For his role in the hotly anticipated new drama from the creators of The Wire, Bernthal embedded himself in the Baltimore police force. He talks about his own brushes with the law, advice from Brad Pitt and how acting saved his life
Jon Bernthal goes all in. On screen, he is known for playing emotionally damaged bruisers – big on machismo, short on temper – while off it he is notorious for a deep, some might say obsessive, commitment to his roles. Extensive weapons training and periods of isolation from his family for The Punisher, intensive tennis coaching for the sports drama King Richard, Navy Seal boot camp for Fury, socialising with maximum-security prisoners for Shot Caller – whatever the part calls for, he is game. It was no different for his latest role, the corrupt Baltimore cop Wayne Jenkins.
“Wayne is a good example where I’m all the way in, and I have no shame in that,” says Bernthal. He plays Jenkins in HBO’s forthcoming series We Own This City. It is another forensic analysis of police corruption by The Wire creators, David Simon and George Pelecanos, this time portraying real events in a Baltimore still reeling from the death in custody of Freddie Gray in 2015.
