Season four of Sons of Anarchy ended with the fracturing of numerous relationships, some of them marriages and others were life-long friendships. No other couple underwent as much drama as Gemma and Clay. At San Diego Comic-Con, we had the opportunity to sit down with Katey Sagal and Ron Perlman to figure out how things are shaping up with their characters for season five which is just around the corner.

Ron Perlman says his character, Clay Morrow, is a type A person.

I went straight to the point with Perlman:  A lot has been said about how Clay starts the season broken. Half way through the season, does he have any tricks up his sleeve? Does he start being Clay again?

“I think as long as Clay is alive…. Clay is a type A person. Clay takes a backseat to no one. The fact he’s sitting in the backseat doesn’t probably square well, I’m just guessing, with how he views the world,” Perlman explains. “He’s a guy when something is broken, he fixes it. For him to have been retired before he deems it his time to retire, that is a broken promise; that’s a broken sort of destiny. I’m sure Clay spends probably the rest of his time on the series—and I don’t know how long that is—trying to figure out what the resolve should be that is good for him and hopefully for everyone else.”

It sure sounds like Clay starts the season in a precarious situation and although it seems he’s still got some of the fire remaining in him, Sagal confirms Gemma is, for the time being, done with him.

“The reason why Gemma wants nothing to do with him anymore was that, but also what he did with Tara and the fact he lied to her so many times,” she said.

Katey Sagal confirms the separation of Gemma and Clay.

Katey demonstrates a solid understanding of the culture in which the characters live as she elaborates some more:  “It’s interesting playing in a subculture where the people have the same impulses that we might have but they react to them differently; their approach to them is way different. I’ve never shot anybody or slammed anybody in the face. I have to say though, to be able to act that, it’s really quite fulfilling….it’s fun!”

We discussed next, one of the most dramatic moments of season five: the big physical confrontation between Gemma and Clay in the amazingly intense episode ten “Hands,” which was written by cast member David Labrava.

“My belief is that this was not the first time. Perhaps it reached a level they had never been to before,” Katey said.

“It was a very disturbing day for both of us. It took the entire day to shoot that scene and you have to go to these places that you’re really uncomfortable,” Perlman explains. “All day long you’re resisting going there because the relationship between Ron and Katey is way different to what was required on the day. It took a while for my hands to stop quivering at the end of that day.

Ron Perlman and Katey Sagal said last season’s physical fight scene between their characters took all day to film.

Perlman reveals the scene took so much out of him and Sagal. In spite of having to work on these storylines, it doesn’t take away from his enjoyment of working with her.

“Most of my most memorable stuff is the stuff that I do with Katey on the show because the business of what Clay does, its business but this is very personal,” Perlman says, alluding to Clay and Gemma’s relationship as he points at Katey. “She’s really the only one he lets his hair down with; she’s the only one who really knows the softness of the guy which he’s never shown to anyone else. We have a history of bringing very personal aspects of each other in the depicting in this relationship and those are the things that probably stick with me the most.”

Season five of Sons of Anarchy premieres on Tuesday, September 11, 2012. For more on the show visit: http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/soa/ On Twitter, follow @SonsofAnarchy, @sutterink, @FXNetworks and tweet using the hashtag #SOAFX.

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