ASHBURN, Va. — As actor Jon Bernthal’s career blossomed, there was one part of his childhood he never relinquished: his fandom for the Washington football franchise. And that was evident while he was filming a movie in Morocco last fall. That’s when Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels — playing with a broken rib — heaved a 56-yard Hail Mary pass to receiver Noah Brown on the final play of the game to stun the Chicago Bears.
“I went running through the streets of Morocco grabbing people,” Bernthal told a group of reporters after watching the Commanders’ practice Monday. Bernthal was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in suburban Maryland. He was only 7 years old when the franchise won its first Super Bowl — and 16 when it won its last one. He has acted in 41 movies, including “The Odyssey” — the movie he was filming in Morocco last year — that will be released in 2026. He also will star as The Punisher in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which will be released in July 2026. He has also appeared on more than two dozen TV shows — and will play The Punisher in an upcoming Disney+ series.
Regardless of where he is, Bernthal said he takes his fandom with him. “I’ve been all over this world making movies: Morocco, Ireland, Greece. All over North Africa,” he said. “No matter what time of day, I’m finding a way to watch those games, and over the years, it has been hard but right now it’s payback time. “It feels so good to be a Commanders fan. It feels like it was back in the day: ’83, ’84, ’87, ’92.”
Those, of course, were the years in which Washington played in the Super Bowl, winning three of them. After watching a shortened practice Monday — the Commanders will have a full workout Tuesday morning — he remains encouraged. He also liked that Daniels talked with his son, who also played catch with backup quarterback Sam Hartman. “You can feel this team is a bunch of go-getters. Coach [Dan] Quinn is a go-getter; we’re in real good shape moving forward,” Bernthal said. “The truth is the truth. You can’t mess with this team.
“Everything is right with this team.”
