Gotham's Victor Zsasz, Anthony Carrigan, Names The Comic Book Characters He'd Love To Play In Live Action - Exclusive
Before Emmy-nominated "Barry" star Anthony Carrigan won over audiences as the amusing Chechen hitman-turned-mob boss NoHo Hank, he was straight-up chilling as the menacing henchman for Carmine Falcone (John Doman) in Fox's Batman prequel series "Gotham." But now that "Barry" is on its way to wrapping up its four-season run on HBO and HBO Max, Carrigan is looking ahead to future acting prospects, and he would definitely consider playing another live-action comic book character if the right opportunity presented itself.
In Anthony Carrigan's exclusive interview with Looper to discuss Season 4 of "Barry," the actor was initially reluctant to name any specific characters he'd like a shot at, saying, "I love that world, and it's a world that I want to play in again. I love those guys, and I'm excited to collaborate and see what we can drum up."
However, when gently pressed to name a few characters, Carrigan said, "All right — DC, I would say, obviously, Lex Luthor. He is the go-to bald guy for sure, but I would have a field day with that ... Deadman as well. Deadman would be a rad one. I would have such a good time playing Deadman. Silver Surfer on the Marvel side of things would be cool. But again, I'm down to [create] a fun character with whatever I'm given and surprising the hell out of people, so let's go. Let's do it!"
Carrigan continues to celebrate the complexities of NoHo Hank
Before Anthony Carrigan re-enters the live-action comic book realm, he has time to revel in the triumph of playing NoHo Hank on "Barry," which has given the venerable actor the chance to show some range.
In the past, Carrigan has shown how frightening and funny NoHo Hank could be playing opposite the titular star and co-creator of "Barry," Bill Hader, but the beginning of Season 4 shows the character in a different headspace. NoHo Hank and his romantic-slash-business partner Cristobal Sifuentes (Michael Irby) may on the exterior be the same buoyant personalities of the past seasons, but internally, they're both suffering from paranoia since their lives were in peril at the end of "Barry" Season 3. NoHo Hank's psyche is so frail, in fact, that he's become partly delusional.
"It's cool because each season, progressively, I've gotten a chance to explore a different facet of this character," Carrigan said. "Even from the very beginning, even if he hadn't changed at all, I was so thrilled to be playing a character that was so different, funny, and out there. But then to explore this different, deeper aspect of who he is, of his psyche, and ultimately things that lend themselves to real pathos and a real dimension of human being — it's the opportunity of a lifetime. All I was trying to do was live up to the writing and be in service of this incredible character."
Carrigan is constantly reminded of NoHo Hank's greatness in public
One of the biggest benefits of playing NoHo Hank in "Barry" has been the great dialogue the offbeat character has been given, and Anthony Carrigan is frequently reminded of it out in public. "I get yelled at constantly from fans, their favorite ones," Carrigan told Looper. "[One of them is] '50/50!' with Cristobal, even sometimes with the dance as well. That's one that I get all the time."
Of course, Carrigan has his favorite NoHo Hank lines, too. "The line about Fleetwood Mac — 'You guys are like Fleetwood Mac. You break up, you get together. You break up again, you get back together, and then you create a great album like "The Best of Fleetwood Mac."' These are things that I'm like, 'How do people come up with this stuff? They're hysterical,'" Carrigan said. "To get to say them is the coolest."
"Barry" Season 4 is new on HBO and streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes premiering Sundays through May 28.