John KeimAug 12, 2025, 01:41 AM
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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.
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"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."