The Season 4 finale of Mayans M.C. left burnt soil in its wake and an unclear future for Santo Padre after the fight with the Sons and conflict among themselves, the death of club members, the breaking apart of relationships, unexpected disclosures, and shifting dynamics. It will be up to EZ Reyes (JD Pardo) and his brother Angel (Clayton Cardenas) to decide how to go and where their respective paths will finally lead them.
In this one-on-one interview with an online entertainment website, Kim Coates (who returned as Sons of Anarchy fan favourite character Tig) and Emilio Rivera (who plays Marcus Alvarez, El Padrino of the Santo Padre chapter of the Mayans M.C.), discussed how difficult it was to say goodbye to Richard Cabral (who plays Coco), as an actor and co-star, how Tig ended up returning to this world, Coates’ requests for guesting on Mayans, the
Question: This conclusion begins with a funeral, Emilio. What was it like to say goodbye to Coco at that precise moment? Marcus’ attitude on anything that occurred is unclear. What are your thoughts on all that happened?
Marcus sent Coco to take care of some business for the club, and things didn’t go well. For me, that was a very sad time. Marcus was therefore distressed to see his daughter in pain. Despite the fact that he ought to have said something, he was silent, but the moment I gave her was really sincere.
How did it feel to learn about the plot and what would transpire with that character? Did you anticipate any of that?
RIVERA: In a way. You have some knowledge. It hurts when individuals simply want to do something else. I broke as I dropped Coco off since I knew it was our last day together. I broke, and he broke, when we were acting out that moment. We had to restart after I simply stood up and walked away. Before Mayans, Richard Cabral and I were friends, so I was genuinely bidding him go. For me, it was a difficult scene.
KIMMIE COATES: The hardest times, Emilio, are when you’re saying goodbye and you know it’s the final scene you’ll ever work on together, even though you aren’t actually saying goodbye during the session. I knew when it was going to be our last day on set together when I worked with Kenny Johnson, who portrayed Kozik, on Sons of Anarchy. We read the screenplay together, in which he was going to get blown up in a minefield and never return. He kept smacking my hand away as I played with him and placed him in a small headlock. However, looking back on it now, you can see that we did enjoy a little moment as men toasting Kozik with a whiskey before we all started crying in the clubhouse. I can’t wait to see that scene because after hearing you, Emilio, and learning that he was as important to the show as Ryan Hurst was when we finally imprisoned him on SOA, and because I know you as an actor and there isn’t anyone better than you, I want you to feel that stuff and be genuine with that stuff.
RIVERA: We did it a couple of times until I said, “Oh, fuck, I can’t do this again,” after the third time. We had to reshoot it after I finished because I started bawling. I could still see tears in my eyes as I watched that scene, and since I wasn’t meant to give away what would happen, I knew it was the last take. Marcus was unaware that Coco would pass away. He was merely assigning him a task. However, at the time, I could see it in my eye.
Those moments are one of the things I adore about this programme.
You really never know when it’s going to happen, says RIVERA. You can interpret it in one way, but when the actor is in front of you, you have no idea what the situation is, how it will read, or how they will respond. Simply take it in, pay attention, and act accordingly. I enjoy acting. For me, acting is therapeutic.
Kim, when and how did this entire dialogue over your appearance on our show take place? Were you taken aback?
COATES: I’m not sure if I was taken aback, but I was certainly growing weary of having to respond to the question, “Are you going to be in Mayans?,” so I just stopped. Several years ago, we handed the reins to (co-creators) Elgin [James] and [Kurt] Sutter during that first season, saying, “Go get it. Get your story now. Go ahead and use that story for your purposes. But it would be naïve of me to assume that Sons’ fanbase and biker base wouldn’t want to visit there and see what Mayans was going to be. I was aware of Tommy [Flanagan] since he appeared on one of the shows as Chibs. I was aware that Emilio was the lead. I was happy to know that Montez, Chucky, and a couple of the other boys were on it occasionally. Although I never gave it much attention, I was aware that I had not passed away as Tig Trager and that Charming’s biker community was still very much in existence. I was nearly through filming a significant movie in Georgia. When I was going to return to Los Angeles, my family asked, “Are you sitting down?” I declared, “I’m seated.” “Mayans have called,” they proclaimed.
I can still feel my skin tingling with excitement, but when I said, “You have to tell Elgin yes, but there’s gotta be some things,” I wasn’t kidding around. I must go to work. I don’t want to make a brief cameo appearance merely to sit at a table and order people to stop fighting in a back alley. I also expressed my desire to collaborate with Emilio. It was astonishing to read the screenplay and learn that the majority of the work I had to perform involved my brother, with whom I am conducting this interview. The hospital scene that followed was eerily strange, humorous, dark, and very Tig-esque. Emilio is far more familiar with Elgin than I am, but for that person to write, direct, and offer me a tonne of affection by asking, “Is this good enough? I couldn’t have been happier to put that cut back on and ride my motorcycle that I’d had since the conclusion of the performance when someone asked, “Is this all right?,” and I responded, “This is wonderful.” Then, it was quite cool for me to put on my belt, knife, and bangles.
You’re going to love Elgin, I told Kim. And I assured Elgin that he would adore Kim.
COATES: And he was completely accurate.
Did you ever doubt your ability to track down Tig once more?
