Stephen King has built a wonderful resume of cameos in movies and television going back to 1981 when he made a quick appearance in George A. Romero's Knightriders. Most of his appearances are in productions based on his books, but every so often he pops up in an unassociated project – one such example being his part in a 2010 episode of the hit FX series Sons Of Anarchy.
It's a fantastic cameo that allows the beloved author to play an exceptionally creepy character, and the show's creator, Kurt Sutter, recently shared the story of how it came together – with Sons Of Anarchy star Katey Sagal also reflecting on the experience as a "great" one.
Kurt Sutter has begun doing what he refers to as "#EasterEggSundays" on his personal Twitter account, sharing details about how some special moments came together in the making of the Hamlet-esque series about motorcycle gang. He kicked the whole thing off this month with a trio of text-filled images revealing how Stephen King came to play a body disposal specialist named Bachman in the Sons Of Anarchy Season 3 episode "Caregiver":
Happy #EasterEggSunday. Going to start doing one of these a week. Every Tuesday. An easter egg from one of my projects with a little history. Kicking it off with the story behind the great @StephenKing‘s cameo on Sons. Let me know what you think… #EasterEgg #SOA #RichardBachman pic.twitter.com/cke4Rqw5H6February 8, 2022
If you're what Stephen King regularly refers to as a Constant Reader, then you probably already figured out the origins of his character's name. In the 1980s, the author had a kind of crisis of confidence in his work – concerned that his book sales were more a reflection of his popularity than the quality of his books – and a unique issue where he was writing novels faster than they could be published. It was as a solution to both circumstances that he created the pen name Richard Bachman. The alter ego "died" in 1985 when the truth about his identity was exposed, but to date seven Bachman books have been published, including The Running Man and Thinner.
As for how Stephen King ended up playing the sullen and freaky Bachman on Sons Of Anarchy, Kurt Sutter explains that the two men became friends because of a shared appreciation for each other's work. In reverence, the showrunner apparently offered King the opportunity to do anything he wanted with an episode of his series, and while the author didn't end up writing a teleplay or getting behind a camera, he did find time to do a cameo.
Stephen King is not someone who particularly enjoys air travel, but he was flying to the west coast to receive a literary award, and it was in the midst of the trip that he swung by the California-based production of Sons of Anarchy. Evidently his one demand was that he would get to ride a Harley Davidson on the show, and Kurt Sutter recalls giving him a "blood red Street Glide."
King appears in scenes with series regulars Kim Coates, Maggie Siff, and Katey Sagal, who has been married to Kurt Sutter since 2004. After her husband's post, Sagal Quote Tweeted it with a note about it sparking fond memories from her time making Sons of Anarchy:
Love this!! Working with Stephen was such a great experience https://t.co/RVuXLQT8XhFebruary 9, 2022
If you wish to watch the episode yourself, Sons of Anarchy is now streaming in its entirety on Hulu (it's the third episode of the third season). You can also keep track of all Stephen King projects that are currently in the works for the big and small screens with our Upcoming Stephen King Movies and TV guide, and read about the long legacy of adaptations with my weekly Adapting Stephen King column.
