INTERVIEW – ‘Sons of Anarchy’ star Katey Sagal on censorship, relationships, and being the matriarch.

She may not be a member of SAMCRO, but as the de facto matriarch of the club, Gemma Teller Morrow’s fierce sense of loyalty and commitment to family combine to make her one of the most dangerous characters in the world of Sons of Anarchy. Intelligent, beautiful, and deadly, Gemma will stop at nothing to protect those that she holds dear, whatever the consequences may be.

We recently took part in a conference call with series star Katey Sagal, who discussed similarities between herself and the Gemma character, as well as nearing the end of the road for Sons of Anarchy. Here are some highlight.

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How do you feel about the Parents Television Council and their statements regarding the season premiere?

Well, this is what I’ll say: I have pretty strong views about censorship. I don’t like it. I believe that we should be able to monitor our own families, our own children. I tend to agree with my husband, that to continue the conversation about something that is an important topic, particularly now, which is that of gun control, I think that to continue that conversation through his narrative, which is actually what’s happened,  that’s not a bad thing.

It’s a conversation that nobody really likes to have and it seems that we never can get to a solution with it and something horrific happens. We all stand back and say, “How could we let that happen?” and then it goes away and we move on.

So I also agree with what Kurt had said, which to his story is about a guy who runs guns and has a son, he’s a father, and I think that for him not to tell that story didn’t seem true to the world and to the story that he’s telling. How could he not tell that story?

Gemma seems to have some pretty complex relationships with a number of the characters on the show, but the ones that I’ve always been most intrigued by are her relationships with Tig and with Unser. How do you see each of those relationships?

Well, I think they’re a very close knit group. They are their own family members. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a sexual tension amongst all of them, really, because they are a very bonded group, and not by blood. I definitely think Tig has eyed her as she has him.

In that culture there is sort of the unspoken – some of the guys, when they’re out of town, they do what they want with other women. I think that there’s a loose approach to all of that, but out of respect to his best friend [Tig] would never do anything like that. I think she feels the same way towards him. I think there may be a blurry line. That’s what I would say about that.

Unser, she grew up with him. I’ve always imagined that he’s like an older brother to her. He also was from Charming, which is where Gemma is from. They’ve known each other since she was a kid. She had a very strained relationship with her parents, she wasn’t close to her own family necessarily, so he’s like a family member to her. Then he has that unrequited crush on her, which he’s always had.

How does Gemma balance the old feelings she has for Clay with the new romance she’s found with Nero?

I think like all the relationships in the show, it’s a lot of duality. I think that Clay crossed some lines with her that she can’t get back from. At the time when he tried to kill Tara, it wasn’t even so much the beatdown that he laid on her, but it was the things that he did to other people. Gemma’s very family oriented.

I think that what Jax asked her to do, which then ultimately landed him in jail, she had conflict about it but she made somewhat of a peace about it. At the same time she had this new relationship with a very different kind of outlaw. He’s an outlaw, too, but he may not be quite the ruthless, cold-blooded type that Clay is.

Some people have the opinion that Gemma is the most evil and least redeemable character on Sons of Anarchy. Do you see her in the same light?

I don’t see her as evil at all. I rather like her. I think she has conscience about some of the things that have happened along the way, but I think a lot of what she thinks is, she’s protecting herself and protecting her family. They’re a crime syndicate. They’re outlaws. From my perspective, from Katey Sagal’s perspective, yes, I see the heinous things they’re doing. From someone who lives within that, and that’s what they do in their world, I really do believe that these are kind and loving people.

There’s a code that they all live by. There’s honor to what they all live by. I think that’s where she keeps it. In other words, there’s justification. I’m not saying, from where I’m sitting in my house right now, that I necessarily agree with all that, but playing the character, I think they’re very honorable and have a code and I think she has justification for everything she does. I don’t think she’s evil. So I can see where someone from the outside looking in might think that, but I don’t think that.

Gemma always seems to justify the violence and the acts of betrayal as a means of taking care of her family. Do you think she needs to feel like a matriarch?

Well, I think it’s really this, that you have a group of people that live outside the grid. The whole point of anarchists is that they have their own rules and regulations and responses and this is the little world that they have created. So if you really think what that must feel like, it’s sort of you against everybody else. It brings a certain intensity to protecting and honoring that group. It is her security, it is her survival.

