HIT and MISS
Reluctant killer ‘Barry’ looks for a new career
BARRY Sunday, 10:30 p.m., HBO
ON HBO’s “Barry,” a disenchanted hit man (Bill Hader) thinks he has found salvation when he wanders into a Hollywood acting class while zeroing in on someone he’s been hired to kill. Barry is surprised to find a welcoming community of struggling artists looking for their big break. The acting teacher, Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler), agrees to take Barry on as a new student while his Chechen employers are wondering why he’s falling behind on his murder assignments. The black comedy, created by Hader and his writing partner Alec Berg, is about the struggle for one misfit’s soul, especially when Barry becomes romantically interested in fellow student Sally Reed (Sarah Goldberg).
Over breakfast at the Four Seasons Hotel, Hader spoke to The Post about his new series and a favorite memory from his eight years on “Saturday Night Live.”
Details so far about Barry’s past have been scant. Are we going to find out that Barry has a back story?
When it suits the story [we’re] telling. My opinion is that if you’re telling a story to somebody for that moment and you think we should probably find out about his family, this or that, I think it makes sense. Sometimes on shows they want you to do a character bible. Alec and I always find that arbitrary. Why does it matter until it matters? Why make a thing that you have to be beholden to three years later? I find more interesting the less I know, where you’re just watching someone behave in the moment.
Tell me about Henry Winkler. What’s it like working with Fonzie?
He had a hard time with the role at one point. He said, “So the guy I’m playing, he’s an a -- hole.” I said, “Yes.” ’Cause Henry is so sweet. Very attentive. He’s someone who thinks each day’s a gift.
There’s a lot of sophisticated weaponry on this show and I was wondering if there was any discussion about the use of guns in light of what happened in Parkland, Fla.?
I don’t think the show in any way glorifies violence or makes that stuff look cool. It was important to me that guns should sound and do what they do. From a char- acter aspect, it’s a world Barry wants to get out of. If he wants to get out of it, [the guns] shouldn’t look attractive at all. Also, Barry’s not a good person.
“Sopranos” creator David Chase once said that he had to remind viewers that Tony Soprano was essentially a bad guy by having him do something vicious when they were getting too fond of him.
I did this interview and the interviewer said, “I feel from this episode that Barry’s very unlikable.” And I was like, “Yeah, he murders people.” I think the nice thing about Barry is that he’s realizing that it’s destroying him. It would be different if we had a guy killing people and he was taking glee in it.
You’re known for the celebrity impersonations you did on “Saturday Night Live,” such as Vincent Price, Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen. Do you have a favorite?
I was very proud that I could figure out Alan Alda. And I did it by total accident by watching “Crimes and Misdemeanors.” I was in the shower and suddenly I just did it. I was able to hit the right register and I did it and I got really excited. And I went back to “SNL” and said, “What if I did Alan Alda?” And they looked at me and said, “What [skit] would he be in?” Then Colin Jost wrote this “Back to the Future” audition tapes sketch and he had me do Alan Alda in that episode. So that made me happy.