COATES: I don’t believe I had it, no. I resembled how I seemed when I played Tig extremely closely. I made a few small cuts here and there, but I essentially fell right back into it. I played the character for far too long to be concerned about slipping back into him. I’ve been riding my entire life, just like Emilio, so I wasn’t concerned about it. Simply being anxious, thrilled, and unafraid to fail was all I needed to make the scenes I was in come to life. I was merely content to be there.
I adored the hospital scene because it perfectly captures the essence of the show, of the entire environment, and of Tig as a character. It exhibits the same crude comedy that Tig does. How did it feel to film that scene? How many different angles did you have to use to choke the poor guy?
COATES: That was Terry’s actor Greg [Vrotsos]. He is an extremely talented actor. The fact that Emilio was the subject of my first Mayans video surprised me quite a bit. The major event was that. The fatal scene was that one. That was him and I, two veteran soldiers who had been friends for all time. What does this all mean now? were the two old men’s conversational topics while they smoked cigarettes. Because I got to re-enter it, I’m pleased we did it first. I reapplied my cut, put my knife on, and maintained my poor posture. My hand was holding my knife, so I just dove in. It was nice to do it with Emilio first and to see Alvarez and Tig again because we were basically bear-hugging it out in his enormous Winnebago while going over our lines and laughing like a couple of schoolboys. That hospital scene was merely the cherry on top by the time I finished it. That was the silliest, most gorgeous, spooky, funny, violent scene I’ve ever seen, and it was extremely Tig-esque.
That was an excellent one, RIVERA.
Emilio, Marcus just discovered through Tig that all the Sons-related drama had actually been about Montez, something he was completely unaware of. He wasn’t even aware of what the wider picture was, so how did it feel to be waging a war?
That is a really nice question, RIVERA. Marcus didn’t know a lot of stuff because he was travelling with the Galindo cartel. We’re hoping for at least five more seasons so he can learn all that has been happening. He continues to question, “What else are they hiding,” despite the fact that they kick him out of the club. While I, Emilio Rivera, am watching the programme, Marcus Alvarez has no idea what’s going on.
COATES: The openness with which these two men dealt with one another was wonderful. Nothing can be hidden. Didn’t you know this, says Tig. Alvarez then responds, “No, I didn’t know shit,” Everything is honest, man-to-man, old-school shit, and the shit is about to come out in the open. Beautiful writing, that.
RIVERA: It’s the mutual respect between Tig and Alvarez, as well as between Emilio Rivera and Kim Coates. It was lovely. When I returned home, I praised the day to my wife. That day, I was overjoyed. It got even better when I went to ADR to add the words because it was so noisy outside that day. I raved about it to my wife when I returned home. It sounded like two old friends chatting. No steps had been lost.
Not a step, COATES.
When someone returns, it can be unsettling for the audience because they are unsure of how they will fit in and how it will feel, but I couldn’t have envisioned it turning out better than it did.
RIVERA: I’m grateful. similar here Since I am familiar with Kim’s acting abilities, I knew the scene would be terrific, but it turned out even better. It all seemed so natural.
COATES: This is very accurate. And they maintained each and every line. It was awesome that they even showed Tig taking off on his bike. I merely adored everything about it.
What was it like for Emilio to film the sequence in the climax where Marcus’s brothers vote him out of office and the discussion around the table that EZ refers to as the “kill switch vote”?
RIVERA: I probably did that six times. I messed up badly. I intentionally did it. “I’ve got it, so do whatever you want with it now,” Elgin remarked. I portrayed a broken-down man in that scenario. That’s how I ended it, with Alvarez in excruciating pain. I didn’t know which one they would keep, but when it came to the final one, I acted as though they had already murdered my entire family. I did the last one simply for me as they had already received all they required. I was already so agitated emotionally that I wanted to exploit the craziness to create tears, so I did. It served as a nice purging for me. For me, it was a fitting way to end.
Given that it appears that Marcus was completely unaware of what was happening, what do you suppose he even thought of EZ at that very moment?
RIVERA: He gave him the bylaws, a large book to read, and the man actually did so. He ought not have given the book to him. The kill switch originated from there. The votes are required to remove the president, and he killed Marcus to get them. He gets upset with EZ. That person has gone insane. After tasting some blood, EZ has grown to love it.
Additionally, as if that weren’t difficult enough, there was that final second when Alvarez removed the cut and walked away from the bike.
RIVERA: I overlooked that section. Yes, I did it as well.
I was so prepared to stand up for Alvarez and simply set everything on fire.
RIVERA: I’m very grateful. Let’s go screw everyone over. Everyone had a chance to vote, and even the guys he didn’t believe would vote against him did so since everyone wanted to go to war while he was attempting to come up with other solutions. It was excellent. We killed that with bullets.
How do you anticipate all of that affecting the upcoming season?
RIVERA: I’m not sure. I was furious. I actually received the screenplay on the way to the premiere, so I was reading it in the vehicle on the way there. I was reading it while asking myself, “I live, right?,” when I came to that. I asked during the premiere, “Why are you people throwing me out?” I really enjoyed the response they gave me. Although I can’t repeat it, I’m fine. I anticipate no problems.
I would at the very least watch a Marcus and Tig spinoff.
RIVERA: They are able to open a store.
COATES: Without a doubt.
Definitely. I’d watch that.
RIVERA: They might start a motorbike shop/strip club. That’d be fantastic.
