The Punisher’s Jon Bernthal Says American Gigolo Role Scared Him

Jon Bernthal says that being in American Gigolo scared him a bit. The Punisher star talked to The New York Times about the project and how it differed from some of his other work. Most audiences know him from his work on Netflix, but he’s really got some range for a variety of roles. A lot of people can’t shake that idea of him in all-black though. Body image can be hard on performers of all stripes. In his comments about American Gigolo, Bernthal highlighted the ways in which body ideals weighed on him during the early parts of the process. All of us can’t be Chris Hemsworth or some of the big-screen Marvel heroes. That kind of physique is frankly unsustainable and something that can only be reached with the help of a team of nutritionists and trainers. However, Bernthal gave the role a shot and people seemed to really respond to his physical presence well. Check out  his comments right here.

“It explores this part of male sexuality that I’ve just never really related to,” the star elaborated. “I’ve never seen myself as a man who could walk into a room and be the object of someone’s desire.”

Deeper in the interview, he also talked about how that body image perception weighs into how people get roles and how it can affect careers. But, when things all fall into place, all those doors fly open.

“When you look at the entertainment industry, it’s amazing how doors are slammed in your face,” he explained. “I remember casting directors looking at my big nose and my giant ears and just being like, ‘What are you doing here?’ Feeling like you don’t belong, agents never returning your phone calls. You get so much rejection and people make you feel so small, and the second that things start to change for you, those same people all want something.”

“But you’ve got to remind yourself how lucky you are to be doing this, even when it’s not working out,” Bernthal added. “Look when I was starting out and I was going through really hard times, my wife was an I.C.U. trauma nurse, so there’d be plenty of times I would get home and I would have tears in my eyes of frustration and then my wife would talk about her day. The things she was encountering — holding somebody’s hand as they were passing, or letting somebody know that they weren’t ever going to see a family member again — just put it all in such clear perspective for me.”

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