Anthony Carrigan Talks Death of a Unicorn, James Gunn’s Superman

By the time Anthony Carrigan’s Emmy-nominated run on Barry concluded in 2023, he’d already reaffirmed his independent and blockbuster ambitions to his reps. 

The Massachusetts native wasted no time turning those desires into reality, beginning with A24’s Death of a Unicorn and followed by James Gunn’s Superman. The former, which marks the feature directorial debut of writer-director Alex Scharfman, is the latest of many examples in which the powerhouse indie studio has attracted top-tier talent for its interesting, unconventional choices and taste. The comedic creature feature boasts yet another decorated cast, as Carrigan stands shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Paul Rudd, Jenna Ortega, Will Poulter, Téa Leoni and Richard E. Grant.

Carrigan plays Griff, the aggrieved butler to the Sackler-esque pharma family, the Leopolds, who invite their lawyer, Elliot Kintner (Rudd), and his daughter Ridley (Ortega), for a retreat at their mountainside lodge. Along the way, the Kintners accidentally run over a unicorn, and the Leopolds seize on an opportunity to exploit its horn for medicinal and financial gain. 

Griff internalizes much of his frustration with his employers before eventually letting loose, but the part allowed Carrigan the chance to dive deeper into physical and silent comedy. 

“It seems like it’s simple, but you really do need to create this body language that is telling a story. So I watched a lot of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin,” Carrigan tells The Hollywood Reporter. 

As for July’s Superman, Carrigan plays Rex Mason/Metamorpho, who, per the comics, can transmute himself into chemical compounds of his choosing. When asked if Superman will balance action, drama and comedy in the same effortless way that Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy did, Carrigan offers a different interpretation of the film’s tone.

“I am hesitant to liken it to Guardians, but I do think that [Superman] has the same heart and intelligence. That’s James’ trademark. But I think it’s going to be its own thing entirely,” Carrigan says. “The process of working on it was such a special one, and the whole cast was on board with bringing something really special to it. So, hopefully, that’s conveyed on screen.”

Below, during a recent conversation with THR, Carrigan also looks back on the conclusion of Barry and the tonal shift of his beloved Chechen mobster, NoHo Hank.

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I rewatched a bit of Barry last night, and I happened to hear NoHo Hank say the line, “I understand Cristobal and I are [a] total unicorn situation.” So I thought that was a nice link to the present. 

(Laughs.) That’s really funny. I forgot about that line. Maybe it’s worth a rewatch just for that alone. God, I really do miss that show, though. It was such a great experience, and it opened the doors for so many things moving forward, Death of a Unicorn being one of them 

In this case, did the A24 label and a title like Death of a Unicorn do a lot of the convincing?

Well, obviously, all things unicorn just really capture my interest. I’ll probably sign up for any “unicorn situation.” Honestly, the script itself was the thing that really piqued my interest. It was so good and so much fun to read. It’s a really good sign if I go from reading a script to then just watching the movie unfold while the pages are turning, and that’s exactly what happened. So I was pretty instantaneously hooked, and I wanted to be a part of this project. 

Whether it’s grade school or any walk of life, there’s always a “cool kids” table. Does A24 feel like the industry’s cool kids table right now? 

It certainly is very cool. It’s amazing to have a production house that is able to succeed on a large level by bringing independent films to the forefront. It’s my hope, especially in this really turbulent time in the industry, that there’s more of a renaissance of championing and celebrating independent film. Ultimately, the old models aren’t working, and I think that studios like A24 will continue to bring their A-game. 

Unicorn’s inciting incident is when Elliot (Paul Rudd) and Ridley Kintner (Jenna Ortega) hit a unicorn with their rental car en route to the Leopold family lodge. It actually reminded me of when my high school basketball team’s bus hit a Clydesdale horse on the way back from a road game late at night.

Oh my god, that’s crazy. What an unfortunate circumstance. 

Yeah, it was a whole thing. Have you had your own precarious encounter with a wild or domesticated animal?

The only thing that’s popping out to me right now is getting bucked off of a horse. I was at a friend’s wedding in South Dakota, and we all went for this ride on these horses. But my horse was feeling a bit saucy that day, and as we were going at a gallop, the horse just didn’t feel like carrying me anymore. So he bucked me off at a gallop, and I took a bit of a tumble. But then my horse and I began to see more eye to eye. Ultimately, the moral of the story is to respect nature and just know that you really have no control. 

You play Griff, the trusted butler, or the Alfred, to the Leopold family. And my favorite running gag is how dejected he looks whenever he’s asked for something outlandish, be it an omelette station or a large format printer. I understand you took a lot of cues from the comedy of the silent film era?

Yeah, that’s right. For the majority of the film, my character is not taking focus in any way, especially in terms of not talking. But he’s in service of this family and all of its ridiculousness. So it was this balance of swooping in to take care of something and then gracefully just disappearing into the background. It seems like it’s simple, but you really do need to create this body language that is telling a story. It might not necessarily seem that way, but you do have to convey exactly what the character is going through. So I watched a lot of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.

When you’re in a scene with eight other actors and you’re not speaking, how often would you do some bit of business in case the viewer decides to zero in on you?

