Anthony Carrigan talks NoHo Hank secrets and ‘Barry’ Season 2

Sunday nights are an exciting time on HBO, and not only because Game of Thrones is returning. 

Barry, HBO’s Emmy-winning comedy and one of Mashable’s top new shows of 2018, may be only a few episodes into its second season — but fans already have burning questions about the future of Gene Cousineau’s acting class, the murder of Detective Janice Moss, and the inner workings of the Los Angeles mob scene. 

Anthony Carrigan, the actor behind series favorite NoHo Hank, spoke with Mashable about what viewers can expect from Barry Season 2, how he pictures an average day in the life of his character, and when, if ever, Hank will become Barry‘s main villain.

Oh, he also filled us in on where Hank got that fox mug and who Hank sees taking the Iron Throne at the end of Game of Thrones: Season 8 — occasionally slipping into his fake Chechen accent for added Hank-ness. Enjoy!

Tell me about the process of auditioning for Barry and how you went about finding the heart of such a unique character.

First of all, the script was so, so good. All of these characters were fleshed out and so interesting, really. Already on the page, there was so much to work with. And as soon as I read that this gangster was nice? I was like, “Okay, I know exactly what I want to do with him.” 

From that point on — once I got the role — I got to do all the stuff that I studied in acting school. You know, give this character much more physicality, assign like an animal to him, and all this fun stuff of creating a very fleshed out, manifested character. 

Barry creator and star Bill Hader said in a recent interview with Uproxx that NoHo Hank was supposed to die in the pilot, but that fellow Barry creator Alec Berg insisted that Hank survive because you were so hilarious as him. Any reaction to that?

[Laughter] Yeah! Thank you, guys. I’m really happy that Hank did not die. I read that in the script and I was like, “Wow. This is intense. So he just gets shot.” 

But then Bill pulled me aside and was like, “Dude, don’t worry about it — you’re fine. We love you and you’re not going anywhere.” So I’m literally taking him for his word on that.

Hank is kind of a mysterious character in a lot of ways. What does an average day look like for him? 

“Honestly, I think Hank is better suited to being like a hotel concierge than a mob boss.”

Average day for Hank? I feel like he probably pops up at like 5:30am, probably hits the elliptical for like an hour and a half, while reading tabloids or something. And then probably goes shopping in like Glendale? [Laughter] 

And then maybe like mid-day before lunch, orders a few hits on people. Negotiates a massive drug deal. Then, orders lunch. Tries to keep it low-carb. 

Post lunch? Probably like a group therapy session with him and all of his guys. Just to touch base and make sure that their emotional well-being is being seen to. And then, like a movie night. Something fun, like Turner and Hooch. 

Sounds pretty great. 

Oh, for sure. 

Hank’s fox mug has become pretty popular among Barry fans. Any idea where he got it? Was it a gift? Did he get it for himself? 

I think that was one thing that he probably saw at Marshalls maybe and was like, “Hey, I love that.” He probably got it on sale. 

Outside of running the Chechen mob, what do you think Hank’s dream is? Does he always want to work in organized crime? What’s his long-term plan? 

He certainly loves being of service to people. Honestly, I think Hank is better suited to being like a hotel concierge than a mob boss. Probably at somewhere like Disneyland. 

Outside of work, do you think Hank has a girlfriend? A boyfriend? Is he on Tinder or OkCupid? Is he “seeking” right now? 

[Laughter] You know, that’s something that I’m sort of keeping under wraps. It’s a good thing to have a little bit of mystery in there. 

But the best dating app for Hank? Maybe he’s still waiting to hear back on Raya, but hasn’t gotten the confirmation yet. So he’s kind of anxious about it, and nervous. 

On Hank’s relationship with Barry — which has obviously become such a big part of the show and a pretty critical component of the plot — when do you think Hank decided Barry was his best friend?

Well, Hank is such an optimist that I think as soon as he brought Barry into the fold, as soon as he called him to take care of this whole Ryan Madison issue, I think he was like, “Yes. This guy? This Jason Bourne from Cleveland and I? We’re gonna be best friends.” 

“Anyone who is under a lot of pressure and a lot of stress is liable to lash out.”

Of course, that relationship has certainly been put to the test. 

Plenty of fans have been fixated on that moment in Season 2, Episode 2 when Hank sort of turns on Barry, and for the first time becomes a real threat to him. Do you think we’ll ever see Hank become a full-fledged villain in the show? 

I don’t want to give away too much. But I will say, Hank is obviously in a position of a lot more power and responsibility, and because of that there’s a lot more pressure. And anyone who is under pressure and a lot of stress is liable to lash out and feel like they’re under the gun — quite literally. 

As an actor, how do you wrap your mind around what that would be like? That pressure? 

It’s not part of my skill set to do all of these kind of gruesome things. 

One would hope not. 

Honestly, if I were a mob boss, I would probably lead things in a similar way to Hank, making sure that everyone is eating well and looking after themselves and making sure that they had a spa day every once in a while. [Laughter]

But that whole other aspect of killing people and murdering people, that requires a lot of deep-seated trauma. It’s part of a really difficult business. I’m glad I’m not in it. 

Do you think there is a dark core to Hank? That he has some horribly tragic backstory? As viewers, we don’t know much about him outside of the events that have taken place in Los Angeles. It’s hard to imagine where came from. 

“If I were a mob boss, I would probably lead things in a similar way to Hank.”

Yeah. It’s so funny when you’re talking about a television character because a lot of these things can get fleshed out in later seasons — so you only kind of have a vague guess of what it is. 

My sense is that Hank grew up in a really tough place, that he had a tough upbringing. He experienced a lot of loss that shaped him into the person he had to be to survive where has was. But a lot of what this season talks about is that people’s true natures can be diametrically opposed to who they’re trying to be. 

The many sides of Hank make up a lot of what fans love about him, and how he reacts differently to varying situations is so fascinating. Are you eager to see Hank cross over more into the personal side of Barry’s life and possibly interact with some of the other characters we’ve come to know and love? 

I don’t even like to tease myself with that thought, honestly. It would be so cool to see what Hank would be like in the acting class. For the most part though, I can’t tease myself with that. 

To work with that side of things would be almost too good. I love all of those actors. I love Henry Winkler. The only times I really get to see them are when I sneak on set. 

And finally, in the spirit of celebrating HBO’s Sunday night lineup in general, can you tell me who NoHo Hank thinks is going to win on Game of Thrones? Who is his bet for the Iron Throne? 

“Let’s say Jon Snow, because he’s in such good shape.”

Oh! Let me think. Uhm … I’ve never thought about that. Let’s say Jon Snow, because he’s in such good shape. [Laughter]

So that’s his justification? Just because Jon’s so fit? 

Hank’s like, “Yeah. You can tell when he takes his shirt off that, wow, that guy — he keeps his cardio up and it shows. If he needs to outrun the White Walkers? It’s done!” 

That and also, I mean like, “Wow. What a specimen.” [Laughter]

Thanks so much for solving that one for us. Anything you’d like to add about what Barry fans can expect from the rest of the season? 

This season takes some really interesting twists and it gets really dark, but it also stays incredibly funny. So, I’m really excited for fans to check it out.

The preceding interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Barry airs Sunday nights on HBO, following Game of Thrones.