‘Barry’ Fans Are Delighted By The Cameo From An Oscar-Winning Director

If you asked me, “Which of the two HBO Sunday night shows in their final seasons is more likely to feature a cameo from a Best Picture and Best Director-winning filmmaker?” I would have guessed Succession. Only one person can fix Waystar Royco’s “sleepy robot in cage” movie, and it’s Martin Scorsese! But nope, it was Barry that got Guillermo del Toro to appear in the third episode of the brilliant final season.

The Shape of Water and Pinocchio director played Toro, the guy who hires the guys who NoHo Hank and Cristobal task to kill Barry. His “best guys” are Nestor and Chuy Flores, who also host the Los Amigos Gadget podcast. Each week, they rate and review a different gadget, “but none of the gadgets work,” Hank explains to Cristobal in front of an increasingly annoyed Toro.

Bill Hader told Deadline that del Toro “had two different takes on the character, and they were both really interesting. And he brought his wonderful wife Kim [Morgan] with him, and it was just really sweet.”

As for how the cameo came together, Hader explained that del Toro reached out to him. “I’d love to be in your show,” he said. So Hader wrote a part for him. del Toro was “a bit surprised” about the character being named Toro, but he was game — although he did tease Hader a little on set.

“He was like, ‘Are you really going to block it like this?’ [Laughs] I was like, ‘Yeah, I am.’ And he’s like, ‘Really? That’s it? Okay…’ No, he was really funny, and we’re all friends. I’m friends with him, and I’m friends with Alfonso Cuarón, and Alfonso was texting me, ‘Guillermo says you don’t know how to direct.’ [Laugh] They were just f*cking with me while I’m shooting with him. And I’m like, ‘Oh my god.’ Guillermo was like, ‘I never said that. No, no, no. He’s being an assh*le.’ But no, it was very fun. I was just really impressed with him.”

del Toro has an Oscar. Cuarón has an Oscar. They’re teasing Hader, because if his first movie looks as good as every episode of Barry, he’ll win one, too.

(Via Deadline)