Bill Hader has one of the most recognizable faces in the comedic genre. Throughout his career, Hader has assembled a vast catalog of work, ranging from voice acting to live-action roles, which are typically comedic. The Skeleton Twins, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Trainwreck, Inside Out, Toy Story 4, are all within Hader’s repertoire. Hader’s success can be traced back to Saturday Night Live and the various roles he had in the sketch series. He’s recently become a dominating force in comedy with the creation of the HBO dark comedy Barry.
Aside from his work as an actor, Hader has also worn many hats throughout his career. Hader has been an actor, writer, and producer on many projects, including the HBO series. With Barry, Hader has not only given a brilliant performance as the title character Barry Berkman but has proven he has immense skill as a director. Since Barry’s premiere in 2018, Hader has directed 10 of the series’ total 24 episodes. Hader will continue to direct and star in Barry’s upcoming fourth season.
Throughout Barry’s tenure, Hader has directed some of the series’ most remarkable episodes. In 2018, Hader directed the first three episodes of the series and co-wrote the first two with Barry co-creator Alec Berg. Naturally, these episodes are pivotal in setting up Barry Berkman and the key characters of the series including Monroe Fuches (Stephen Root), Sally Reed (Sarah Goldberg), NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan), Gene Cousineau (Henry Finkler), and several others. The list of genres Barry fits into is extensive and somehow, Hader manages to bring each one to the forefront of the story. In the episodes Hader directs, there is often a massive tonal shift that dictates the direction of what is soon to follow in the series.
Hader has directed some of Barry’s most significant episodes, and he’s not done starring and directing on the show, as he will direct all 8 episodes of Barry’s upcoming fourth season. The 10 Barry episodes Hader has directed are: “Chapter One: Make Your Mark” (season 1, episode 1), “Chapter Two: Use It” (season 1, episode 2), “Chapter Three: Make the Unsafe Choice” (season 1, episode 3), “ronny/lily” (season 2, episode 5), “berkman > block” (season 2, episode 8), "forgiving jeff" (season 3, episode 1), “limonada” (season 3, episode 2), “710N” (season 3, episode 6), “candy asses” (season 3, episode 7), and “starting now” (season 3, episode 8). With this list, Hader has directed the four highest-ranked episodes of Barry with “ronny/lily,” “starting now,” “710N,” and “berkman > block,” which all hold over a 9 out of 10 rating on IMDb.
What is so fantastic about Hader’s direction of Barry are the shifts he marks in the series each time. “berkman > block” is one of the most action-packed episodes of Barry and under Hader’s direction, it comes full circle. “710N” is no different, delivering one of the most exhilarating chase sequences to date. In “ronny/lily,” the final wrench in the relationship between Barry and Fuches is cast. Barry vies to rid himself of the hitman life he once led in order to pursue his newfound love of acting. By this mid-point of Barry’s second season, there is an emphasis on the past. Sally is reliving her abusive relationship with her ex-husband, Gene is reliving his own past mistakes, and Barry is being forced to relive his service as a Marine. He relives his first kill, returning home with only Fuches to greet him, and how that all led to making him into the hitman he despises to be. Hader captures the essence of this within “ronny/lily,” rightfully making it Barry’s highest-rated episode.
The reputation of “ronny/lily” has only recently been challenged by Barry’s third season finale, “starting now,” which is unlike any Barry episode that has come before it. It is incredibly haunting and almost suffocating, which is exactly how Barry is feeling. Hader portrays it masterfully as Barry Berkman within the episode and captures it beautifully as the episode’s director. The melancholy tone of “starting now” isn’t limited only to Barry, but to NoHo Hank and Cristobal, and of course, Sally. Just as the title suggests, Barry is moving into a new era. Its fourth season has already been set up to separate itself from the previous seasons of the series, not only because of the new circumstances it places these characters in, but tonally.
Hader isn’t the only person to simultaneously star and direct. Charlie Chaplin began to serve as both actor and director on countless productions beginning in 1914. Mel Gibson starred as William Wallace in Braveheart, which he also directed. The film went on to win 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. Joel Edgerton wrote, starred, and made his directorial debut with The Gift in 2015. Denzel Washington starred in and directed Fences in 2016, which was nominated for 4 Academy Awards in 2017. John Krasinski directed and starred in A Quiet Place in 2018. This doesn’t begin to cover all of those who have simultaneously held roles both behind and in front of the camera, and there will be many more to join them.
Before Barry, Hader may have been known for his comedic voice that is still utilized in Barry; however, he has also had roles that channeled the other half of Barry’s character. In 2019, Hader played the adult Richie Tozier in IT Chapter Two, and as Barry does unknowingly from time to time, Richie often used humor to mask some of his deeper fears. Barry does this with many characters in the series, and it is something Hader not only brings to the role but the series as a whole. Through his direction and penmanship, there are plenty of Barry characters who have done and will continue to do the same thing.
Barry is now streaming on HBO Max.