DaredevilSeason 2 will introduce a number of new characters, including but few are as anticipated as The Punisher.
Thats all about to change.
Expect plenty of ideological and physical conflict between Punisher and Daredevil, two vigilantes with drastically different approaches.
How did you take on a different posture as Frank?
The Frank Castle inDaredevilisnt The Punisher.
Hes not there yet.
Hes literally living a nightmare and hes a man on a mission.
His mission is to find the people who killed his family and kill them as brutally as possible.
I think its all part of it.
For the most part, I really stay in it, man.
I stay in it pretty fully.
Its just my own way of doing things.
You took the Castle family photographs with the wife and daughter.
Was that a heartbreaking photo shoot?
A lot of this process is heartbreaking.
I think thats the point.
Thats sort of the best preparation for this role that it’s possible for you to possibly have.
So theres all kinds of heartbreak involved.
Photographs are something we take for granted.
There were awkward parts of it.
But, its tremendously important.
Its all part of it.
Its one of my favorite things about what I do.
Its a big puzzle piece and a huge collaboration.
I havent seen it yet but I hope people respond well to it.
I think whats great about this show is its not a superhero show.
Its a character driven story about a man.
These people change, they evolve, they affect each other.
I think the characters and their conflict will grow.
I think real admiration will develop, a respect.
Some of those conversations extend over multiple episodes.
How long did you have to work on that with Charlie Cox and the directors?
Not long, man.
Its TV so youre always racing the clock.
You would be surprised how little time we had.
Then there is the action.
HasDaredevilbeen more physical than evenThe Walking Dead?
Everything is sort of in its own way.
Im no stranger to physical work.
I started off as an athlete in high school and college, as a boxer.
The physical part usually comes really easy for me.
Were doing movie quality fighting in a TV schedule.
I think weve got one of the best fight choreographers in the business with Phil Silvera.
Theres a story behind every punch thats thrown.
I think it continues and develops.
When you see some more episodes, youll see.
I think Frank Castles fighting style really develops, changes and evolves.
It becomes something totally different by the end.
I do promise you it will get very, very brutal.
Its already pretty brutal.
Has Eric been your stunt double for many shows and movies?
No, actually, Eric and I met on this show.
Yeah, I did, sure.
I think theyre all very different.
Theyre all very unique takes on the character.
I got tons of little ideas from the comics.
A movie is different.
I think were doing something different.
This is not the Punisher show.
Were really trying to tell the story of Frank Castle and how he fits into Daredevils world.
I think thats something very, very different.
Were there any particular arcs of the comic you were a big fan of?
The Garth EnnisPunisher Maxseries is sort of like the end all, be all for me.
Thats the stuff that I read and reread over and over and over and over again.
So much of the comic is delivered in soliloquies.
Its him talking basically directly to himself, to the audience.
Thats great as far as getting in touch with the character.
I think hes constantly asking himself, Who is the real me?
Why am I really on this killing spree?
Is the real me the guy whos running around Hells Kitchen mowing people down?
Or is the real me the guy who was raising kids in the suburbs?
Why am I doing this?
Was I more at peace when I was at war or was I at peace when I was home?
Its the sort of inner struggle thats just laden with self-hatred and self-loathing and shame and regret.
I think that comes right from the comic book.
I tried to breathe that sort of thought process into all the work that I was doing.
Was there one episode ofDaredevilthat was more difficult than any of the others?
You know what, man?
Yeah, there were different episodes which were difficult for different reasons.
Especially the stuff towards the end.
I hope that does the writing justice.
Its a really beautifully crafted speech.
