Jon Bernthal has become a leader in Hollywood, on and off the screen, as The Punisher star has helped a ton of A-list actors maintain their sobriety.
“There’s something special about Jon’s energy and, yes, his sobriety, that people just want to be around,” a source exclusively tells Globe. “It’s not an act. The guy practices what he preaches.”
According to the source, Bernthal, 48, has “had a huge impact” on actors like Tom Holland, Bradley Cooper, Shia LaBeouf and Ben Affleck, with whom he recently starred alongside in The Accountant 2.
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“[Tom and Ben] have had some tough demons to battle over the last few years,” the source adds. “Jon has become a leader within his generation for this kind of stuff, and even his former costars like Shia LeBeouf look to him for guidance and support as they chart their own journeys.”
Bernthal – who is currently shooting his second film in a row with the Spider-Man star – has been sober since 2009 after a bar fight forced him to reevaluate his life.
“I ended up hitting a guy and he got knocked out and hit his head on the ground,” Bernthal told Dax Shepard during a May appearance on his “Armchair Expert” podcast. While behind bars, he recalled “not knowing whether this guy was going to wake up. It was literally as profound and clear a moment as I’ve ever had.”
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Bernthal reflected on turning his life around before landing his role in The Walking Dead.
“If you’re going this way, this is your life now,” he added. “[A year later] I was in Atlanta, starting The Walking Dead, engaged to my wife, a year sober. A year later, my first son, Henry, was born. I’m like blown away with gratitude.”
“It all comes down to authenticity,” the source says. “Jon comes from a very real place and relates to people and their struggles intensely … The guy is in incredible shape and he’s a living example of what can be accomplished when you buckle down and focus on your mental and physical health.”