Jon Bernthal’s 11 best movie and TV roles

This article was originally published on 10 December 2021 and has been updated with the latest roles, Included Origin.

We first have to recognize his face, because there is nothing quite like him. Or maybe there is – you’re more likely to see it covered in grease at an auto shop or dirt and dust behind the wheel of a bulldozer at a construction site. Faces like Jon Bernthal’s rarely appear on the silver screen: they’re rough, imperfect, and their nose is visibly broken more than once. He wears his fake bruises and scratches better than any other actor because, unlike many of his peers, you believe he wears authentic bruises the same way. Then there are those dark, dark eyes. They can transform in an instant from looking like a confused puppy to a wandering wolf. To look into Bernthal’s face is to see the elements – he carries a spirit that seems to be shared not by other humans but rather by the Grand Canyon.

In the years following his outstanding performance in the walking Dead, Bernthal has built a compelling career for himself, the kind that could only come from an artist with a background as unique as his (the man played professional baseball in Russia while studying at the Moscow Art Theater). Initially a Hollywood premiere for The Man Who Does Primal Screaming, his filmography quickly provided a diverse examination of the way men perform their masculinity. He quickly established himself as that rare performer with leadership skills who was not afraid to step in as the seventh-billed performer into an author’s passion project. Like any actor with a history in theatre, Bernthal knows that there are no small roles.

It’s become something of an awards season staple. While it hasn’t yet been nominated for any major acting awards, it’s a mainstay in the Best Picture nominees (again, you’ll feel like being in as many of these groups as possible is more important to it than one notable award). from The Wolf of Wall Street to Widows to Ford vs Ferrari, Bernthal seems to be jumping at the chance to work with A-list artists rather than stuffing his resume with groundbreaking performances. You’ve created a micro-phenomenon that any cinephile knows, that moment half an hour into the movie where you say, “Wait, Jon Bernthal is in this?!”

Not quite a leading man and not quite a character actor, Jon Bernthal is simply Jon Bernthal. Here we take a step back and look at one of the most compelling motion pictures in Hollywood today and some of his outstanding performances.

After years as an actor, Bernthal broke through during the first two seasons of AMC’s zombie drama the walking Dead. He played Shane, the partner-turned-rival of Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes. Amid the stagnation of Season 2, Sheen remained a powerful presence, with Bernthal fine-tuning what would become his defining character — men full of complex, often deeply wounded emotions, who aren’t equipped to feel them fully (and also men who scream a whole lot) — over the course of the show’s run.

Bernthal’s role in the 2013 hit comedy film directed by Martin Scorsese The Wolf of Wall Street On the smaller side, but boy, it sure is memorable. Bernthal flexes his comedic muscles as Brad, a (respectfully) dim-witted Long Island captain who gets roped into the schemes of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio). His shouting matches with Jonah Hill are hilarious – Bernthal plays a guy who is always two or three sentences late in any conversation.

There are a lot of things the Marvel-Netflix experience did wrong, but one of the things they did right was casting Bernthal as Frank Castle, the Punisher. The role feels like something Bernthal’s entire career leading up to this moment has been preparing him for. This is our modern master of the complexities of anger, the man who makes you feel every sigh hidden behind his now distinctive primal roar. Who better to play the titular vigilante in the Marvel universe?

Frank first appeared in the second season of reckless, the culmination of a mixed effort at its best in the second year of the Marvel-Netflix run. The character’s longevity has always stemmed from the simultaneous simplicity of his awakening and the complexity with which it can be handled. Bernthal threads that needle, providing the brute force one expects from the character while imbuing him with a strange, wounded tenderness.

The episodic introduction of the character was a mixed bag in itself, but he’s at his best when he allows Bernthal to tap into Frank Castle’s nuances rather than getting bogged down in an aimless subplot filmed in a warehouse on Long Island. From the largely self-contained season premiere exploring Frank’s existential longing for normalcy to the final two episodes of the first season, it’s an impressive showcase not only for Frank Castle but for Bernthal as a leading man. It’s impressive to see how often he eschews top billing for the chance to do more interesting work, but it’s hard to walk away from this show and we don’t wish we could see it in a slightly more central setting.

