Anthony Carrigan Explained Why That Heartbreaking “Barry” Scene Might Be His Favorite Acting Moment Ever

Do you feel like you’ve changed as an actor being on this hit show, and do you think you’ve grown since appearing on the 2009 show The Forgotten?

Yeah, it’s night and day. Not just because in that show I was wearing hairpieces and putting on makeup to make it look like eyebrows. Now I’m bald and feeling great about myself, but I think it also taught me how to really trust my instincts and impulses. I don’t think I’ve ever really trusted myself to truly be seen, whereas now I’m excited to stretch out in different directions.

You’re very open about your experience with alopecia and how that’s affected your career. In The Forgotten, you wore hairpieces. In Gotham, you’re playing Victor Zsasz, who actually was bald in the source material. In Barry, the appearance of the character is not relevant at all. What’s your takeaway from that?

I can appreciate both things. From Gotham, Victor Zsasz is a bald villain, [and] I love lending my talents to bring a character like that to life. That being said, I also love working on something where the question is never asked, “Where’s that dude’s eyebrows or why a bald guy?” He just is who he is. 

Do you worry about getting typecast as murderers based on your roles as Victor Zsasz and NoHo Hank? 

Well, I’d be lying if I say that I didn’t really enjoy it. That being said, I can do so much more. I guess it’s weird to say that playing a murderous kind of psychopath is a touchstone for me, but I’m excited to venture away from that. I can always come back to it, for sure.

What kind of characters do you hope to play next now that your career is soaring? 

It’s not necessarily the types of roles but the types of worlds that I want to be existing in. Barry is obviously a hard act to follow when it comes to dark comedy. So in that genre, I’ll be very judicious about what I choose to do. But I love the idea of being in very expansive worlds, and I think that would be very cool to participate in next. Whatever form that takes.