Jon Bernthal wants to ‘tell you something’: How the actor has embraced his unofficial catchphrase, from ‘The Walking Dead’ to ‘The Odyssey’

Let me tell you something about Jon Bernthal.

The 49-year-old actor has starred in dozens of movies, including Christopher Nolan’s just-released epic The Odyssey, television shows like The Bear and The Walking Dead, and plays such as Dog Day Afternoon, portraying a wide range of characters. 

A lot of them, however, seem to have one thing in common: They want to “tell you” something.

There are multiple variations, such as “Let me tell you something.” Or “Let me tell you something else, man.” Occasionally, “Let me ask you something.” Often, it’s “I tell you what” or “I’mma tell you right now.”

For Bernthal, it’s become an unofficial catchphrase — so much so that his fans now expect it, regardless of his role.

During a recent interview promoting The Odyssey, Bernthal said that it’s now written in every script he gets.

“I think it started in Walking Dead because it was sort of in there, and I was like, you know, that makes sense for this guy,” Bernthal said. “So, I started throwing it in a lot.”

Then “let me tell you” showed up in the script for The Punisher, another TV series Bernthal starred in.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. 

It was even in the script for Dog Day Afternoon, in which Bernthal made his Broadway debut. 

Bernthal then revealed that his character in The Odyssey, Menelaus, uses the phrase “let me tell you” while talking to Telemachus, played by Tom Holland.

It will soon be added to the numerous supercut videos of Bernthal saying “let me tell you” online, of which he is well aware.

“There’s like all these memes all over the internet,” Bernthal said. “You could watch hours of me just saying that, but it’s in every script.”