If you asked āBarryāsā overly polite Chechenš mobster NoHo Hank about actor Anthony Carrigan, heād likely say heās āsuper-nice.ā
Carrigan plays the bald, tatted-up, enthusiastic gangster on HBOās Emmy-winning dāark comedy (already renewed for a third season) whose self-styled āNoHoā nickname refers to āNorth Hollywoodā ā and whose top priorities are ensuring the comfort of his house guests and social politeness.
āI would describe Hank as a Chechen mobster with a heart of gold,ā says Carrigan, 36. āHeās someone who came from Chechnya and really āfeelsā Los Angeles and really wants to acclimate. Heās trying despš¬erately to blend in with the crowd, which is not going to happen.
āHeās a people-pleaser and wants to make sure everyone is happy by making sure they have a submarine sandwich or a juice box,ā saą¹ys Carrigan.
āHe wants everyone to feel at home; I feel that hostingš is his forte, but he also just happens to be the head of a crime syndicate. That certainly sets itself up for a certain conflicą½§t.ā
Season 2 of āBarryā finds NoHo Hank turning to hitman/fledgling actor Barry Berkman (), a combat-hardened ex-Marine, to train his friendly-yet-inadequate gang of Chechen soldiers in the art of whacking Hankās enemy, Esther (Patricia Faāasua), leader of the Burmese syndicate. A jealous Hank fears that Esther is stealing the attention of his idol and paš rtner in crime, Bolivian mobster Cristobal Sifuentes (Michael Irbe), who spouts Tony Robbins-type aphorisms through his headset microphone.
āHank obviously has come more into the role of a leader,ā Carrigan says. āItās not Hankās strong suit to be leading ā heās better off walking around with a tray of cafe moccachinos. So, I think because of that, the pressure is building and leads to him making some difficult decisions. Heās desperately trying to employ Barry to give him an army for leverage over Esther and to give him a fighting force he can rely upon … heāll inevitably run into some trouble because of that.ā
Carrigan, a Boston native, says he āworked really hardā on Hankās Chechen accent ā āWe had a specialist come in and help me with it,ā he says; unlike Hank, he sports no tattoos in real life, but says the ink (āessentially like gumball tattoosā) are part of Hankās persš²ona.
āThis guy obviously has had a really rough upbringing, and if youāve been through whatever the Chechen/Russian prison system is like you get tatted up,ā he says. āItās kind of a cool thing to share a littleā bit of that backstory [with the tattoos] and is a coš§øol element, visually.ā
Carrigan, who has alopecia (hair loss, including his eyebrows) didnāt need tš»o alter his physical appearance to play Hank ā and says his condition has helped him in his acting career. āIt came in stages and at first I was like, āOh no,ā and I kept it hidden for a long time with hairpieces or coloring-in spots or drawing in eyebrows,ā he says of his alopecia. āPeople wouldnāt really notice but then it got to the point where I couldnāt do it anymore, keep trying to cover it up, and it was a really stressful time because I didnāt know if I would be able to act anymore.
āIt was pretty jarring and terrifying because I love acting,ā he says. āI had people telling me I was never going to act again, so I came up with a game plan and it took a lot of faith and believing in myself and radical self-acceptance … to use my look, which I think is very unique. It lit a fire in me.ā
So when did he notice that NoHo Hank wź¦as catching on as a fan favorite?
āIt was actuš„ally when we were shooting the pilot,ā Carrigan says. āThe first scene we shot of the entire show was where Hš¹ank opens the door and welcomes Barry in and his first line is [he says in Hankās voice] āHey, man.ā
āAnd that spread like wildfire,ā he says. āIt was like the new cšatchphrase everyone was saying. Iād be getting miked up [for a scene] and the guy doing the sound was like āHey, manā under his breath.
āIt was like a sign ā like an omen of good thingsš¼ to come.ā