Jon Bernthal Played Characters On Two Different Law & Order Series
In the early days of Jon Bernthal's Hollywood career, the "Law & Order" franchise gave him a much-needed boost. Many years before he played Shane Walsh on "The Walking Dead" and Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Bernthal landed his first credited TV role on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" in 2002. In Season 2, Episode 6, he played a local man named Lane Ruddock. Three years later, Bernthal returned to guest-star on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." He appeared in Season 6, Episode 23 as Sherm Hempell — a reporter who helps Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) with their case.
Although it's fairly common for actors to appear as different characters on multiple "Law & Order" shows, Bernthal's brief involvement in the franchise was vital to his young career. In fact, only five years passed between Bernthal's "Law & Order: SVU" gig and his debut as one of the best characters on "The Walking Dead."
Jon Bernthal thanked a Marvel co-star for helping his career
In a 2022 interview with the New York Times, Bernthal opened up about the challenges he faced while getting started as an actor. He described making mistakes on TV sets, like not knowing what hair and makeup meant, and accidentally walking in on a lead actor getting dressed. As an amateur performer in the 2000s, Bernthal faced plenty of rejection, but he credits Vincent D'Onofrio with helping him get his feet off the ground in Hollywood.
While filming "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," the series star gave Bernthal some crucial words of encouragement. "It took a real long time for me to feel comfortable on-set," Bernthal said. "I remember Vincent D'Onofrio talked to me after a take when I did his show ... and he said, 'Hey, what you did there was pretty good.' Something like that can carry you through months of rejection. I always try to remember that with young actors, because the littlest thing can keep you going."
Later on, the two would reunite on Marvel's "Daredevil" series and its revival "Daredevil: Born Again," where Bernthal's Punisher and D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk served as important supporting characters. At the time they worked on "Law & Order" together, he was an unknown name, but today, Bernthal could be considered just as accomplished as D'Onofrio.