But he admits to feeling a bit "intimidated" about working with fellow series newcomer Henry Rollins, actor and musician of Black Flag punk-rock fame.

"I'm a 50-something square character actor," Arkin said. "There was every possibility he'd have said, `We'll do our work together, but don't talk to me. I don't want to hear any of your bourgeois domestic"' patter.

Instead, Arkin found Rollins to be "incredibly warm" and a colleague who approached his work with discipline.

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Arkin has equally kind words about Sons of Anarchy and the cast that welcomed him despite his role as a big troublemaker in season two. He's careful to correct a questioner who refers to the law- breaking motorcycle gang members as the drama's heroes.

"They're not heroes; they're the protagonists," said Arkin, whose wide-ranging TV (Northern Exposure, Chicago Hope) and film career includes the latest Coen brothers release, A Serious Man. He's also in demand as a director and was interviewed by phone from Dallas, where he was working on a new sitcom.

His interpretation of Ethan Zoebelle, his Sons of Anarchy character, emerged after discussions with series creator Kurt Sutter.

"We talked about my own ethnicity and the irony of having someone with a Jewish background playing a white separatist, nationalist character," Arkin said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS