Barry’s NoHo Hank: Just Another in a Series of Gay Television Mobsters
Barry, was revealed to be gay. Hank, played by actor Anthony Carrigan, is the eclectic, naïve, and over-the-top leader of the Chechen mob in Los Angeles.
He is also a ruthless killer, and while he comes across fun-lovingly, he’s anything but.The revelation that he was gay was treated as no big deal by title character Barry, played brilliantly by Bill Hader, who also co-created the show.
Hader’s Barry is a hired hit man, so his interactions with Hank are not only comedic but violent, or rooted in violence.Hank confirmed my suspicions — my gaydar went off with him in season 1 — that he was gay when he was outed in the season 3 opener.
His sexuality is presented with a touch of flamboyance and silliness, just like the other attributes of his character.The mob boss being gay got me thinking about other mob, cartel, or gang members on other hit television shows who are gay too and how their sexuality is more matter-of-fact and not sensationalized.
