SOA Creator Kurt Sutter Didn't Have 'A Lot Of Remorse' Killing Off Otto
One of the perks that comes from creating a TV series on FX is that chances are no one will have a problem if a creator decides to step in front of the camera. That's what happened to "Sons of Anarchy" creator Kurt Sutter, who wrote himself into the hit series when he portrayed Otto Delaney.
In Season 6, the troubled character met his demise, taking several bullets to the chest at the very prison he called home for years. Despite being the one who gave life to the character on paper and on screen, Sutter's decision to kill Otto didn't leave him with a lot of remorse.
When the "Sons of Anarchy" creator spoke with Vulture, he was asked if he was sad that he had to say goodbye to the character he portrayed in his own show. His response leaned more toward relief then remorse, but that had to do with his piled-on schedule.
"What ends up happening is, as much as I enjoy acting, it's much better in the beginning of the season," Sutter said, "when we're breaking a story, than it is in the later days when I'm overwhelmed and suddenly have to sit in the makeup chair for an hour and a half."
Otto's death was a relief for both character and actor
When "Sons of Anarchy" creator Kurt Sutter decided to step into the shoes of Otto Delaney, he choose a very tortured character. Otto is shown to be as loyal to SAMCRO as they come when the character is first introduced in Season 1. Despite riding out a prison sentence, he continued to get years added to his incarceration as he took orders to seek revenge on his club's enemy inmates.
Otto also does everything for his wife Luann (Dendrie Taylor), who runs an adult film business. After his wife is murdered by a rival adult production company, things continue to go downhill for Otto as he is repeatedly beaten and raped in prison. He even bites off his own tongue.
As much as it was a relief for Sutter to free up some much-needed time, he saw the death of Otto as a relief for the character as well. Sutter explained how he wanted to show the audience the possible consequences of being in a criminal organization such as SAMCRO.
"[Otto] always represented that to me, what [that] life potentially brings you, and there's really just a lot of sorrow," Sutter said. "Once [his wife] Luann was gone, there was really nothing for Otto to hold on to, and that's really when the slide began."
Fans now know that poor Otto wasn't the only tortured soul to have some suffering eased, as Sutter permanently took out plenty of main characters before the show came to an end; although, Sutter has hinted at a series about Jax's sons.