Jon Bernthal Opens Up About How He Approaches The Punisher

A lot of talented actors have portrayed the most dangerous killer in the Marvel Universe, but few have had as memorable performances as Jon Bernthal in his portrayal of the Punisher.

The former Walking Dead actor returned to the comic-inspired world with his portrayal of Frank Castle in the second season of Daredevil on Netflix. The positive response to the character caused Netflix to build off of their relationship with Marvel Television to create an additional series.

Bernthal spoke about his portrayal of the fan-favorite character and how he takes his own personal experiences to the role.

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“In my opinion, I would never be able to play Frank Castle if I wasn’t a husband and a father, if I didn’t really understand what it meant to love something and have a love for someone else that’s far greater than a love for myself and happily, willingly would give my life for these people in a heartbeat,” Bernthal said.

The Punisher actor spoke about needing to “find the kernel of the character,” and then letting the imagination do the rest.

“There’s nothing I understand better now that my love for my wife and my children and for that to be taken away and for someone to have taken that away from me?” Bernthal said. “That is a line that scares the shit out of me, but it’s something I understand and I empathize with deeply.”

The show has since finished principal photography and fans are patiently waiting for Netflix to announce the premiere date for the series.

The Punisher stars Jon Bernthal (Frank Castle), Jason R. Moore (Curtis Hoyle), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (David Lieberman), Michael Nathanson (Sam Stein), Jaime Ray Newman (Sarah Lieberman), Amber Rose Revah (Dinah Madani), Paul Schulze (Rawlins), Daniel Webber (Lewis Walcott), Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page), Kobi Frumer (Zach Lieberman), Ripley Sobo (Leo Lieberman), Kelli Barrett (Maria Castle), Ben Barnes (Billy Russo), and Aidan Pierce Brennan (Frank Castle Jr.).

Daredevil seasons 1 and 2, Jessica Jones season 1, Luke Cage season 1, and Iron Fist season 1 are all available on Netflix now, while The Defenders is expected later in the year. The Punisher does not currently have a release date. Netflix has announced a second season of Jessica Jones and a third season of Daredevil, but no release dates have been announced for those either.

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