Jon Bernthal

And that was it. And she said, look, there's no rhyme or reason to this thing. There's no one way. But she said, you know, if I were you, I would audition for the Moscow Art Theater. Americans haven't done this before. And I think what she knew, one, she needed to get me out of my environment.

And I think, too, there was a level of training over there and an environment over there that was so beyond humbling. Moscow was wild in the late 90s. It was completely run by the mob. Shootouts in the Duma. I had guns pulled on me multiple times within my first few days there. You know, it was a really lawless place.

And I think, too, there was a level of training over there and an environment over there that was so beyond humbling. Moscow was wild in the late 90s. It was completely run by the mob. Shootouts in the Duma. I had guns pulled on me multiple times within my first few days there. You know, it was a really lawless place.

And I think, too, there was a level of training over there and an environment over there that was so beyond humbling. Moscow was wild in the late 90s. It was completely run by the mob. Shootouts in the Duma. I had guns pulled on me multiple times within my first few days there. You know, it was a really lawless place.

And for a guy who's like, I'm a tough DC guy, like a barrel, like you are not tough. Like you are a little bug. These motherfuckers ate their shoes. Bro, the old lady on the street, right? Like the babushka will fuck you up. Straight up. And also, I hadn't done international travel. To go to a place to be a Russian actor, to be a Russian singer, that meant every bit as much as to be an American.

And for a guy who's like, I'm a tough DC guy, like a barrel, like you are not tough. Like you are a little bug. These motherfuckers ate their shoes. Bro, the old lady on the street, right? Like the babushka will fuck you up. Straight up. And also, I hadn't done international travel. To go to a place to be a Russian actor, to be a Russian singer, that meant every bit as much as to be an American.

And for a guy who's like, I'm a tough DC guy, like a barrel, like you are not tough. Like you are a little bug. These motherfuckers ate their shoes. Bro, the old lady on the street, right? Like the babushka will fuck you up. Straight up. And also, I hadn't done international travel. To go to a place to be a Russian actor, to be a Russian singer, that meant every bit as much as to be an American.

You know, to be an artist there was, for lack of a better word, at this time in my life, it was this enormously masculine thing. thing to do. You learn how to do ballet. You learn how to do acrobatics. You learn how to fight super rigorous and unbelievably cut throat. If you get into these schools, it's so hard to get in.

You know, to be an artist there was, for lack of a better word, at this time in my life, it was this enormously masculine thing. thing to do. You learn how to do ballet. You learn how to do acrobatics. You learn how to fight super rigorous and unbelievably cut throat. If you get into these schools, it's so hard to get in.

You know, to be an artist there was, for lack of a better word, at this time in my life, it was this enormously masculine thing. thing to do. You learn how to do ballet. You learn how to do acrobatics. You learn how to fight super rigorous and unbelievably cut throat. If you get into these schools, it's so hard to get in.

You know, out of 10,000 kids, they'll take a hundred and then every semester they'll cut you in half. That last year, those 10 kids, you're doing 10 plays in repertory. And when you show up to the theater, you're told which of those 10 plays you're doing and which role you're playing, both male and female. The level of discipline was so unlike anything I'd ever seen.

You know, out of 10,000 kids, they'll take a hundred and then every semester they'll cut you in half. That last year, those 10 kids, you're doing 10 plays in repertory. And when you show up to the theater, you're told which of those 10 plays you're doing and which role you're playing, both male and female. The level of discipline was so unlike anything I'd ever seen.

You know, out of 10,000 kids, they'll take a hundred and then every semester they'll cut you in half. That last year, those 10 kids, you're doing 10 plays in repertory. And when you show up to the theater, you're told which of those 10 plays you're doing and which role you're playing, both male and female. The level of discipline was so unlike anything I'd ever seen.

What's going on with the language? Is it So when I first got there, no, no, definitely not, man. Nobody was speaking English at all.

What's going on with the language? Is it So when I first got there, no, no, definitely not, man. Nobody was speaking English at all.

What's going on with the language? Is it So when I first got there, no, no, definitely not, man. Nobody was speaking English at all.

It was hard. I lived in a place called Park Kultury, which is a Gorky Park and not a great area in Moscow then. The deal is if you got into school, they provide a translator. So I had this guy who was with me all the time. But the cool thing was, is honestly, in your first 12, 13 months there, it's training your attention and your concentration.

It was hard. I lived in a place called Park Kultury, which is a Gorky Park and not a great area in Moscow then. The deal is if you got into school, they provide a translator. So I had this guy who was with me all the time. But the cool thing was, is honestly, in your first 12, 13 months there, it's training your attention and your concentration.

It was hard. I lived in a place called Park Kultury, which is a Gorky Park and not a great area in Moscow then. The deal is if you got into school, they provide a translator. So I had this guy who was with me all the time. But the cool thing was, is honestly, in your first 12, 13 months there, it's training your attention and your concentration.

A common exercise would be if there was 12 of us, it's like ensemble building. At the same time with no leaders or followers, we'd all stand up at the same time. And then at the same time, we'd all pick up our chairs. And at the same time, we'd all start moving around the room. And you would have a newspaper article and you would have to read a paragraph from that newspaper article.