Stephen King makes the most of his disturbing cameo in this crime drama

Who says writers can't be actors? The famous “King of Horror” is no stranger to the screen. Stephen King has not only written a number of horror novels, but has also had guest appearances in numerous adaptations of his own works. King played a minister in Cemetery of cuddly toys and shop owner in Andy Muschiettis It Chapter 2, even had a supporting role in the 1994 TV miniseries adaptation of The standBut his small role in Sons of Anarchy could be his most memorable role to date.

The FX crime drama with Charlie Hunnam And Katey Sagalwelcomed King in 2010 as one of the series' many surprise cameos, with unexpected actors such as Lea Michele, Ashley Tisdaleand even David Hasselhoff appearances over the course of the 6-year run of the series. So how did King's cameo come about and how did Kurt Sutterone of the most prolific writers of all time? King, ever the sportsman, still mentions the cameo in interviews and looks back on the role fondly even years later.

Sons of Anarchy

A biker struggles to balance his role as a father with his membership in an outlaw motorcycle club.

Release date

3 September 2008

Main genre

drama

Seasons

7

studio

Effects

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Stephen King cleans up in “Sons of Anarchy”

In the third episode of the third season, “Caregiver,” King plays Bachman, a subtle allusion to his pseudonym Richard Bachman. Bachman is a “cleaner” hired by Gemma Morrow-Teller to dispose of a body (Katey Sagal) and Tig Carrier (Kim Coates), following the death (technically murder, depending on who you ask) of Gemma's father's carer. Bachman shows a penchant for '80s music (classic King), which he requests before the job and then cranks up as he dismembers the corpse, lending the experience, like King, an eerie, unsettling atmosphere.

How many Sons of AnarchyIn one of Bachman's characters, he rides a motorcycle, a red Harley-Davidson Road Glide. King also has another semi-cameo appearance in the series — Eighth episode of the fourth season, “Family Recipe.” In the episode, a fake Stephen King novel with the appropriate title Cycle Zombiesis read by SAMCRO member Piney Winston (William Lucking).

Stephen King’s cameo in “Sons of Anarchy” was a stroke of luck for FX

The cameo was a matter of divine timing, as King was already in Los Angeles, where Sons of Anarchy mainly filmed to accept an award. He writes about the experience in his blog, King says he took the opportunity to Sons of Anarchyin which he explained that creator Kurt Sutter had promised to put him on a “sweet Harley” (the aforementioned Road Glide), something the veteran writer could hardly have turned down. The darker role Sutter had written for him was a departure from King, who explained that he was usually limited to the role of “country bumpkin.”

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Although he was on set as a guest, King knew some of the cast and crew. He met Charlie Hunnam, who plays Jackson “Jax” Teller, for the first time, but was also eager to see former collaborators: in particular, Ron Pearlman, who had starred in two adaptations of King's books (Sleepwalker And despair), as well as Billy Gierhart, who worked on the 2007 adaptation of The fog. King also enjoyed the opportunity to star alongside television veterans Katey Sagal and Kim Coateswho treated him like a professional, even though, as King noted, “I'm certainly not one.”

Of all the roles King has played over the past few decades, his role as Bachman is both disturbing and unexpected. Although often forgotten by some, be Sons of Anarchy Cameo is one of his most iconic. Aside from the gruesome disposal of the bodies, it seems to have been a positive experience, and in an interview with Tudum, King reflected on his acting experience, saying: “My best moment was a cameo in Sons of Anarchyand I was allowed to ride a motorcycle.”

Sons of Anarchy can be streamed on Hulu in the US

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