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I immediately started messing around and ad-libbing.
It was a blast.
He sank into the part, recalls Berg.
He listened really well, and seemed interested he had that same genuine wish to be helpful as Hank.
Plus, it made us laugh.
Its sunny, everythings vibrant, people are happy and beautiful.
Coming from Chechnya, where I assume he had a difficult upbringing, its a major juxtaposition.
Hes the kind of person who wants to be accepted, wants to blend in.
I have to remind myself of certain sounds, he says.
Instead of saying its, youve got to do eets.
Little stuff like that.
Otherwise Ill start to drift back towards being American.
What complicates matters is that Hank desperately wants to be American.
He wants to make those sounds correctly, so sometimes you hear him attempting it.
Thats indicative of how much he wants to fit in.
Hanks very taken with pop culture, Carrigan says.
He uses it to assimilate.
Once the group had unlocked that character trait, it created a world of joke-writing possibilities.
Hes learned all these idioms, but he doesnt understand how they work.
Is itthisone?Thisone?
Carrigan pulled an especially quotable moment from the first season right out of thin air.
But Suck Balls has a little zest to it.
My line was something like, My guys are shit!
The moment fell into place.
Part of Bergs solution was to elevate his role in the criminal organization.
We thought itd be fun to see Hank in charge, he says.
Does he venture to turn the whole gang into a nicer operation?
Thats where Esther came in.
It felt too schticky, like a big comedy scene.
Thats what Im talking about.
One little thing, its so much funnier, and that makes such a difference.
It fights your instincts, but putting in less can get you more.
Tamping down the broader aspects of Hank has been equally critical to remaining faithful to the characters true nature.
If hes just funny all the time, he ceases to be a formidable character, says Berg.
You want to make him silly, but youve got to buy back a characters credibility.
Every once in awhile youve got to see that he has real fangs.
The arrival of Esther enabled the show to delve even deeper into Hanks pathos.
Playing that scene provided new clarity for Carrigan.
Hank is original, though.
Ive drawn a lot on my inner child, because Hank is childlike.
(During the panel conversation, Hank tells Thomas Friedman to shut the fuck up.)
Theres something naive about him.
With his inhabiting of NoHo Hank, Carrigan struck a genuine chord.
He also unwittingly saved his characters life.
Berg and Hader had planned on killing Hank in the pilot, along with the sedanful of mobsters.
If the situation were reversed, hed have done the same thing!
A reasonable, forgiving criminal.
We thought,That could be funny.
Hank buckles and vomits, leading Barry to offer to train Hanks guys.
Then Hank erupts into dance.
Im covering a lot of ground!
Its pure Hank, to vomit and almost immediately afterward break into this Chechen dance, the Lezginka.
Haders favorite Hank moment:I also love Hank on the roof after trying to kill Barry.
Though, I equally like when Hank confronts Barry outside of class at the end of season twos premiere.
I had a helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, Carrigan laughs.
Ithought it was phenomenal!
