Los Angeles Time - 08.08.2019

S4

THE ENVELOPE LOS ANGELES TIMES THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2019

People die on “Barry.” Did Hader ever

offer any assurances that NoHo Hank

would make it through Season 2?

He would toy with us, you know, in a

really cool and evil way. [Laughs] No, no.

He was the best. I mean, he loved to kind of

keep a tight lid on everything, so we were

all so thirsty for details for the season. But

you know, even if you were to be killed off in

it, it’s just such a cool project to work on.

So you know you’re going to go out in a

really fantastic way.

You call NoHo Hank a “complicated

sweetheart.” He can be menacing but

also chill and fun. Like when he threatens

Barry and then starts his car and there’s

this boppy pop song playing ...

That’s what “Barry” does so well. It

creates an incredible moment and then

just flips it on its head.

What music does NoHo Hank listen to

while he’s tooling around L.A.?

Just as character inspiration, I listen to

a lot of Huey Lewis and the News, just

because it was very ‘80s kind of poppy,

upbeat music. Some deep cuts from Chris-

tina Aguilera, Britney [Spears]. Justin

Bieber, even.

Are the ’80s a key pop culture period for

NoHo Hank?

That’s how I saw it when I was devel-

oping the character. He certainly has this

very specific depiction of what America is

and what going to America means. In my

mind, I envisioned it as little NoHo Hank,

with probably about 15 VHS tapes, just

watching them over and over. And they’re

all ’80s action movies or ’80s buddy rom-

coms. I like the idea that he bases all of his

perception of Los Angeles on that.

But he has lived here long enough to have

some good advice for Barry about living

in L.A.: Stay off the 405.

[Laughs] The 405 is just always dread-

ful, so sage words.

And NoHo Hank really seems to enjoy the

city. Where do you think he shops?

He goes to all of the malls. Like, he’s no

stranger to the Glendale Galleria. He

knows the Grove like the back of his hand.

I’m sure he’s just at every farmers market.

Hader says that when people stop him to

talk about “Barry,” they usually caution

him: Don’t kill NoHo Hank. What do you

get from people who see you?

I mean, just such joy. It’s really wonder-

ful. Hank is people’s good pal. So I love

that. I was in New York recently and was

walking out of my hotel. And just in true

New York fashion, this big New York dude

leaned outside of his window and he just

screams [Carrigan adopts a Noo Yawk

accent], “Hey, NoHo Hank, how you do-

ing? Love what you doing!” It was great.

Maybe what people are responding to,

too, is his neediness. He just wants Barry

to be his friend.

Yes. He wants to be friends with people.

He wants community and comrades. It’s

more the camaraderie than the actual

nitty-gritty of it, you know?

Do you enjoy trying to make Bill Hader

break on set?

Yes I do. That is a solid yes. It’s just

such a fun environment when we’re shoot-

ing. And yeah, it’s just a wonderful, won-

derful challenge to make that guy break.

We’re constantly messing with each other.

There was this one scene that we did, in

the car at the beginning of Episode 2, when

Hank is giving him a rundown of the stash

house. And we just couldn’t keep it to-

gether, either of us. Because we just kept

on riffing and changing it and throwing

each other curve balls. And that’s what’s

cool — those fun, spontaneous moments.

He’s always game, and we have a blast.

That feeling comes across watching

“Barry.”

A lot of people complain about when

people are about to laugh. But I feel like

that moment, that tiny moment where

someone is about to break, it’s such a

beautiful moment. I start to just crack up

immediately when I see someone is about

to do that.

ANTHONY

CARRIGAN

is sinister,

silly and

stylish on

“Barry.”

Kirk McKoyLos Angeles Times

THE CONTENDERS

NOHO

HANK’S

VIEW

OF L.A.

By Glenn Whipp

B

ill Hader and Henry Winkler

have already won Emmys for

their work on “Barry” — and de-

servedly so — but if you had to

pick one actor who embodies the

show’s ability to shift tones seamlessly,

freshly minted Emmy nominee Anthony

Carrigan is the man.

Carrigan plays NoHo Hank, the stylish

and joyful Chechen crime boss who’s sweet,

needy and a little naive but also menacing

and scary when the situation requires a cer-

tain gravity.

Carrigan stopped by The Times’ video

studio recently to talk about “Barry’s”

breakout character.

THE ENVELOPE