BILL HADER

The former Saturday Night Live star, 43, returns for the third season of his dark comedy series Barry (April 24 on HBO). As Barry (Hader) desperately attempts to leave his job as a contract killer behind and immerse himself in acting, he discovers that getting out is messy.

What can we expect from this season?

Season three, more than anything, shows the ramifications of his job. I guess the previous seasons show the ramifications too, but [season three] even more so.

How does Barry deal with what he does for a living? It’s a hard question to answer without spoiling things, but there’s a lot left to explore. His boneheaded way of trying to get in touch with himself ends up really hurting a lot of people. I don’t think he knows the extent that he’s hurt people, and this season that’s what he’s learning.

How did the pandemic affect production?

We were about two weeks away from shooting in March 2020. We had our first table read, we were ready to go, we all hugged—and then we shut down. In that time, with the scope of how awful the pandemic was, we decided to write season four. And while we were doing that, we did a pretty extensive rewrite of season three.

What’s the secret of the show’s success?

It always really works when it’s about the characters and the emotions. We’re learning in the writing and the editing that every time you try to do something, if it’s led by a joke or led by a crazy idea, it doesn’t work as well.

If Barry, as a former contract killer, were successful in Hollywood, what would he be?

Geez, I don’t know. I haven’t even thought about that. Probably running a studio.