Is Norman Reedus' Bikeriders character based on real person?

Jeff Nichols' latest film, The Bikeriders, hit theaters this week. The star-studded movie received favorable reviews during its first weekend at the box office. It stars Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, and The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus, who is unrecognizable in his role as Funny Sonny.

The movie drew inspiration from Danny Lyon's 1968 photo book, which chronicles the stories and personalities of the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club members. Lyon captured black-and-white images of the club while he was a member from 1963 to1967. According to Vice, the book is filled with "highly personal moments that reflect the violent and extreme lifestyle of the club."

One of the members, Funny Sonny, was portrayed by Reedus in The Bikeriders film. Funny Sonny was a real-life member of the motorcycle club who was a former Hell's Angel, a group that was the chief rival of the Outlaws. Sonny is featured in several images in Lyon's book.

Reedus' role as Funny Sonny had one tie to his Walking Dead character, Daryl Dixon. Reedus wanted Sonny to look nothing like Daryl, which he achieved with a beard and rotted teeth. In an interview with RadioTimes, Reedus described how he was able to learn to talk with plastic teeth.

"So I'm like walking around Ohio, going to, like, Starbucks and Target and all these places with these teeth in my mouth, trying to see if people could understand me! Because it takes a while to get used to talking with a mouth full of plastic teeth, you know."

- Norman Reedus

Below is an image of Reedus as Funny Sonny.

According to Reedus, there isn't much information about Funny Sonny, but he believes you can tell a lot about his personality from the images published in the book. He appears to be a wild man who is always ready for a good time.

"So we kind of... I didn't want to look like Daryl Dixon in the film. You know what I mean? So we sort of created this character."

- Norman Reedus

Norman Reedus - Daryl Dixon

On September 29, fans of Daryl Dixon will see him in the second season of the Daryl Dixon spinoff, The Book of Carol. Daryl will continue his journey through France, aiding the Union of Hope, while Carol will begin her search for her best friend, who never arrived at the Commonwealth as promised. Fans anticipate a glorious reunion between Daryl and Carol, two characters introduced in season 1 of The Walking Dead.

The Bikeriders is now available in theaters, and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol will premiere on AMC and AMC+ on September 29 at 9 p.m. ET.

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