50 Fun Facts About Barry

Who plays the title character, Barry Berkman?

Hader also co-created the show and directed 18 episodes, including every one of the final season.

Who co-created the series with its star?

Berg had written for the last four seasons of Seinfeld and produced Silicon Valley.

Which city is Barry from?

Fuches sends him to Los Angeles hoping a change of scenery will cure his burnout.

In which branch of the military did Barry serve?

He left as a lance corporal after a tour in Afghanistan.

Who plays Barry's eccentric acting coach?

Winkler noted he was 27 when he played the Fonz and 72 when he took the role, just flipping the numbers.

Who plays Barry's handler and old family friend Monroe Fuches?

Root was a former military cook in the story and earned two Emmy nominations for the part.

Who plays the struggling actress Sally Reed?

Goldberg was cast alongside the other leads in February 2016, two years before the premiere.

Which actor plays Goran's relentlessly upbeat right-hand man, Hank?

Carrigan earned three Emmy nominations for the role, which was nearly written out in the pilot.

Hank and Goran Pazar belong to the Los Angeles branch of which country's mafia?

Their rivals and later partners are Cristobal's Bolivians.

What stage name does the hitman adopt for his acting career?

Ryan Madison suggests it at the bar after Barry's first class.

According to early drafts of the pilot, what was Barry's surname going to be?

The anxiety of a man naturally gifted at his job came from Hader's own time on Saturday Night Live.

Where is Sally Reed from?

Her autobiographical streaming show later takes the town's name.

In which year did Barry premiere on HBO?

It debuted on March 25 and ran until May 2023.

Which character was originally meant to be killed in the pilot but became a series regular?

Carrigan's audition impressed the creators enough to keep him alive.

What is the real name of Barry's first Los Angeles target, the actor known as Ryan Madison?

He is a personal trainer who is sleeping with Goran's wife Oksana.

In the pilot, Ryan drags Barry into acting out a scene from which film?

Barry reads his lines blankly but feels euphoric when the class applauds.

Which SNL cast member plays the aspiring-actress waitress who serves Barry in the pilot?

Barry tells her that he, too, is an actor.

What is the title of the pilot episode?

Hader won a Directors Guild of America Award for directing it.

Barry's anxiety in a job he is naturally good at was inspired by Hader's time on which show?

Hader spent eight seasons as an SNL cast member and has spoken openly about his stage fright there.

In the episode "ronny/lily", how old is Lily Proxin?

Hader wrote the part for a child martial artist introduced to him by the stunt coordinator.

Who plays Lily in "ronny/lily"?

Her tree-climbing was done on a green-screen climbing wall because the perfect house had no tree.

Which Sopranos episode did the writers use as a tonal model for "ronny/lily"?

Atlanta's "Teddy Perkins" was the other reference point for the episode's surreal tone.

Which Polish director's films did Hader study while preparing "ronny/lily"?

He cited A Generation, Kanał and Ashes and Diamonds as influences on the whole second season.

Which LeAnn Rimes song plays during the drug store scenes in "ronny/lily"?

The crew had wanted a Celine Dion track but could not secure the rights.

In "ronny/lily", what does a panicked Fuches end up glued to?

He had been using superglue to close Barry's wound when Lily jumped onto the car.

Which crew member sparked "ronny/lily" by mentioning he knew a child stunt performer?

Hader then dreamed up the idea of two hitmen failing to coax a girl into a car while filming Noelle.

Which martial art's awards does Barry notice in Ronny Proxin's house?

Ronny is played by Daniel Bernhardt, a veteran screen martial artist.

Who directed the season one finale, "Chapter Eight: Know Your Truth"?

It was his second directing credit on the show.

Where does the season one finale's final sequence take place?

Berg suggested the setting after an earlier version involving Barry's bathroom was deemed too pat.

Which play does Sally persuade Barry to act in with her at the end of season one?

He had planned to quit the class after walking away from Fuches.

Who plays Detective Janice Moss?

Her father Jim, a former SERE instructor, becomes a major figure in the later seasons.

In the season three episode "710N", Barry flees a biker gang on what?

The freeway chase was singled out by critics and the episode earned Emmy nods for writing and directing.

Which SNL alum plays BanShe executive Morgan Dawn-Cherry?

She offers Sally a writers' room job on the show that replaced Joplin on the homepage.

At the end of "710N", Barry is poisoned by what food at a veterans' charity dinner?

The hostess is Sharon, the widow of his military friend Chris.

Who plays Jim Moss, the Vietnam veteran father of Detective Moss?

Jim served in Army psychological warfare and was a SERE instructor.

What is the title of the series finale?

Hader wrote and directed it; it was his eighteenth directing credit on the show.

Who shoots Barry dead in the finale?

Hader conceived the ending while developing season two and told Winkler halfway through the final season.

What are Barry's last words?

An earlier take had him say "You don't have to do this, Mr. Cousineau".

What is the title of the in-universe biopic about Barry that John watches in the finale?

It paints Barry as a tragic hero and Gene as a British-accented villain.

Years later, Sally is seen directing students in which play?

She has become a respected high school theatre teacher.

Who plays the teenage John in the finale's flash-forward?

Zachary Golinger plays John as a young boy earlier in the season.

Hank dies grasping the hand of a statue of whom?

Moments earlier he had tearfully admitted his regrets over Cristobal's death.

What is the name of Hank's business where the final shootout happens?

The name fuses NoHo Hank with Cristobal, his partner in life and crime.

The gun Gene uses in the finale was introduced in season two as belonging to which actor?

Hader planted it years ahead, having decided early that Gene would kill Barry.

Which Oscar-winning director cameos as a handler who procures assassins for Hank?

Toro supplies Nestor and Chuy to kill Barry for Hank and Cristobal.

How many Emmys did Hader win for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Barry?

He won in 2018 and 2019, back to back.

How many Primetime Emmy nominations did Barry receive in all?

It also picked up 10 Golden Globe and 12 Critics' Choice nominations.

What is the name of the in-universe superhero blockbuster that makes Sally's student Kristen a star?

CODA director Sian Heder plays herself as its reluctant director.

Winkler wears whose tie as Gene, calling it a tribute to his mentor?

Marshall created Happy Days; Winkler counts him among the five directing geniuses he has worked with.

Where was the series' official premiere held on March 21, 2018?

The first three episodes were also screened at the Series Mania Festival in Lille, France.