Jesse James fired from Sons of Anarchy guest spot for his Nazi past

It’s good to know that not Jesse James is as unwelcome in the biking community (allegedly) as he is in Hollywood, and this story is a unique crossover of both. Apparently James was set to guest star on critically acclaimed FX series “Sons of Anarchy.” That is until star Ron Perlman reminded everyone of James’ Nazi photo and alleged Nazi past and shut that down quick. I find this amusing on many levels and wanted to share:

A wide-ranging Enquirer probe also discovered allegations that Jesse, 43, was a raging racist who owned Nazi memorabilia and was quick to hurl vile ethnic slurs. He was even photographed posing in Nazi regalia, impersonating Adolf Hitler.

That past hit a sour note with “Sons of Anarchy” star Ron Perlman when the actor, who’s Jewish, learned Jesse had been signed for a guest role on the FX series about a biker gang.

Perlman, 62, told co-star Katey Sagal and her husband, series creator Kurt Sutter, that he’d quit if Jesse stepped on the set.

“Ron is a professional, drama-free, no-nonsense actor, but when he heard that Jesse had been cast, he went through the roof,” a source close to the production told The Enquirer.

“Right in front of the cast and crew, he went to Katey and Kurt and said that Jesse had a Nazi stigma attached to him and that he’d walk if Jesse was given a part on the show.

“You could hear a pin drop. No one said a word until Kurt finally spoke up and told Ron he’d take care of the situation…”

Jesse was paid for the part he was contracted for, and producers told him they were taking his character in a different direction, said the source.

“A lot of real-life bikers work on the series and most of them can’t stand Jesse,” added the source.

“It was funny to see these tough guys coming up to thank Ron for what he did.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, September 17, 2012]

I read James’ American Outlaw memoir (don’t judge, I only skimmed it for this job) and he explained that Nazi photo by claiming he did it in a moment of stupidity. Jesse wrote that the cap was a gift from Barry Weiss (of “Storage Wars”) and that he was just joking around when he did the Sieg Heil salute. Only before that photo came out, we heard that Jesse owned other Nazi memorabilia and that there was swastika imagery right in his office. He had a lot of handy excuses for his infidelity, too, and claimed that it didn’t matter if he cheated “ten thousand times or just once.” So maybe he’s using that same logic for his raging anti-semitism. I’m just glad that he’s still facing consequences and that people are calling him on it so openly.

This reminds me that one of my favorite comic actors, Joel McHale, is guesting on “Sons of Anarchy” and that I should make an effort to catch that episode. (It airs on September 18, and series five premieres on September 11.) I’m not caught up with the show, and only watched about half of the third season, in 2010. I’ve heard that it’s excellent though, and this story makes me want to give it another chance and start watching from the beginning. (Netflix has the first three seasons on demand.)

Here are some mancandy photos of Charlie Hunnam, just because.

Badass Ron Perlman

Header photo of Jesse James credit: Marcus Dodridge/WENN.com. Other photos credit: FX via TV.com