How Jon Bernthal Prepared For Netflix's Punisher Spinoff

Jon Bernthal as the Punisher in Daredevil

It's been a good summer for fans of Netflix's Marvel shows. Because August brought the long awaited miniseries The Defenders, which united all four of the streaming service's heroes and their supporting characters for an epic battle to save New York City. But there was one character that was noticeably absent from the battle against The Hand: Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle/The Punisher. The antihero quickly became a fan favorite during Daredevil Season 2, and was even given a spinoff shortly thereafter. The Punisher should be arriving soon, and Bernthal has recently opened up about his process while filming the spinoff. And it sounds intense.

I don't socialize, I'm not out at restaurants or bars or going to movies or anything like that... There are some actors that can be in the middle of talking about sports or having a hot dog and then jump in front of a camera and do the scene, and I'm just not that guy. I wish I was. I also think there's something disingenuous about, you know, portraying this character after being at the nightclub all night. I want to honor him and the fans to whom he means so much. I really want to get this right for them, and the pressure's on.

Well, that's certainly intense. But its this intensity that makes Jon Bernthal's performances so captivating and pulse pounding, and his Frank Castle is no exception.

Filming a TV show can be quite taxing, as any television professional will tell you. The schedule takes months of hard work, and things get even more exhausting with an action-heavy show like Daredevil or The Punisher. So it would certainly make sense for Jon Bernthal to relax a bit and blow off steam in between shooting. Alas, it looks like he kept mostly to himself while filming his newest star vehicle.

Aside from wanting to honor Frank Castle's journey and the fans' expectations for the spinoff, Bernthal revealed that this work ethic was also related to the time spent away from his family. He told EW about this struggle, saying:

I did this both this year and last year, but I'm on my own for, like, the first four months of shooting, so what that basically means is I'm away from my wife and my three young kids.

While Jon Bernthal's signature TV characters are a bit rough around the edges, it looks like the former Walking Dead actor himself is much more of a family man. This once again shows what a hard worker Bernthal is, and the intensity he's no doubt going to bring when The Punisher finally arrives in Netflix.

The Punisher doesn't currently have a release date, but it was planned to hit Netlix sometime before the year is out. In the meantime, check out our fall premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.