When it comes to embracing a world of darkness, Jon Bernthal is certainly no stranger to the art of it. The former Walking Dead star is currently receiving heaps of praise for his spot-on take on the Punisher in the second season of Netflix's Daredevil, another bingeworthy feat of Marvel magic. However, given the less-than-jovial nature of Frank Castle's existence, taking on the role certainly had its mental stresses for Bernthal.
"Hopefully the response has been pretty good," Bernthal told Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday when asked what the fans have been saying about his Punisher. "The comic book audience is a passionate group." Bernthal, who's recently been back in Atlanta for a film shoot, then told a story about a fan's troubling death stare. "I hope you like it," Bernthal recalls telling the convenience store attendant. "He goes, 'Yeah I hope so too.' And he just gives me this death stare."
Happenstance death stares aside, Bernthal insists he went all the way there during the Daredevil shoot. "If I was maybe a better actor I could go to the bars and the nightclubs and go eat Chinese food and just kind of show up and be like, 'I'm the Punisher,'" the Fury star laughed. "But I have to sort of stay in it pretty fully. I know it sounds so pretentious!" According to Bernthal, going method for the Punisher involved "a lot of isolation" and a strict adherence to "not having too much fun."
We applaud the dedication, Jon Bernthal. Go method or go home!
