Throughout his 41-year career, Ron Perlman has amassed a string of impressive movie and TV roles. However, he is mostly known for playing the ruthless biker gang leader Clay Morrow in Sons Of Anarchy. But is that really the best role he has ever had?
An argument can be made for Crackle's StartUp. In the series, Perlman gives an exemplary performance as Wes Chandler, a multimillionaire investor who ends up getting involved with a group of dysfunctional tech company founders that attract plenty of drama and violence. Here's an argument for both shows.
Sons Of Anarchy: The Ultimate Antagonist
Sons Of Anarchy doesn't really have any protagonists, to be honest. Everyone was always scheming and hurting someone else. But even in a show full of bad guys, Perlman's Clay pumps up the levels of evil. He not only caused John Teller's accident but stole his wife Gemma as well.
Keeping up with his murderous ways, Clay tried to murder the wife of his step-son and killed SAMCRO member Piney after he threatened to expose his involvement in John Teller's death. He also got the club into the arms business that eventually led to constant clashes with rival gangs.
StartUp: Business Acumen
In Sons Of Anarchy, Perlman's character, Clay, is not so wise when it comes to money. From the very first episode, it's clear that he is broke and that's why he wants to remain in control. Despite years of engaging in illegal business deals all over California, he is still not stable. Even the income from the Teller-Morrow automotive repair shop isn't enough for him.
However, in StartUp, Wes Chandler is a multi-millionaire who risks his money with a group of young, unstable entrepreneurs. Even when things go south for Araknet, he sticks by them and acts as a father figure. To save Araknet, he even suggests merging with their biggest competitor despite the fact that they killed Izzy's sister. While Clay showed off Perlman's propensity for portraying tough guys, Wes allowed the actor to take on a more business-oriented personality.
Sons Of Anarchy: Golden Quotes
Sons of Anarchy's screenwriters must have really loved Perlman, given the way they gave him many of the show's most mind-blowing quotes. For instance, when he put a man in charge of taking care of Gemma's bird, instead of just telling him to watch over it keenly, Clay said that if "Anything happens to this bird, Gemma will stuff you in this cage, make you wear a beak, and sh*t on newspapers."
And to a man who once threatened the club, Clay said "Why don't you just climb back into your little German clown car and drive back to Nazi town, because the next time you piss all over my shoes, I will kill you. And I don't give a sh*t how many witnesses there are."
StartUp: Diplomacy Over Violence
From the outside, StartUp might seem like a show that only people in the tech or business world would relate to. However, it's far from that kind of show. StartUp has more action and plot twists than most dramas that have aired over the past decade.
Interestingly, despite all the chaos and violence going on around him, Wes Chandler is the calm rich guy who isn't really that interested in causing serious physical harm to anyone. He normally prefers to talk things out or, at most, to threaten someone, which makes him appear very smart. Wes seems like the type of person who would never get along with the trigger-happy Clay.
Sons Of Anarchy: Perfect Schemer
Clay was an expert at keeping the heat off him. Whenever he murdered someone or did something that was bound to bring deadly repercussions, he always knew how to make himself not look like a suspect. After he caused JT"s death, Clay befriended his trusted mechanic Lowell Harland Sr. and took care of him.
When Clay punished the man who attacked Elliot Oswald’s daughter, he still linked the attack back to Oswald so that he could have something to blackmail him with if he needed to. He also brokered a peace deal between the Sons and the Mayans in order to protect his own interests. Thanks to his various schemes, Clay was a consistently entertaining character who always kept viewers guessing on what he would do next.
StartUp: Always In Control
The problem with Clay in Sons Of Anarchy is that despite being the boss, he never really has everything under control. He's been constantly manipulated by his lover Gemma, who even has affairs with people close to Clay. A good number of the SAMCRO members keep doubting Clay and rebelling against him as well, with Piney serving as a good example.
In StartUp, Wes Chandler is always in control despite only being an investor and not one of the founding members of the company. When there is a suggestion to merge with the competitor, Izzy – who is against it – asks the other two founding members to step outside with her so they can talk. Wes doesn't allow it to happen and reminds her that they are now four members, not three. Wes might not be as aggressive as Clay, but he is far more in control.
Sons Of Anarchy: Love Story
In StartUp, Wes never really gets a break from all the madness surrounding him because there is nothing to take him away from it. To him, it's all business and nothing else. As a result, there is a constant yearning for the series to show a more personal side of the character.
Sons of Anarchy allocated a huge chunk of screen time to Clay's complicated relationship with Gemma. The two constantly alternated between loving and hating each other. The drama surrounding their relationship was key in giving the viewer a break from the dark subplots.
StartUp: The Glamour
StartUp offers a different kind of experience from the dark world of Sons Of Anarchy. Here, Perlman isn't wearing the same jacket every single day and riding on dusty roads. He always has multi-colored designer shirts, thousand dollar watches, and designer sunglasses.
After coming in as an investor, Wes even gives the team a beach house to use as their office space. The gadgets are fancy too and the cinematography is designed to constantly portray a lush setting. Everything in StartUp is laced with a touch of glamour.
Sons Of Anarchy: Character Development
Perlman appeared in Sons Of Anarchy for six seasons. He only joined StartUp in its second season, so the character in the former had more time to develop. In StartUp, his character has remained pretty much the same since season 2.
However, in Sons Of Anarchy, Clay kept on evolving. When the audience least expected it, Clay would do a good dead; conversely, whenever they expected the character to show some sense, he would do pretty much the opposite. This made it easy to hate Clay, which was the point.
StartUp: The Team
Clay never really had partners. There were just a bunch of people that felt obligated to be on his side. And when the perfect opportunity came, they turned on him. People who were closer to Clay, like Jax and Gemma, were very similar to him, hence they never really completed him.
In StartUp, Wes is surrounded by interesting characters who all need him and bring something different to the table. Ronald Dacey (Edi Gathegi) is the street gangster who knows nothing about investment but learns on the job, Nick (Adam Brody) is intelligent but always worried, and Izzy (Otmarra Marero) is the brains behind the operations. The acting is also of generally high quality, which helps bring out the best of Perlman's turn as Wes.