Ebon MossBachrach and Jon Bernthal Admit They're 'Really Terrified' to Make Their Broadway Debuts (Exclusive) Dave QuinnFri, March 6, 2026 at 10:10 PM UTC 0 Ebon MossBachrach and Jon Bernthal pose during a photo call for the new play based on the 1975 film 'Dog Day Afternoon' on Broadway at The August Wilson Theatre on March 5, 2026 in New York CityCredit: Bruce Glikas/Getty Ebon MossBachrach and Jon Bernthal open up to PEOPLE about preparing for their Broadway debuts in Dog Day Afternoon The actors admit feeling intimidated by stepping into roles made iconic by Al Pacino and John Cazale The p...
Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal Admit They're 'Really Terrified' to Make Their Broadway Debuts (Exclusive)
Dave QuinnFri, March 6, 2026 at 10:10 PM UTC
0
Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal pose during a photo call for the new play based on the 1975 film 'Dog Day Afternoon' on Broadway at The August Wilson Theatre on March 5, 2026 in New York CityCredit: Bruce Glikas/Getty -
Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal open up to PEOPLE about preparing for their Broadway debuts in Dog Day Afternoon
The actors admit feeling intimidated by stepping into roles made iconic by Al Pacino and John Cazale
The play, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Adly Guirgis, offers a fresh take on the 1975 crime drama
Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal are days away from making their Broadway debut together, and the two screen actors admit they might just be a little bit in over their heads.
Speaking with PEOPLE on Thursday, March 5 at a press conference for Dog Day Afternoon — the upcoming stage adaptation of the 1975 crime movie — Moss-Bachrach and Bernthal don't pretend as if they've figured it all out.
"Oh man, we feel like idiots," Moss-Bachrach, 48, laughs, as the reality of the task at hand sets in. "Yeah, we don't know what the hell we're doing!"
"We're really terrified, man!" Bernthal, 49, adds. "What do you think?"
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Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal in a poster for 'Dog Day Afternoon' on BroadwayCredit: Yelena Yemchuk
It's hard to blame them. Though the pair have worked for decades in television and film and have hundreds of credits between them, stepping onto theater's biggest stage comes with a serious amount of pressure.
Add on top of that that the fact that the two are taking on roles played by iconic actors (Al Pacino and John Cazale) in an Oscar-winning film beloved by audiences.
"It's so intimidating," Moss-Bachrach says. "These guys are like the most… these men, they're like… they're—"
"—They're our heroes," Bernthal jumps in. "We hold those actors... they're sacred to us. We revere them."
"These are the reason that I wanted to [become an actor]," Moss-Bachrach continues. "I think any actor in America has watched this movie, or should, you know. And in no way are Jon and I trying to compare ourselves or try to follow in their footsteps."
Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal pose during a photo call for the new play based on the 1975 film 'Dog Day Afternoon' on Broadway at The August Wilson Theatre on March 5, 2026 in New York CityCredit: Bruce Glikas/Getty
Instead, they're hoping fans will be open to experiencing how Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis sees the biographical crime drama, which follows a desperate Brooklyn man attempting to rob a bank to fund gender-affirming surgery for his partner.
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"It's a story that's big enough to be told many different ways. This is the first retelling of it, after this incredible movie, so we're in this unfortunate position of maybe being compared to it a little bit," Moss-Bachrach says, joking, "I would be happy if there's a couple other versions in between us, take a little pressure off..."
"But it's important to remember that this is Stephen's version," Bernthal says. "This is a heavyweight of an American playwright telling the story and it's from his lens; from his skewed angle. And I don't know that anyone sort of writes New York like Stephen does. It's a very particular lens on New York. ... It's dangerous; I mean, the tension is palpable in this piece. But it's also hilarious and outrageous, with themes that are strikingly relevant to today."
Moss-Bachrach and Bernthal have known each other for years, first working together on the 2017 Netflix series The Punisher before later playing cousins on Hulu's The Bear. Moss-Bachrach says that long friendship has helped as they tackle the intense play.
"There's so many variables when you get in to do anything, and it's nice to know one thing — to have a shorthand with somebody, have a history," Moss-Bachrach says, noting that the chemistry they have offstage will transition to their characters. "Certainly it works well for [playing] these two men who are trying to take down a bank."
The other comfort their friendship brings to Moss-Bachrach? Knowing he's not alone in his fear.
"It feels like me and my friend Jon here trying to also achieve the impossible because we bit off way more than we can chew!" he says. "So yeah, it's nice to be able to look at my friend's face, as a face-plant 100 miles per hour into the floor! We're going to fail spectacularly together."
Performances for Dog Day Afternoon begin March 10 at the August Wilson Theatre in New York City, ahead of an official opening on March 30. The show is currently scheduled to run a 16-week limited engagement through Sunday, June 28.
Time will tell if Moss-Bachrach and Bernthal are able to conquer their nerves. But for now, they're leaning in.
"Look, I wouldn't want it any other way," Bernthal says. "This material is so sacred. We revere the people that have told the story before, we revere the people that we're telling the story with now. It's a crazy endeavor that we both believe in. And it's terrifying, but we're giving it our all."
"You caught us as a funny moment where everything is changing and interesting," Moss-Bachrach explains. "But yeah, it's deeply exciting, ultimately. There's nowhere else I'd rather be."
Tickets to Dog Day Afternoon are now on sale.
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: March 6, 2026 at 05:45PM on Source: PRIME TIME
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