She’s a person that left home, left her family, has no roots. These are her roots. Her back story is that she ran away from home when she was a teenager, she hooked up with this group of motorcycle guys that were coming right out of Vietnam and that became her life. She has babies within it, the women she knows are the women that are also with these guys, so it’s their own little society. So yes, she would fiercely, fiercely protect that system. Without it, what is she?

Sometimes I trip about it. These are people that don’t necessarily have retirement funds and 401-K’s, do you know what I mean? That’s not the world they live in. They live literally dollar to dollar. I’m not even going to say paycheck to paycheck. I think it’s all in a mattress under the bed. So I think there is a certain amount of intensity surrounding the protective quality of all that.

Tara has always held Gemma up as the idea of the person that she did not want to become, but as we’ve seen the show progress she’s becoming more and more like Gemma. Do you think that Gemma is happy with seeing Tara become more like the quintessential “old lady,” or do you think Gemma wants something different for Jax?

I think it’s both. At a certain point – I don’t remember which season – I remember Gemma having the conscious thought like okay, if you’re going to be here, this is what you have to know. She set about schooling her – this is who you need to be, this is what we do as the old ladies in this society we live in here, as they call them, and this is what you need. So she went about it consciously.

I think to see the certain parts of Tara that have become so adept at all that, and have possibly been used against her sometimes, I’m not so sure she likes that. Tara’s a smart girl, so I think that as conflicted as she always seems to be, when she decides to do something she’s pretty good at it. I think that Gemma has the duality of “I’m proud of you” and “Oh, shit, what are you doing?”

So I think it’s both. There’s a lot of duality with all of these people, which is really, really interesting. The relationships are love and hate, a lot of them. I love Clay, I hate Clay. I love Tara, I hate Tara. I love my son. I think she always loves Jax. She gets mad at him, but I think she always loves Jax.

How far do you think Gemma would go in order to keep her family together? If Tara goes through with the divorce and tries to leave with the kids, would Gemma go as far as to take her out of the equation?

I don’t know. It’s really interesting where we are right now because I’m not sure how that whole thing is going to unfold. We’re filming episode  nine right now, or maybe ten, and I can’t give away what I know right now, but I’m not quite sure. I know that the loyalty to the club is paramount. I mean, I’m not sure how far any of them will go to protect that considering that there are kids involved, considering this is the wife of her son who she loves more than anything, but I can’t rule out anything.

In the name of protection and loyalty, they really have no bounds, so I’m not quite sure. That’s the answer to that.

When you’re playing a character like Gemma, do you find that there are little parts of yourself that come across in the performance?

Well, absolutely there are certain aspects. I’m a real family person. I have three children. It’s of utmost importance to me how my children are raised and I’m really involved, so that’s a quality that Gemma also has. She’s all about her family and keeping this lifestyle of hers together and keeping this group together. There’s that similarity. I think that Gemma tends to be vain, as do I in certain ways.

Then it expounds on it. I think what you’re seeing with Gemma this season, which has been really interesting to play, is not a softer side but more a Zen-like approach. What’s interesting to play is when people start to  have conscience about where their lives are going and what’s been happening. I think a lot of her viewpoint is being influenced by Nero, who is not as ruthless. So I think that it shades her. She tends to soften a little bit around him, which I think she likes. It’s nice.

With the show scheduled to end after the seventh season, what’s the on-set atmosphere like?

This season we all kind of know the end is near. It’s a great vibe on the set this year. There’s something that happens when you realize that everybody really likes your show and the work that you’re doing. It’s really fulfilling. We think the storytelling is great and then people respond as well. It’s an amazing experience.

I know from personal experience that it’s really rare, that it doesn’t happen very often. Everybody has a sense of that, that this just does not happen that often with television shows, that you’re able to continue your story, that your audience rises each season and that we’ve all made such close relationships and close friendships and done really, really wonderful work together. It’s very bonding.

So yes, there’s a melancholy that will start to set in. Everybody sort of clings onto every moment because we know that there’s a countdown about to happen. So yes, kind of bittersweet, but what’s really cool about our show is I think that it’s one big story. There’s a big story in mind. So it’s nice to be at this part of it. “Nice” is a weird word to use, actually, because I’m sure it’s going to be bloody.

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Sons of Anarchy airs Tuesday nights at 10pm, exclusively on FX.