Ron Perlman played Clay Morrow in Sons of Anarchy, one of the most important characters in the series, but he wasn’t the original actor cast in the role. Created by Kurt Sutter, Sons of Anarchy made its debut on FX in 2008 and was so well-received by critics and viewers, it lived in for a total of seven seasons, coming to an end in 2014. Sons of Anarchy explored various themes, mostly vigilantism, corruption, and racism, all through an outlaw motorcycle club with a lot of issues among its members and with other clubs and associations, though the biggest dramas and tragedies came from within the club.
Sons of Anarchy follows the journey of Jackson “Jax” Teller (Charlie Hunnam), vice president of the motorcycle club Sons of Anarchy in Charming, a fictional town in California’s Central Valley. The events of the series are kickstarted when Jax finds a manifesto written by his late father, John Teller, one of the founding members of the club, which leads him to question the club’s goals and path, his relationships, family, and himself. Over the course of seven seasons, the audience got to know the members of the Sons of Anarchy MC and most of their backstories and real motivations, but one that stood out for his connection to Jax and his vision for the club was Clay Morrow.
Clay was one of the “First 9” members of the MC and John Teller’s best friend, who after John’s death, married his wife, Gemma (Katey Sagal), becoming Jax’s stepfather. Clay then became president of the Sons of Anarchy, getting the club involved in different illegal activities, most notably drug smuggling, which brought a lot of problems to the club. Clay was played by Ron Perlman, who perfectly portrayed all shades of the character: from a protective family man to the ruthless president of the MC, who didn’t hesitate in betraying others for his benefit. However, Perlman wasn’t the original Clay, and he was brought in after the pilot episode failed to show the Clay Morrow the crew was looking for.
Originally, Scott Glenn was cast as Clay Morrow and played the character in the series’ pilot episode. Speaking to Fresh Air in 2014, Perlman revealed he had to audition for the part of Clay in Sons of Anarchy as they already had another actor playing the role, but “the network decided that they weren’t getting what they were hoping to get”. However, they liked Sutter’s concept so much that they were willing to reset the first season if they found the right actor for the character, which is what happened when they saw Perlman. As for where Glenn “failed” as Clay, Perlman didn’t share much out of respect, but he did mention that he was “a very subtle guy”, with a “quiet, understated presence”, which didn’t quite work for Clay, who was “way more dynamic”. Perlman arrived knowing all this, and so he gave them the Clay Morrow they were looking for.
Of course, not playing Clay Morrow didn’t stop Scott Glenn’s career, as he went on to appear in various movies, most notably Sucker Punch and The Bourne Legacy, and in TV shows like The Leftovers, Marvel’s Daredevil, The Defenders, and season 1 of Castle Rock. Recasting Sons of Anarchy's Clay Morrow was a good decision, as the character was volatile and had a strong presence, and Ron Perlman was a perfect choice.