The hit FX series Sons of Anarchy has been widely regarded as one of the most well-cast shows in the history of television. It not only helped elevate the careers of cast members like Charlie Hunnam and Ryan Hurst, but it also included highly memorable performances from legendary Golden Globe-winning talent like Katey Segal and Ron Perlman in particular. As the villainous Clay Morrow, the uncle/step-father of the protagonist, Jax Teller, Perlman gave a standout performance, channeling a vicious and intimidating energy that fans would be hard-pressed to forget. Some may be shocked to learn, however, that Perlman had nearly missed out on playing what has been thought of as one of his most memorable characters. In fact, in the original pilot, Clay was played by an entirely different actor.

It's definitely not uncommon for pilots of certain series to undergo a process of recasting when they get officially picked up by their home network. While most scenes of the original pilot remained intact, Clay was the only character that creator Kurt Sutter felt the need to rework with a different actor. In Sons of Anarchy's case, it certainly seems like one that worked out for the best. For Sons of Anarchy fans, it's hard to imagine anyone else other than Ron Perlman being able to pull off the sinister charisma of Clay. But how exactly would it have turned out had Sutter chosen to stick with the original direction he had in mind for the character?

Who is Clay Morrow in Sons of Anarchy?

At the beginning of Sons of Anarchy, Clay Morrow had taken over as President of the motorcycle club SAMCRO after the death of John Teller, and due to the health complications of its co-founder and original Vice President, Piermont "Piney" Wilson. After taking up the mantle, his nephew/stepson Jax Teller stepped up to serve as his VP. While the club was originally founded with the simple intention of societal rebellion, Clay had another direction in mind. Much to the reluctance of its other members, Clay got the gang involved in running guns for various criminal organizations, which only led to the group getting into trouble with other groups down the line. He was a severe danger to his own club as its leader, with a large majority of his decision-making being based on his own selfish interests rather than the interests of SAMCRO as a whole.

With Sons of Anarchy being heavily inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet, Clay is the show's equivalent of King Claudius. Just as it's revealed that Claudius killed his brother to take the throne as king of Denmark, it's later revealed in the show that Clay is responsible for the death of his brother, John. While SAMCRO operates on a strict code of rules, Clay has shown multiple times that he was not above abusing his power to break them whenever possible. This is especially apparent when he gives Tig an order to kill Piney's son, Opie when he is under the false assumption that Opie was serving as a rat for the authorities. A character like Clay required a certain type of actor to bring to life, and Perlman's gravitas not only managed to do just that, but it was one of many things that helped to also elevate the show's material.

Who Originally Played Clay in the Sons of Anarchy Pilot?

While it certainly may be hard for fans to imagine Clay being played by anyone other than Ron Perlman, the pilot episode of Sons of Anarchy was originally shot and completed with another actor in his place, one who many may recognize from various other projects. Actor Scott Glenn, who many remember from his supporting roles in such classic films as The Hunt for Red October and The Silence of the Lambs, had originally been cast in the role. Even though there hasn't been any concrete reason given as to why, Glenn's casting ultimately didn't seem to work for either Sutter or FX and his scenes were eventually all re-shot with Perlman in his place. Even though he was initially disappointed by the news, there's no need to feel bad for Glenn. He's since gone on to land some rather notable and impressive roles in other television shows. Marvel fans would be quick to recognize him as the mysterious Stick, Matt Murdock's mentor on Netflix's Daredevil series along with The Defenders, and his role as Kevin Garvey Sr. in the HBO cult classic The Leftovers has been cited as one of his personal favorites.

His scenes as Clay are unavailable online and were never made part of the special features on the show's physical media releases, seemingly making them lost for the time being. With this in mind, it's impossible to determine how exactly he would've measured up against Perlman if he had continued with the remainder of the show. In a 2020 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he opened up about his experience with the pilot, claiming that his "unworkable" contract may have played a part in the choice to recast him. Fortunately for Glenn, he doesn't appear to hold any grudges or resentment over losing out on the part. He went on to say that "It was really fun doing the pilot for Sons of Anarchy. But… anything that would’ve gotten in the way of The Leftovers would’ve been really bad because it was the single best acting experience I’ve ever had.”

Why Ron Perlman Was Perfect For the Role of Clay

While Sons of Anarchy fans will never know for sure, it's entirely possible that Scott Glenn could've done just as good of a job as Ron Perlman did in the role of Clay. Glenn has proven the strength of his acting talents time and time again, but anyone who is even remotely familiar with Perlman's career or his sensibilities as an actor knows that he was practically tailor-made for a character like Clay. Throughout his career, he's played some notably goodhearted heroes like Hellboy but has mostly garnered a reputation for playing intimidating tough guys and some of the most despicable antagonists of all time (especially when it comes to voicing villains in animation). For a character like Clay, there needed to be an actor who could pull off his unpredictability while maintaining the right amount of menacing charisma. On a purely physical level, with his imposing frame and a face that's impossible to forget, combined with his deep, gruff voice, Perlman brought some of his greatest strengths to the role.

Even though Glenn might've been able to pull off the role in his own way, it certainly would have changed the show itself in more ways than one. His performance could've been great, but it certainly would not have been the same; both the show's aesthetic and the dynamic between his version of Clay and the rest of the cast would not have worked nearly as well as it did with Perlman. One of the many reasons Sons of Anarchy was so successful and still continues to be talked about almost a full decade after its conclusion is just how well the cast (with Perlman, in particular) both worked with and elevated the material they were given. Recasts happen all the time in both film and television; sometimes it's for the best, while other times it can feel like it was a mistake. For fans of Sons of Anarchy, it can certainly be agreed upon that Sutter made the right move in giving the show's biggest villain the actor that it deserved.