With rumours swirling that Netflix is in development on his own solo series, Jon Bernthal has been speaking to Entertainment Weekly about his upcoming role as Frank Castle – a.k.a. The Punisher – in the second season of Marvel’s Daredevil.
“He’s a man who put his on the line and really went through the ultimate sacrifice for this country in his involvement in the military,” said Bernthal, when asked about how he sees his character. “He’s a guy who brought the war home with him [in] the worst possible way. There are a lot of iterations of this character and in all of them it’s a man who’s gone through this unbelievable trauma and what’s interesting about our take on him is how this trauma reshapes his own philosophy. I can’t give too much away, but what’s interesting is the way [showrunners Doug Petrie and Marco Ramirez] have made his story a slow burn. It’s interesting to find this guy at the point we find him. You want an evolution and a process. He starts in one place and will end up in another.”
“Obviously secrecy is key to Marvel,” he continues. “I can tell you that this guy, horrible tragic things happen, and we will see how he goes through that. The effect the other characters have on him will push him certain directions. I think once you see these characters collide, it’s tremendously interesting and emotionally gripping as well. It’s going to be a special season. If you thought last season of Daredevil was dark, we’re going to a whole new place.”
SEE ALSO: Charlie Cox says Daredevil and The Punisher have a “complicated relationship”
Asked how he feels about viewers rooting for Frank and his lethal methods of crime-fighting, Bernthal replied that: “ne of the things I’m most excited for is I’m hoping the audience will go back and forth. There are things you can identify with and get behind,and there are things when the character pushes it and you can’t get behind him anymore. And that’s what I want. I think that’s the nature of the character. This is a guy who pushes the envelope. He’s brutal, but he’s coming from a place of unbelievable hurt. And the best thing about the character is he just doesn’t care. It’s a highly personal mission he’s on and if he offends you, it’s completely unimportant to him.”
SEE ALSO: Watch the Daredevil season 2 teaser trailer
The second season of Daredevil will hit Netflix on March 18th and features a cast that includes Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock/Daredevil), Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page), Elden Henson (Foggy Nelson), Matt Gerald (Melvin Potter), Jon Bernthal (Frank Castle/The Punisher), Rosario Dawson (Claire Temple), Elodie Yung (Elektra), Scott Glen (Stick) and Stephen Rider (Blake Tower).
https://youtu.be/Sw_lZVmS6xQ?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published January 17, 2016. Updated December 15, 2019.
