Jon Bernthal, popularly known for his roles in prominent TV shows like the Walking Dead and The Punisher. After establishing his stardom on the TV screens, he’s now made his Broadway debut in Dog Day Afternoon, a play written by American playwright Stephen Adley Guirgis.
Bernthal isn’t new to theatre though. He studied at the Moscow Art Theatre School in Russia, and then moved to New York to pursue a career in theatre in 2002 after completing his graduation. He’s performed in over thirty plays regionally and off-broadway alongside his film and TV career.
Jon Bernthal On His Experience With Theatre in Russia
In a recent episode of the Smartless Podcast, Jon Bernthal joined the hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett to share his experience as a student of theatre in Moscow and how it affected his life. On the podcast he shared how integral theatre as an artform is to the people of Russia.
He said, “This thing saved my life and I came about it in Russia. That’s really where my formative years were. And you know, theatre there is very vital for everybody. It’s not that sort of exclusive thing for the gentry. It’s for everybody and it’s a part of everyday life and it’s enormously important to folks.”
Prior to moving to Russia, Bernthal claims that he found theatre accidentally. He signed up to the theatre class just for the sake of credits, but then was taken aback by what he witnessed during the class. During this session, he had to bring an object that he connected to, and concocted a story about the catcher’s glove that he was carrying. In his story, he claimed that his mother had given him the glove on her deathbed, and ended up crying his eyes out during the course of the tale.
He got so lost in the story and he got upset. This is where is first theatre teacher discovered his talent, and after scolding him for violating the sanctity of the class, punished him by making him audition for a play. It was upon her advise that he joined the Moscow Art Theatre School, and the rest from there, is history.
Now, theatre as an artform is incredibly difficult, and is perceived differently all across the globe. In some parts of the world, it’s reserved just for the elite, while in others, it’s something through which important messages are delivered. That said, it’s safe to assume that had it not been for his theatre teacher, Jon Bernthal wouldn’t have donned the mantle of the Punisher, a character that all Marvel fans have come to love so dearly.
