Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
Spoilers for theBarryseason-three finale starting now below.
Genes redemption tour a sincere one, Winkler says crescendos here.
Hello?Hello, this is Henry.
How are you doing?
How are you, my friend?
Is the weather still nice?
Ive had my windows open all morning while loudly playing some records.What were you spinning?
It was very much a Frank SinatraThe Capitol Yearstype of morning.Oh yeah.
You must have interacted with Sinatra and his crew over the years.I met him twice.
He was everything I expected.
He remembered every single name.
He would make fun of Rona Barrett, who at that time was a gossip columnist.
He made fun of her mercilessly.
The second time I met him was the bicentennial of the Statue of Liberty.
Hes in a tent and has every single bottle of liquor you could imagine.
You had to provide all those bottles of liquor for him, depending on his taste.
Not just a window but an entirewallof windows so he could see what was happening.
He could pull that off.
I was on the edge of my seat thinking you were going to be killed in the finale.
The first question I ask Bill Hader at the beginning of every season is Am I dead?
I would be thinking of the result as opposed to the journey of getting there.
When I first got to that set and I looked around, it was a full garage.
And then I saw a crane, which meant it was all meant to be done in one shot.
I had no idea what to do, so I did nothing.
If we improvised and said something that made sense, the scene was rewritten and sent to us.
Cut to weeks later.
I walked onto the set.
Ive worked on that scene at home.
I think I know what Im doing, and I think Ive got a handle on it.
And then Bill takes me on a journey to a place youve never imagined.
Imagine Im in Trenton, New Jersey, and he wants me in Bangladesh.
That metaphor covers it.
He trusted his actors.
He would only tweak things.
Thats what he would use to turn the screws this way or that way.
Just a few millimeters.
I kept thinking during that interrogation scene how I didnt get out of that chair.
Icouldntget out of that chair, whether I had to pee or get some water.
I didnt move a muscle between takes.
Did every take include you and Robert touching noses?
I found that to be the most affecting moment.Oh my God, he was in my face.
That gigantic face of Robert.
Hisintensity.It just kept getting amped up with every new take.
I couldnt anticipate what was going to happen.
It was a triangle of Bill, me, and Robert.
How did the three of you feel after completing the scene?I hugged Robert so hard.
The generosity of spirit and the presence, from him to me, was never lacking or waning.
I look forward to that scene introducing your nomination at the Emmys this year.[Gasps.]
You know, Ive been doing this for a long time.
I cant even imagine lightning in a bottle twice.
I was very intrigued by Genes facial reactions when Barry realizes his involvement in the sting.
Barry yanked Janice out of his pumping heart.
If he gave anything away or made a mistake, Barry wouldve sensed it.
It wouldnt have worked, and he wouldnt have gotten his just deserts.
Also, remember, theres real fear there.
He was under the gun, so to speak.
He didnt know what this crazy person was going to do.
There are so many nutso details like that.
Redemption is a main theme connecting most of the characters this season.
Do you agree?No, I dont.
I literally bought into the redemption.
Maybe thats just Henrys influence on the character.
He sincerely knew it was insane what he did to that young woman.
It was a real psychodrama.
I believe Gene wanted to make it up to her for real.
I never once thought,Nope.
If you pay in cash, on time, he thinks youre the most talented human being on earth.
So he went from there to thinking,Hey, it’s possible for you to have it all.
I owe you all as a symbol of my assholery.Hes absolutely a changed man to me.
They were all in a pen in the backyard where it took place.
There were 32 in total, and I hugged every one of them.
Im a dog lover.
I have three dogs.
A Labradoodle, a goldendoodle, and a one-legged, idiosyncratic German shepherd.
Theres something inside him that literally makes sense.
The last thing he says in his master class is Youve got to make a fool out of yourself.
Am I a fool?
I dont know why.
It just works that way.