Wind River It is one of the great “surprises”! Jon Bernthal movies. The Jeremy Renner-Elizabeth Olsen vehicle marks the directorial debut of screenwriter Tyler Sheridan. Before that, Sheridan had written Denis Villeneuve sicario, Where Bernthal plays a small role as a policeman. He brings Bernthal back for a brief but crucial sequence in the film, which revolves around the murder of a young indigenous girl. Since he’s not in any of the film’s marketing materials, his appearance was clearly a revelation of sorts. Framing an actor’s appearance in such a vital and sensitive sequence can come cheap, but with Bernthal, it simply feels as if we’re meant to know the story is in good hands.

2017 Sweet Virginia It’s one of the most under-seen parts of Bernthal’s filmography, and that’s a shame. It’s a slender country noir that sees Sam Bernthal, a broken-down former bull rider, entangled in the machinations of a hitman, played by Charlie Abbott, who happens to be on a mission in his small town. The film focuses largely on Bernthal as the hero, but in a role that carries none of his distinctive energy. Sam is rather a guy who seems like someone who used to be Jon Bernthal’s character until life caught up with him. He shares a great, tense energy with Abbott Elwood, a sociopathic man like Hannibal Lecter but without an ounce of the charm. Overall, this is one of Bernthal’s most memorable roles and should not be missed.

Bernthal’s role in James Mangold’s film Father’s Peak, ford vs ferrari, It will surprise you. In a movie full of race car drivers and auto mechanics, he plays Lee Iacocca, vice president of Ford Motor Company. He exudes warmth and charm in a film largely focused on the Cold War trying to create something great within the confines of American capitalism. Sure, it’s hard not to feel like he should be in the pits changing tires with the crew sometimes, but that’s a testament to his undesirable range.

Bernthal was made for The soprano I finally got to fulfill that promise Many Saints in Newark. In the prequel to the popular series, Bernthal plays Johnny Soprano, Tony’s father. It sparkles, fitting David Chase’s vision of 1960s jersey like a frayed gold chain.

Will Smith runs the show as the honorary father of Venus and Serena Williams King Richard. However, Bernthal stands out — and not just because of his impeccable hair and mustache — as Rick Maci, the girls’ head coach. At this point, it would be wrong to say that Bernthal is playing against type given the range he has displayed over the past decade. However, it’s hard not to be surprised by his performance as Machi. His Macci is more golden retriever than pit bull, and he’s a sports enthusiast who cares about his students and enjoys greatness when he sees it. He also came off a series of flawless fits throughout the film. Prepare yourself. All the fashion bros you know will be posting stills of Bernthal’s Macci for the next few years with the caption “Vibe.”

Bernthal collaborates with the wire Showrunner David Simon’s live-action miniseries about corrupt Baltimore cop Wayne Jenkins sounded hot when it was first announced. guess what? that it. What’s more, this may be the best individual performance of Bernthal’s career to date. His film about Jenkins is considered the greatest achievement of a film focusing on the complexities of masculinity and its performance. It’s a cumulative piece of acting that draws on more than a decade of work. If Bernthal is the performer to be studied, this might be the case the Central text.

After two seasons and you can make a justification for it The bear Having the deepest selection menu on TV. From a split-second appearance by Joel McHale to a bona fide Oscar winner booking a major role in Season 2, the show’s main cast is supported by a wealth of familiar faces that elevate the already tremendous work being done by the series’ leads. However, no one stands out like Bernthal. When we first meet Bernthal as Mickey in Season 1, his appearance is a revelation. Up until that point, we have understood the character only as a memory, a memory that drives much of the series’ internal drama. Adding a familiar face and loud energy to a name makes the audience feel the absence of a character in a way they can’t when it’s just a name and a handful of stories.

The series doubles down on the importance of the decision in Season 2, highlighting Mickey in “Fish,” an episode that will likely trigger memories of the war for anyone who has endured a difficult holiday season with their family. If Season 1 aimed to show why the Original Beef staff missed Mickey, Season 2 gives us the version of him that left the restaurant in the disarray that Carmi inherited. It’s a complex portrait of a complex character. The show may never let us fully wrap our heads around it, but the more we learn about it, the better we understand the characters we love.

Ava DuVernay Origin is a hugely ambitious adaptation, based on Isabel Wilkerson’s non-fiction book Class: the root of our discontent And reworking it for the film as the story of how the book was written. The film follows the talented Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Wilkinson, who suffers from enormous personal turmoil throughout the writing of the book. Bernthal stars in the film as Brett Hamilton, Wilkinson’s eventual husband. It’s the kind of work we’ve come to expect from Bernthal: selfless, supportive, and deeply empathetic. Everything he does as Brett serves Ellis-Taylor’s performance and their chemistry is a warming point in a film that takes on heavy subject matter left and right.