美国国家公共电台 NPR With HBO's 'Barry,' Bill Hader Presents His Finest Work Yet

 

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During his eight years on "Saturday Night Live," Bill Hader played everyone from Clint Eastwood to former Chinese President Hu Jintao. But in his new HBO series "Barry," Hader may have created his most challenging role - a hit man who wants to be an actor. The show debuts¹ Sunday, and NPR TV critic Eric Deggans has this review.

ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE²: The best new comedy on television is also the darkest comedy on television. I'm talking about "Barry," a new series about an expert assassin who feels adrift in life until he follows a potential mark into an acting³ class and realizes his true calling, which doesn't go over too well with the guy who arranges all of Barry's jobs and handles his money, a fatherly figure named Fuchs played by Stephen Root. Barry tries to convince Fuchs he can be a part-time hit man.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "BARRY")

BILL HADER: (As Barry) Well, you know, they told me a very small percentage of actors actually make a living acting. So I just figured, you know, I'd do night hits or...

STEPHEN ROOT: (As Fuchs) You want to have a hobby or something, you can take up painting. Hitler painted. John Wayne Gacy painted. It never got in the way of what they were doing.

HADER: (As Barry) These are professional actors. And they're the real deal. And they say I got something.

ROOT: (As Fuchs) You want to go out there and try to burn a guy and have him say, hey, there's that guy from the chicken commercial?

HADER: (As Barry) I don't know if I do commercials.

DEGGANS: Barry's guide into acting is the class' teacher, Gene⁴, played with ferocious⁵ flair⁶ by Henry Winkler. In this role, Winkler is a delight as a potbellied poser who's so pretentious⁷ he can't see his mild-mannered student for who he really is.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "BARRY")

HENRY WINKLER: (As Gene) Barry, you want to be an actor, you better get out of your own way.

HADER: (As Barry) OK.

WINKLER: (As Gene) Life is about taking a risk, making the unsafe choice. All right, here's a little story just to illustrate⁸. I once auditioned¹⁰ for the guy that robbed the house on "Full House." And I carried a loaded Beretta with me into the audition⁹ just to feel the weight of it.

HADER: (As Barry) Wow. Did you get the part?

WINKLER: (As Gene) No. They freaked out.

DEGGANS: One of the core jokes here is that Barry's actually a terrible actor. He's torn because the one thing he's good at - killing¹¹ people - is also killing his soul, and the thing he really wants to do is beyond his grasp. Hader says he was inspired to create this show by the terrible stage fright he endured while performing on "Saturday Night Live." He's invested a lot of himself in the show, co-writing and directing three episodes while also serving as an executive producer on the whole series. He builds a slightly absurd world where everyone is a little too thick-headed and self-centered to suspect that this friendly, slightly goofy military veteran is also a cold-blooded killer¹². Even when Barry confesses his situation to Gene, the acting teacher thinks he's delivering a monologue¹³.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "BARRY")

HADER: (As Barry) You know, when I got back from Afghanistan, I was really depressed¹⁴. You know, I couldn't leave my house for months. And this friend of my dad's, he's - he helped me out. And he gave me a purpose. I know there's more to me than that.

WINKLER: (As Gene) What's that from?

HADER: (As Barry) What?

WINKLER: (As Gene) Are you telling me that was an improvisation¹⁵? The story's nonsense, but there's something to work with.

DEGGANS: On the surface, "Barry" satirizes¹⁶ a lot of usual suspects - Hollywood actors, dimwitted criminals, insensitive cops and veterans looking for their next rush of adrenaline. But it's all filtered through the lens of Hader's unique character, Barry Berkman, a likable psychopath who keeps you rooting for him even when the story turns down a dark path and he does terrible things. "Barry" is a series where Bill Hader confirms he's much more than a mugging sketch¹⁷ comic. He's a compelling actor with a unique voice who's created one of the best new shows of the year. I'm Eric Deggans.

(SOUNDBITE OF EMEFE'S "STUTTER")

1 debuts   

演员首次演出( debut的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He never really debuts the idea of taking money from his parents any longer. 他从此就再也没有认真起过向父母要钱的念头。
• This young soprano debuts next month at the metropolitan opera. 这位年轻的女高音歌唱家下个月将在纽约大都会歌剧院举行首演。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

5 ferocious   

adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的

参考例句：

• The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
• The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。

6 flair   

n.天赋，本领，才华；洞察力

参考例句：

• His business skill complements her flair for design.他的经营技巧和她的设计才能相辅相成。
• He had a natural flair for business.他有做生意的天分。

7 pretentious   

adj.自命不凡的，自负的，炫耀的

参考例句：

• He is a talented but pretentious writer.他是一个有才华但自命不凡的作家。
• Speaking well of yourself would only make you appear conceited and pretentious.自夸只会使你显得自负和虚伪。

8 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。

9 audition   

n.(对志愿艺人等的)面试(指试读、试唱等)

参考例句：

• I'm going to the audition but I don't expect I'll get a part.我去试音，可并不指望会给我个角色演出。
• At first,they said he was too young,but later they called him for an audition.起初，他们说他太小，但后来他们叫他去试听。

10 auditioned   

vi.试听（audition的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• None of the actresses we have auditioned is suitable. 我们试听的这些女演员都不合适。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• What is that, from some script you auditioned for in the '40s? 什么玩意儿是你40年代试的那些剧本吗？ 来自电影对白

11 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

12 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

13 monologue   

n.长篇大论，（戏剧等中的）独白

参考例句：

• The comedian gave a long monologue of jokes.喜剧演员讲了一长段由笑话组成的独白。
• He went into a long monologue.他一个人滔滔不绝地讲话。

14 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

15 improvisation   

n.即席演奏(或演唱)；即兴创作

参考例句：

• a free-form jazz improvisation 自由创作的爵士乐即兴演出
• Most of their music was spontaneous improvisation. 他们的大部分音乐作品都是即兴创作的。

16 satirizes   

v.讽刺，讥讽( satirize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• This detestable custom satirizes humanity. 这个可厌的风俗违反人性。 来自辞典例句
• This idiom satirizes those who instead of taking changed circumstances account. “刻舟求剑”这个成语讽刺那些办事迂腐，不知道变通情况的人。 来自互联网

17 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。