‘Mayans MC’ Star Frankie Loyal Reveals He Lost Out on ‘Sons of Anarchy’ Role

Mayans MC star Frankie Loyal is thrilled to be a part of the Sons of Anarchy spinoff, but he initially had a different role in mind.

During the Mayans MC panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Loyal opened up about his route to the FX series, which was a long time coming. Loyal is set to play Hank “El Tranq” Loza, a Sergeant At Arms and “peacemaker” of the club, but he was initially aiming to appear on Sons of Anarchy.

Loyal revealed that he auditioned for a supporting role in SoA, but he lost out on it. However, that experience started him on the road to Mayans MC.

“I tried to audition for Sons for a co-star (role), and I didn’t get it. I was super bummed out,” Loyal said. “There was word there might be a spin-off related to the Mayans. This was just talk, and I was just like ‘I really wanna do this. I want to work for Kurt Sutter. I want to be part of his vision.’”

With that goal in mind, Loyal took actions into his own hands and personally approached casting director Wendy O’Brien to catch her attention ahead of the spinoff’s casting.

“I had an agent who just kept dropping the ball, I fired them,” Loyal said. “I literally rode over on a motorcycle to Wendy O’Brien’s office, which is kind of a no-no, and I had a thing of flowers and a bottle of wine. I said ‘Hi, I heard you might be casting. You’re looking for some real bad hombres who can ride and act for this potential show.’”

O’Brien replied that what Loyal heard “could be true,” and asked him to leave his contact information. That meeting eventually evolved into an audition down the line, with Loyal of course earning a role.

“I got called in to audition. I just wanted an opportunity to audition,” Loyal said. “That was intense. When I got the phone call that I had actually booked the gig, I kind of had to punch myself the whole day ’cause I really didn’t believe it happened. Super grateful, like a lot of the guys, to be here.”

It is unclear what exact role Loyal’s character will play in the plot of the series, but he is being set up as one of the Mayans’ key members.

Mayans MC will premiere Sept. 4 at 10 p.m. ET on FX.

Photo Credit: Instagram / @sutterink