'SOA' icon Kim Coates: We need feel-good rom-coms like 'Solo Mio'

NEW YORK, May 5 (UPI) --Sons of Anarchy, American Primeval and The Walking Dead: Dead City alum Kim Coates says he and Alyson Hannigan came up with a back story about why their Solo Mio characters would re-marry after divorcing twice.

"We called each other when we both got cast and we said: 'OK, so, this is our third honeymoon to the same person. So, what's going on?" Coates, 68, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview about his screen spouse, who is best known for her roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, American Pie and How I Met Your Mother.

"And Alyson said: 'Money. I love you for your money.' I said: 'That's great. Okay, that's a good start. So, where do we hang out?' And I went, 'Vegas.' She goes, 'Perfect.' So, we came up with this incredible, bling money, got it from my dad. I love drinking. She loves fun, but then we fight all the time. It was the perfect way to start the film."

Released on DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday, the rom-com casts Kevin James as Matt, a hopeless romantic who gets left at the altar by Heather (Julie Emery) at their destination wedding in Italy.

Unable to get a refund, Matt goes ahead and tries to enjoy his honeymoon alone. Before long, he is befriended by two couples -- Meghan (Hannigan) and Julian (Coates), and first-time newlyweds Donna (Julee Cerda) and Neil (Jonathan Roumie) -- who are determined to cheer Matt up.

Coates, who is known primarily for his dramatic work, leaped at the chance to lighten up his resume, working with comically gifted co-stars, as well as fraternal directors Chuck Kinnane and Dan Kinnane and screenwriters Patrick Kinnane and John Kinnane.

"It was just a dream cast, a dream time in our lives," Coates recalled.

"There's no better time than right now to show this film to the world. We need this more than anything right now," he added.

"This kind of a movie's going to rip your heart out. It's going to make you laugh, make you think, make you want to see it again. I've seen it five times -- maybe six -- and I still cry. I still laugh so hard and I'm in the damn thing."

While the film follows characters in their 50s and 60s, Coates thinks it will appeal to audiences of all ages.

"This movie is for everybody. It's for kids. It's for older [people]. It's for medium. There's a love story, but there's all kinds of stuff going on that you're going to find and love and talk about," he said. "We hope there's a little bit of a feeling of nostalgia when you watch this."

Chuck Kinnane said having so many funny people on set made his family's film-making jobs easier.

"It was amazing. Honestly, Dan and I say all the time that we would just set up the camera," the director said.

"We had these beautiful actors in one of the most beautiful places in the world and we would just roll and let them do their thing and we were as much filmmakers on a journey, as the characters were, truly," he added.

"We could only hope to have a friend as good as Julian in a tough time in our lives to help pick us up, encourage us to get up, keep going. I think we all need that. I think people are going to love spending time with these characters as much as we did."

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This story was originally published May 5, 2026 at 11:16 PM.