Kim Coates On How He Kept Tig’s Bike and How Sharing Kindness Will Save Us

Continued from Part One.

COVID took over the world and “Sons of Anarchy” and “Van Helsing” actor Kim Coates has taken time out for himself. He has become a gardener, bought a motorhome, and is focusing on how spreading love and kindness is what we need right now. Along with TV shows and movies in the works, Coates plays Count Dalibor in the fifth and final season of SyFy’s “Van Helsing.” While fans wait to learn the season start date, Nerd Alert News grabbed some time with the popular and talented actor to find out what he has been up to.

Colleen Bement: Do you have anything else in the works that you’re allowed to tell your fans about?

Kim Coates: So COVID hits in March of this year and we know all about it. We’re not going to get political on this thing, but November 3rd can’t come quick enough for me. Fingers are crossed there to get back to some sort of semblance of humanity and kindness and caring. Anyways, when March came around, I was supposed to do a movie right when I got back from Slovakia called “See For Me.” It’s an incredible little film. I came back from Slovakia, the world changed, and there would be no more filming. Everything was really put on hold for months. I finished it in August, and Colleen, the rules are so different. You wanna talk about face masks and shields and hair and makeup in hazmat suits. You don’t really talk to one another, and there’s COVID testing going on every three days. It’s full-on safety first, but it’s a different world.

So I finished that movie in August. I’m leaving tomorrow to do a movie called “Neon Lights.” It’s going to be shot in Hamilton, Ontario. There’s so much going on in Canada because we seem to have it a tad bit more under control than the beautiful United States of America does in these crazy times. I have a lot of stuff going on in Canada. A lot of my American actors and buddies are coming up to this beautiful country to film. I’m doing a TV series after that which I can’t mention, and I’m doing another movie in January which I can’t mention, and then I’m doing one more in LA that’s been postponed for seven months and it’s for Snap Chat. This movie is so good, and the showrunner and the producers are trying to figure out how to make it COVID friendly and I know they will because this thing’s definitely going to get shot.

CB: You are so busy and your incredible filmography shows it.

KC: Thank you, I mean it.

CB: Of course we need to chat a bit about your role as ‘Tig’ Trager in “Sons of Anarchy.” I was obsessed with that show.

KC: Wasn’t that a crazy seven years?

CB: It had the most amazing story and heart to it.

KC: That’s really cool for you to say that because I have to say that I don’t watch a lot of things. I just don’t watch my stuff half the time, but I have to tell you, that show came out of nowhere for all of us. We didn’t know what kind of show it was going to turn out to be. By the start of that second season, when Katey Sagal gets manhandled by that white supremacist group, we knew that this thing was gonna be a hit. It just exploded. Every year was bigger and bigger, and the fans stayed by that show all seven years.

Even now, I mean it’s been over for six years, I’ve got a podcast with Theo Rossi called “Theory” and it’s everywhere. We actually discuss the show, and it’s an incredibly fun time for he and I once a week; every Wednesday. We take apart one show. Right now we’re staying within the first three seasons. There are thousands and thousands of fans now. I mean, come on, we’re in a crazy time right now. It’s a very sad time for so many people, and I get it. I feel for people who can’t get back to work like they want to and need to. This whole COVID thing screwed everything up. We’re losing our elder statesmen, men and women and even kids are getting it. But “Sons of Anarchy”–these podcasts that we’re doing every Wednesday, it’s lending some laughter. It’s lending some insight into how we shot that thing and some incredible little stories that he and I share that no one else would know. We’re pretty grateful to have all these fans.

“Sons of Anarchy” still touches people everywhere. People who got into that show, and remember the days when you’d have to wait to watch it every “Tuesday?” You didn’t binge it like you can now on Netflix; you’d have to wait every week? Fans, man! They would go crazy and wait to get together every Tuesday night with the beers cracked and the wine opened and popcorn a flyin’? It was on and it was a great show to be a part of.

CB: Hell yeah! Were you able to keep any keepsakes from the set?

KC: Yeah sure, I’ll tell you. I’m pretty transparent about all of that. Basically, I think it was September of 2014, our final season, and we were filming episode maybe eight or nine by then. I got a call from my people and they said Kim, Fox has called and they want to know what you want to keep from the show. I said, without even breaking stride I said it’s not what I want to keep, it’s what I’m am keeping. I’m keeping my bike. I’m taking Tig’s bike because that bike was the only bike that survived all seven seasons. Tig’s bike was the only one. Every other bike was destroyed or wrecked or stolen or burned. I don’t care. Maybe about two hours later, Kurt Sutter, our incredibly brilliant showrunner, called me up and said Kimmy, Kimmy, what are you doing? You can’t have the bike, and I said Kurt–I’m taking the bike. He said but you can’t, and I said Kurt, I’m serious. I’m taking the bike.

I knew that Tig didn’t die so I knew they weren’t going to fire me next week, but I said I’m taking the bike. If they want to take that bike and other bikes and do a little roadshow, or a charity run, that’s fine, but the pink slip’s coming to me.  I would say about a week later, all the boys came running up to me and said Coatesy, we fucking love you. Fox gave all the boys whatever bike they were riding as a gift to say thank you. I kept my knife, I kept my bangles, I kept my shirt, I kept my bike, and that’s really all I took.

CB: That’s great. I love how you went about it.

KC: I don’t know you and you don’t know me, but I’m having a fun conversation and we’re good people on this line, and I’m a good guy. You know, sometimes you just got to put your foot down and say no, this is what I’m taking for me because I fucking deserve it. Fox agreed and it was a good thing for all of us.

 CB: How did you keep yourself sane during quarantine?

KC: Being Canadian and American, I’m Canadian first, I’m really lucky to live in this country that the views that they have on many things, and the outdoors, and I’m fortunate to have a couple on the East Coast and the West Coast that I have a couple of spots that I can hang my shoes. So for me, these last seven months have been incredibly explosively sad for everyone on this planet when it comes to losing someone or getting COVID, or can’t work, there’s nothing you can say other than continue to give love and support for the community around you. That’s number one. Number two, for me, I’ve been one of those actors–Ronnie Perlman said this all the time, and I feel that I’m like him: I’ve had a pretty good run.

I’ve taken these last seven months to not only continue with my charities, ant,d continue calling the people that I love and that I miss, but I’ve taken the time for me. I’ve been nuts. With all the TV and the movies and the charities and the signings that I do around the world, and that I’m grateful to be involved. I’ve shut the whole thing down for six months. I’ve turned into a gardener. I bought a goddamn motorhome for Christ’s sake.  I’m visiting the mountains with my wife. I’m wearing a mask so 99% of the people don’t recognize me which is kind of nice for a change. I’m taking this time to reflect on Mother Earth and all the people that we love and being kind to people, and understanding all of the problems that we all have. I don’t know what it all means, but I do know that if you’re not kind to people and understanding with people, then you need to look deep within yourself to change that. That is what we need right now. I also know that it will change and things will get better. We have to keep moving and stay positive.

Written by Colleen Bement