characters on Sons of Anarchy whose number one priority is clearly their loyalty to the biker club. Although their characters at first seem to be clear polar opposites, with Half providing almost a level of comic relief to Telford’s raw, brooding persona, deep down inside their characters are both very similar. Lewis’ character seems to have a dark level of depth underneath the silliness of his character, one that gives Telford a run for his money.

At a recent charity biker event, both stars very quickly talked to us about their lives on and off the set of the hit FX show.

So tell me a little about your character on the show?
Chibs is a Scotsman who comes to America and he’s taken in by the motorcycle club. He’s a mechanic and he likes to stab people.

I noticed that the gang on the show is really inclusive in terms of religions and ethnicities and stuff versus all the other gangs around them who are sort of exclusive. Is that a big part of it?
Nah, I don’t know. It’s just f****ing TV. [laughing]

Could you tell me about your audition and how you got the role?
Me and Tom are mentioned the original. He put the show together already years ago. A couple years ago he spoke to me about it and he introduced me to Kurt Sutter and that was that.

Do you have your own bike, outside of the show, that you ride?
Just the one Harley gave me today and I’m not taking it back. I’m keeping it.

What kind is it?
Harley Vino.

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Did you do any riding before the show?
I used to do trail bikes, stunt bikes?

How do you get ready for the role you play on the show?
No acting required. I’m just a down right psychopath.

Do you guys have to hang out with bikers for the role?
Yeah a few. Absolutely. A lot of good bikers come in and you know keep us straight.

What kind of feedback do they give you?
Just from walking around today, they love it. They’ll stop and say oh, it’s Chibs from the show.

What’s your character’s name?
Half Sack.

What’s up with the name?
He’s an Iraq war vet. He lost a testicle in the war. He’s the youngest member of the club.

How often do you go riding in your spare time?
I ride four or five times a week.

Did you ride before starting the show?
Yeah a little bit we didn’t really get into it until the show started.

What kind of bike do you have?
A Triumph.

Okay and what kind of bike do you have on the show? Is it the same kind?
A Harley Dyna on the show.

Do you have to hang out with bikers and talk to them to find out what the life is like?
A little bit. They drop by the set, yeah.

The creator of the show, Kurt Sutter, is he a biker himself also?
Um, no I think John Linson is the biker.

What was your pre-audition preparing like?
Just think angry thoughts.

Did you get any feedback from the bikers in terms of the reality of the show? Or the reality of your character?
Yeah they’re really nice and they say they like it. And they’re very specific about pointing out aspects of the show that we get wrong.

Can you remember any specific points that they said you guys got wrong or that you got right?
No, they just make a point to say that the prospect life is really 24-7. Not just playing one on TV so they’ll rip me about that.