HBO’s “Barry” is dubbed as a dark comedy, but over the seasons, the series has been increasingly dark and less on the comedy. Still, the first 3 seasons have managed to snap 9 Emmys (from its 44 nominations). Just when you thought the story about hitman has reached its most conclusive ending, “Barry” surprises us in the best way possible.
With season 4 currently underway, viewers will get to see the powerful, complex and hilarious conclusion to Barry Berkman’s story. In this interview, Stephen Root talks about playing Barry’s vengeful former handler Monroe Fuches and their weird dynamic. The 71-year-old actor also recall a particular scene where director Bill Hader couldn’t stop giggling.
Q: What is going on with Monroe at the start of the fourth final season?
Stephen Root: Wherever the character of Monroe Fuches starts is always interesting, whether it’s with goats or in prison. We’re starting this season in prison – a very different environment for this guy. He is not happy to be there, but he is much more unhappy that he’s there with Barry. The machinations of him trying to protect himself and to get to Barry within a prison framework is where we’re starting.
Q: He’s so obsessed with Barry. I mean, he ruins his life in season three. He’s got what could be a fantastic life and he helps himself back into hell for this guy.
Stephen Root: Yeah, it’s his fault. His broken part is that he’s revenge motivated, and he doesn’t know it. He doesn’t know that he has a deep and desperate love for Barry. But if he’s crossed, he’s immediately out for revenge. If he’s in an idyllic situation with a beautiful girl on a farm, and Barry does something…he’s gone to revenge. He is really broken in that respect.
Q: Looking back, what do you think Monroe’s arc has been?
Stephen Root: It’s confusion. He started off the whole show with, “This is what we do, I do this for you, you do this for me, and why wouldn’t this continue forever?” It’s immediately disrupted by Barry’s decision to want to do something else. That’s the problem that he has. Barry doesn’t want to keep doing the same thing that they’ve always done. Why does he want to be an actor? It’s insanity. All the chaos comes from that decision to better himself. Fuches is confused, but deep down he loves Barry and is broken with his revenge tactics. That’s where we go from here. Then for that one moment in jail he gets peace. Then Barry spoils it all again.
Q: It seems like Bill and Alec are very responsive to actors’ input into the characters – how did you contributed to Fuches?
Stephen Root: All of us have given input into what our gut feeling is about our characters. Obviously Bill, coming from an improv background, likes to do things on the spot. You’ll get to the scene, you’ll be somewhere in downtown LA and you’re about to shoot and he’ll go, “No, I don’t want to do that.” That’s a very freeing thing for an actor to then be able to give input into what he thinks is right for the character at that point. That’s one of the joys of this show and the joys of the writing it itself. I mean, you’ve got an incredible base and then you get to play with it.
Q: Do you get the sense that the way the series ends has always been the plan? Or do you think it’s changed?
Stephen Root: They had a different idea for season three, COVID happened, they rewrote season three, which influenced season four. COVID mightily influenced the way that the show went. With Bill directing every episode this year, it’s pretty much his vision of closing the door on the show, which is great because he’s got a very, very strong directorial vision.
Q: Did you expect it to be a hit? I mean, it’s an odd show when you first come across it, and then you fall in love.
Stephen Root: I’d never buy it. It’s a log line that no producer should have ever bought. I mean, a hitman who wants to be an actor. No, I don’t think so. It’s always been an odd, odd duck, but it took special people like Bill and Alec to make it work. You have to walk the line every time on this show.
Q: When did you know that it was breaking through?
Stephen Root: Second season probably. That was when people started coming up and I was happy that they were coming up about this as opposed to something I’d done 20 years ago. I thought four people would see this show, and that’s okay because we’re doing good work and if those four people like it, that’s great because I really love it. But it surprised me, the level of people that like it. From guys who like dumb comedies to really serious cinephiles. Bill got a call from Mel Brooks saying he loves the show.
Q: You play a lot with Bill. What’s he like to work opposite? He’s directing and writing as well, so it must be quite stressful for him.
Stephen Root: You wouldn’t know it – he doesn’t give off any stress. I love the fact that he’ll ruin scenes because he is an inveterate giggler. He loves to giggle. I remember doing a scene in a working prison. He whispers an idea, I give him an answer, and he exploded with laughter for about 10 minutes. We all say, ‘Well, I guess we’re on a break because Bill’s laughing.” He wears all of his emotions on his sleeve. The only thing is, if he wrote the episode, he’ll sometimes mouth the words along with you during the scene. You have to go, “Stop it. You write them, I’ll say ’em.”
Q: What was it like coming to the end?
Stephen Root: This last bit of the show we shot on location. Not everybody was there, but enough were that it was emotional. I didn’t feel sad as much as I felt relieved that we were doing the vision that Bill wanted to see and that he was happy with it. When we finished filming, he came up from behind the camera and said, “That’s it. That’s it. That’s the whole show. That’s it.” That makes you feel really good as an actor, that you’re fulfilling the vision of what the director wanted.
Catch new episodes of “Barry” every Monday on HBO and HBO GO.
