If you’ve ever watched a single episode of SEAL Team, you know Sonny Quinn. He’s the guy with the heavy Texas drawl, a massive chip on his shoulder, and a Mark 46 machine gun that seems to be an extension of his own arms. But honestly, the guy playing him, AJ Buckley, is nothing like the "knuckle-dragger" he portrays on screen.
Buckley is actually an Irish-born Canadian who had to build that swagger from scratch.
It’s kind of wild when you think about it. Most fans see Sonny as this ultimate "Tier 1" operator who lives for the fight and hates the "Beltway" politics of D.C. In reality, Buckley is a father of three who spent years playing a tech geek on CSI: NY. The transformation wasn't just about growing a beard and hitting the gym; it was about capturing a specific kind of internal chaos that real veterans recognize.
The Sonny Quinn Evolution: More Than Just a Gunner
When the show first kicked off back in 2017, Sonny was basically the comic relief with a short fuse. He was the guy who’d get stuck in a torpedo tube (remember that nightmare fuel from Season 2?) or start a bar fight just to feel something. But as the seasons rolled on, especially toward the series finale in late 2024, the character became the emotional heartbeat of Bravo Team.
You’ve got to look at the Clay Spenser factor. When Max Thieriot’s character died in Season 6, it broke Sonny.
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A lot of shows would have just had him go on a revenge tear. Instead, we saw a guy struggling with "invisible wounds"—the kind of PTSD and grief that doesn't always look like a panic attack. It looks like anger. It looks like pushing people away. Buckley played that with a nuance that frankly caught a lot of people off guard. He wasn't just the "loud Texan" anymore; he was a man trying to figure out how to be a father and a teammate while his world was ending.
Staying Authentic in a World of Fake Seals
One thing AJ Buckley has been incredibly vocal about is the "Real Fake Seal" mindset. The show didn't just hire actors; it surrounded them with actual Tier 1 operators. About 60% of the crew and stunt team were veterans.
Buckley didn't just show up to a trailer and get his makeup done. He was training at 4:35 AM every single morning. We’re talking functional movements, "burnout" sets to failure, and learning the actual "flow" of a room clear. If you watch his feet in the later seasons, you can see the difference. He moves like someone who has spent a thousand hours in a kill house, not like an actor hitting a mark.
He’s even admitted that his ADD—which he calls his "superpower"—helped him manage the chaos of a set where live-fire-adjacent tactics were the norm.
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Why the Finale Was Such a Gut Punch
The way things ended for AJ Buckley in SEAL Team was... controversial, to say the least.
In the series finale, "The Last Word," Sonny makes a choice that Season 1 Sonny would have laughed at. He gives up his Trident. He confesses to punching a high-ranking officer (Colonel Decker) to save Lisa Davis’s career. For a guy whose entire identity was "frogman," walking away from the Navy was the ultimate sacrifice.
- The Med Kit Legacy: He ensured the profits from his medical invention went to Clay’s family.
- The Davis Ending: He finally stopped running and chose a life with Lisa, moving to D.C.
- The Sacrifice: He chose a person over a patch.
It felt earned. It felt like a man finally realizing that "war doesn't have to have the last word," a line that David Boreanaz’s Jason Hayes hammers home in the final moments.
Life After Bravo: What’s Next for Buckley?
Now that the dust has settled on Season 7, Buckley isn't exactly sitting around. He’s already moved on to a massive project called Hunting Season where he’s going toe-to-toe with Mel Gibson. It’s a total shift back into the "action hero" lane, but with all that grit he picked up over seven years on Paramount+.
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He’s also heavily involved in the veteran community. He’s a regular at the Boot Campaign events and uses his platform to talk about the VA system and veteran transition. He’s not just "Sonny from TV" to these guys; he’s someone who actually listened.
The Paper Biscuits and Entrepreneurship Side
Buckley is also a serial entrepreneur. Between his diaper bag line (Paperclip) and his newer ventures, he’s basically built a business empire while wearing 60 pounds of tactical gear in the California heat. It’s that hustle that makes his performance so grounded. He knows what it’s like to balance 15 different thoughts at once.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators
If you’re looking to follow Buckley’s path or just want to appreciate the work more, here is the "Sonny Quinn" approach to excellence:
- Immerse in the Source: Buckley spent hours with an operator named "Goldie," who the character was partially based on. If you want to portray a world, you have to live in it.
- Physicality Dictates Performance: He didn't just look strong; he trained for "functional" strength. This changed his posture and how he handled his weapon, making the performance invisible.
- Embrace the Flaws: Sonny was a mess. He was dyslexic (like Buckley himself), he was impulsive, and he was often wrong. Those flaws are why people loved him.
- The "After-Action" Mentality: Even after the show ended, Buckley continues to work with veteran foundations like the Frontline Healing Foundation. True impact happens when the cameras are off.
The legacy of Sonny Quinn isn't just about the firefights in "Afghanistan" or "Mali." It’s about the fact that a guy from Ireland convinced the entire world he was a rough-and-tumble SEAL from West Texas, and in the process, helped a lot of real veterans feel seen for the first time.
If you’re just starting a rewatch, keep an eye on his eyes in the quiet scenes. That’s where the real work happened.
Next Steps for You: To see the real-world impact of the show, check out the Boot Campaign or the Gary Sinise Foundation. Buckley often collaborates with these groups to bridge the gap between civilian life and the veteran experience. You can also follow his "Real Fake Seal" podcast episodes where he breaks down the specific gear and tactics used in Bravo’s most famous missions.