Clay Morrow is front and center on Sons of Anarchy this season, more than ever before, as the SAMCRO President fights for his position and for a comfortable, wealthy retirement.

But forget the future. Clay's past came back to haunt him this week, as the character took his most drastic action yet on "Family Recipe," taking out a member of the Original 9. What drove him to kill Piney? The victim's own words, Ron Perlman says.

"If some guy tells me I'm taking you out, how does he expect me to let him live? He's got to know that there's going to be some pushback," the actor explained to TV Guide. "Clay can't afford to have him around. He's backed into a corner, and he's at his most dangerous. You back a big cat into a corner, somebody is going to get bloody."

How far will Clay go to keep his role in JT's death a secret?

Perlman says there's almost no limit to the "amount of things that he's willing to sacrifice" to maintain his standing with Jax and the club. But what happens if or when Gemma sees what Clay has done? It looks like we'll soon find out.

Visit TV Guide now to read the full interview with Perlman.