8 Little Known Tics In Jon Bernthal's Performance That Made MCU's Punisher Awesome

2. Bernthal Isolated Himself For Months During Filming

Frank Castle isn't a team player. He's the very definition of a lone wolf, and given what's happened to him in his life, that's pretty easy to understand.

So, how does an actor even go about preparing to convey all that trauma, all that ferocity and nuance? In Bernthal's case, the actor went above and beyond to prepare for that transformation. Speaking to EW a few weeks before the premiere of Punisher Season 1, the actor said:

"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. 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."

That's a pretty massive commitment to make, but there's no arguing with the results. Frank really looks as though he's on an island every time he appears on screen, and it's obvious that effect has come from Bernthal's own decision to isolate himself from everyone both prior to and during shooting.

Why do it? Well, Bernthal has spoken of his reverence for the character and his fans time and again, and though that isn't exactly a necessary opinion to have in order to impart an authentic depiction of the character, the actor's commitment to the role can never be in doubt.