Why Barry Season 4 Episode 4 'Devastated' But Didn't Surprise Anthony Carrigan
This article contains spoilers for "Barry."
As an audience, sometimes it's easy to forget that we're not the only ones that experience the emotional impact of the twists and turns that occur in our favorite shows. Throughout its entire run, HBO's "Barry" has been filled with shocking displays of violence, unexpected treachery, and frightening bursts of rage. And this was supposed to be a comedy! No matter how attached we think we are to a particular character, the actor inhabiting that onscreen persona is more than likely going to have a much deeper connection to the person they're playing.
Reaching a true level of believability takes a great level of preparation, with the two schools of acting — the Stanislavski method and the Meisner technique — offering two totally different approaches to help performers get to a place of authenticity. The Stanislavski way relies more on the actor's own memory to wring out emotion, whereas Meisner teaches actors to use each other's energy in the moment to reach a genuine moment of truth. Both are effective, but Meisner gives the option to leave your emotions at the door instead of opening up old wounds time and time again.
Although he doesn't come from the Gene Cousineau method of acting, whatever technique Anthony Carrigan uses seems to be working. And his character NoHo Hank on "Barry" has just reached a frightening crossroads after his rival turned lover, Cristobal (Michael Irby), was killed during the shocking finale of season 4, episode 4 "It Takes a Psycho." For all of Carrigan's acting prowess, the actor simply wasn't prepared for the emotional toll the scene would have on him personally.
'I was so devastated'
Reading the explosive and ultimately tragic scene for the first time took Carrigan by complete surprise. "When I initially read it, I had to take a beat. I was so devastated," Carrigan told BuzzFeed News. Gathering himself after the initial shock, Carrigan felt it was a little more on brand for Hank, saying:
"When I really thought about it and I unpacked it, it made total sense. They are in a life of crime, and there's no way to ever have a really gentle ending when you're surrounded by such danger."
For a good portion of the series, the audience has been impacted by the violence dished out by Barry Berkman (Bill Hader). Whether it's when he's moonlighting as an assassin or traumatizing his girlfriend Sally, Barry is the one who we're accustomed to watching go on the attack. Hank has always been the comic relief character who's been mostly content to survive in middle management for the Chechen crime syndicate. So naturally, It's unexpected for the viewer and for Carrigan himself when Hank flips the switch and lashes out.
"Hank has been a gentle person who just happens to be a crime lord. I think it's really going to throw people off when they see Hank really step into that crime lord role and do something atrocious and brutal. Even I was surprised by that. I was surprised that he was able to commit such an atrocity behind Cristobal's back. But at the same time, I felt like it was justified."
After saving Cristobal in the finale of season 3, Hank and Cristobal could've been happy, potentially, making Hank's sinister turn all the more startling. But maybe his betrayal is justified, after all.
'Oh, of course Hank would do this.'
Deep down, Hank is really just scared to wind up back in that Bolivian jail cell chained to a radiator. And he'll do anything to make sure he never feels that weak again. Earlier in season 4, Hank suddenly finds himself transported back to that very cell, still trapped and helpless awaiting his imminent death. In a moment of intended confusion, at first it seems like his romantic interlude with Cristobal in New Mexico was all a dream and Hank had just been caught up in a hallucinatory death spiral. Maybe Hank's play to take out the Chechens in the silo (a move that almost kills Cristobal) stems from never wanting to be told he's helpless again, and more to the point, that he never feels helpless again for the rest of his life.
When Carrigan examined Hank's motivation from another angle, the move for power started to make more sense. "Once I connected the dots, I was like, 'Oh, of course Hank would do this,' Carrigan told Buzzfeed News. "He went from a place of being told that he was soft and being told that he wasn't capable of being menacing or intimidating. Hank just goes overboard with this act of violence, and it really does scare Cristobal."
Killing Cristobal was never part of the master plan, but looking back, it was inevitable. Unfortunately for Hank, his failed attempt to keep both of the safe tragically backfired, and now Hank is left locked inside a prison of his own making.
"Barry" airs on HBO and HBO Max on Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.