Well, as an actor, you always want to be filling the moment with what your character is experiencing. But in terms of Griff, you have to just turn the volume down slightly. The fun thing about Death of a Unicorn is that, depending on what you’re focused on, you get something different each time. If you focus on Téa Leoni or Will Poulter, you’ll get two different things in terms of watching the film. 

One of my favorite moments in the film is when Odell [Richard E. Grant] is confronted by the unicorns, and it’s very high stakes. Téa’s character, Belinda, is watching this, and she is so hopeful and impressed by her husband. And right behind her is Griff, who’s absolutely terrified. He does not think this is going to go well at all, so that kind of juxtaposition makes the movie what it is.

There’s a great background moment where Griff is frantically lighting incense or whatever it is.

Yes! He’s smudging the room. There’s no shortage of appropriation in this film.

Are there plenty of outtakes in which characters call for Griff and ask him for any number of things?

Yeah, those moments definitely became a bit of a gag, but at the end of the day, you really do need to keep what’s important and what moves the story forward. There was no shortage of hilarity that was cut, but it ultimately didn’t move things forward. So, in terms of butler language, it’s all about being in service of the film and keeping things accelerated. 

Before Ridley (Jenna Ortega) and Elliot Kintner (Paul Rudd) arrived for their visit, do you think Griff was already at wit’s end with the Leopolds?

Yeah, the amount that is asked of him is unheard of. He’s working for absolutely horrible people, and that’s got to have an effect on your psyche no matter how good you are at your job. You begin to see, especially under the circumstances [with the unicorn], the deterioration and just how much he’s at his wit’s end. But as things progress, you start to see that Griff is really one of the only competent people while everything is unraveling 

When real-life families like the Leopolds watch movies with these same themes, do you think they ever take a hard look in the mirror? 

Well, it’s our hope that a Sackler-type family will watch this film and go, “You know what? Maybe we shouldn’t exploit resources.” But ultimately, no. I don’t think [it’ll prompt self-reflection]. If anything, it’s cathartic for audiences to see rich, greedy, horrible people get their comeuppance. 

Unicorn kicks off a very big year for you. Have you seen pieces of Superman yet during ADR and whatnot?

I haven’t seen anything, just the trailers. But I’m very excited. I tend to forget quite easily that I’m a part of this movie. So anytime someone reminds me of it, I’m like, “Oh, yeah, Superman. Yes, I am in that.” And it just blows my mind every time.

What kind of tone would you say it is? Is it comparable to Guardians of the Galaxy?

Well, I am hesitant to liken it to Guardians, but I do think that it has the same heart and intelligence. That’s James’ trademark. But I think it’s going to be its own thing entirely. That’s what’s going to do it the most justice. The process of working on it was such a special one, and the whole cast was on board with bringing something really special to it. So, hopefully, that’s conveyed on screen.

You played a couple DC characters on TV by way of The Flash and Gotham. Did that version of you ever think he’d someday be a part of one of the most consequential DC movies of all time?

I had no idea, but I have no idea what’s around the bend at any point …

I’m referring more to the ambition of it all. Did you still think that something like that was in the cards for you?

Oh, 100 percent. In an industry where you have so little control as to what is going to come your way, you really do have no idea. But I did sit down with my reps and tell them: “I want to be a part of really wonderful storytelling. I want to be involved in things that are very smart, with the best types of studios that are really artsy and fun. But I also want to be a part of the biggest storytelling you can be a part of. I want to be a part of magnificent things that are going to really move people.” And ultimately, you can’t get any bigger than Superman. So I really do feel like we’ve hit that sweet spot with A24 and Superman.

You also reunited with Alex Winter for a movie called Adulthood. Did you strike up a friendship on Bill & Ted Face the Music?

Yeah, we sure did. I love Alex. He’s such a brilliant guy, and we have so much fun working together. When he reached out to me that he had this script, I immediately said, “Yes, sign me up.” And as soon as I read it, I began to drop in and find the character’s voice. So I knew pretty immediately that I was on board and wanted to work with him again. And I’m very happy I did because it was such a great experience.

Bill Hader said that when he told you they wanted to reshoot Hank’s final scene so that Sally (Sarah Goldberg) wasn’t the one to place Hank’s hand on Cristobal’s statue hand, you remarked, “Oh, thank god.” Had that been eating away at you until he said something?

I don’t think it had been eating away at me, but especially with a story arc like Barry, you want to end things in a way that is continuous with the entire story. It was such a huge moment, and I think we were all a little bit unsure as to whether or not that moment worked. So anytime you get a chance to be able to reconcile that and go back in to do something that feels right, you’re very grateful. You don’t always get to do that. Sometimes, it just is what it is, and that’s what’s locked in, forever.

Hank took quite a dark turn in the final season. I still think about his final scene with Cristobal (Michael Irby). Did you welcome that tonal shift after being a comedic weapon for so long?

Oh, I absolutely welcomed it. It’s Shakespearean, honestly. Barry starts as a comedy, albeit with some really dark elements, but it ends as a tragedy. It was very surprising and quite jarring for a lot of audience members. But ultimately, that’s what had the most lasting impact. You had these characters that were making these really horrible decisions, and the only real way to finish everything off was to show the consequences of their decisions and not being completely honest with themselves. So I think the ending was quite poetic. 

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Death of a Unicorn opens in movie theaters on March 28.