Wade Allen (‘Barry’ stunt coordinator): ‘I’m still sad that it’s over’ [Exclusive Video Interview]

“The wound is still fresh. I’m still sad that it’s over,” admits Wade Allen about the end of HBO’s “Barry.” Allen served as the dark comedy’s stunt coordinator during its four-season run, winning an Emmy in 2022 for his work. In an exclusive video interview with Gold Derby (watch above) Allen talks working closely with series creator and star Bill Hader and describes the challenges creating some of the final season’s most elaborate action sequences.

Allen highlights the collaborative atmosphere of the “Barry” set, specifically in working with Hader and co-creator Alec Berg. “Bill and Alec have both been super collaborative from the very beginning,” he says, pointing to the pairs willingness to solicit advice from all departments. “There are things those guys are really really good at, and then there are things that maybe are a little outside their wheelhouse.”

One of the season’s most hilarious moments was also one of the most complex to pull off: when NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan) attempts to kill Fuchs (Stephen Root) by shooting a rocket propelled grenade at his house. The rocket veers off course, leading to a frantic and hilarious shootout culminating in Hank leaping over the side of a cliff. The sequence, shot in one long take, was highly choreographed and involved dozens of stunt performers all strategically placed. “It made for a complicated oner,” says Allen. “But I think ultimately it paid off and was really funny.”

A little less humorous was a sequence where Hank arranges to have his business partners buried alive in a sand silo, almost killing Cristobal (Michael Irby) in the process. Allen admits that he found the scene daunting at first. “I’ve done things where you have people emerge from from a grave. That’s pretty simple stuff,” he says. “But Bill was talking about losing 12 guys down this chute and not lose all the material, the ground up corn husks we had in there.” Allen recalls showing test footage of the sequence to his wife. “She couldn’t watch it,” he laughs. “It looked like these guys were slowly being buried alive, and it was pretty gnarly.”

While Allen agrees with Hader’s decision to end the series, he admits that he wishes the he had the chance to continue the experience. “I’m afraid it was kind of a unicron,” he says. “It really was a once in a lifetime kind of situation. I can’t imagine it getting any better than that, and that’s what’s so bittersweet about it because it’s such a happy memory.”

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