Video: Jon Bernthal Reflects on His Early Days as an Understudy for Ebon Moss-Bachrach
The duo is now starring together in Broadway's Dog Day Afternoon.
Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach are both making their Broadway debut in Dog Day Afternoon, the new play based on the 1975 film of the same name. The duo is also real-life friends, and visited TODAY on Friday to discuss the play and their work together.
Bernthal was attracted to the project because of playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis, as well as the original material, which he called "a sacred piece of filmmaking." As it was being developed, Moss-Bachrach admitted to feeling a sense of FOMO when hearing about it from his friend and collaborator. "I wanted to be a part of it. I didn't want to miss out," he noted, also praising the film.
Both are still adjusting to Broadway's grueling 8-show-a-week schedule. "We're figuring it out," says Moss-Bachrach. "When you have the audience there, the audience is really involved... we get a lot back from the audience, so I think that is sustaining us."
Bernthal also recalled their first project together, a unique experience that Moss-Bachrach admittedly doesn't remember. "I had the great pleasure and honor of understudying my friend Ebon here," recalled Bernthal. "My first gig ever in New York was understudying him in an off-Broadway play." Watch them discuss more in the full interview.
The Emmy Award Winners are now leading Broadway's Dog Day Afternoon, which began performances on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, and officially opens Monday, March 30, 2026 for a strictly limited engagement. The play is written by Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Adly Guirgis and directed by two-time Olivier Award winner Rupert Goold.
Step back into the sweltering summer of 1972, New York City—a time when the Vietnam War looms large, Watergate headlines flood the news, and one man's desperate act captivates the nation. A Brooklyn bank hold up quickly goes wrong, and with each gut-wrenching twist that unfolds, chaos ensues that ignites the city as they follow the actions of a man on the edge.
