There was an additional perk for Jon Bernthal when he landed roles in two of this summer’s most anticipated blockbuster movies.
Playing King Menelaus of Sparta in “The Odyssey” and reprising his role as Punisher in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” also meant working alongside longtime friend Tom Holland. The British star plays Telemachus in “The Odyssey” and steps back into his Spidey suit for the Marvel sequel.
Asked about returning to The Punisher role a decade after he first suited up as the vigilante, Bernthal had a very specific highlight.
“Mostly for me it was two back-to-back movies that I got to do with my friend Tom Holland,” Bernthal said on TODAY July 15.
“I’ve known him since he was 17. He’s as good a man as he is an actor,” he continued. “I’m just so in awe of him and proud of him, and I love seeing the man that he’s become.”
Bernthal, 49, and Holland, 30, first appeared onscreen together in the 2017 Irish medieval film “Pilgrimage.” A year earlier, Holland made his first appearance as Spider-Man in “Captain America: Civil War,” while 2016 also marked Bernthal’s first appearance as The Punisher in “Daredevil,” before leading his own spinoff show as the character.
“We did our audition tapes together for ‘The Punisher’ and ‘Spider-Man’ when we were in Ireland when he was 17,” Bernthal said. “So to now walk on to this set and see all that he’s accomplished. And he still leads with grace, he’s still a family-first guy. He’s in love. It just was a real treat for me.”
Holland has been in a relationship with Zendaya, his co-star in “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” since at least 2021, though they were rumored to be romantically linked much earlier.
After Zendaya was spotted on the red carpet with a diamond ring, the couple reportedly wed earlier this year, which Holland seemingly confirmed in a June interview with Esquire.
Asked if he had to message family members amid viral AI-generated images purporting to be from his wedding, Holland said, “No, because they were all there.”
The first of the two blockbusters featuring Bernthal, Holland and Zendaya that will be released is “The Odyssey,” which hits theaters on July 17.
The newest film from Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan was shot entirely in IMAX across six different countries. The latest interpretation of the ancient Greek epic by the poet Homer has already been earning rave reviews from critics.
Bernthal recalled his reaction when he learned he was being cast in the film.
“You jump,” he said. “I think at the end of the day, it’s a filmmaker-driven business. (Nolan) is one of one. He’s singular. He’s doing the very thing he was put on the Earth to do, and when someone like that calls, it’s a thrill. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him.
“Sometimes you meet your heroes and they go so far beyond what you could ever imagine,” he added. “His work ethic, his skill, his talent, and his love, his real love for the game, is just unparalleled, and I’m so grateful that I got the chance to work with him.”
Nolan is the latest director to take on the classic tale of the ancient Greek king Odysseus and his long and arduous quest to return home after the Trojan War.
“I think it’s so enormously human,” Bernthal said. “Obviously it’s done more than stood the test of time.”