Barry Season 4's Incredible Director Cameo Gave Bill Hader Some Playful Grief On Set

This post contains spoilers for "Barry" season 4, episode 3.

"Barry" has returned for a fourth and final season, and according to /Film's review, "things have grown increasingly bleak [in the final season]. And if the bleakness doesn't get you, the feverish levels of anxiety will do the trick. And yet, despite all this, "Barry" is funny. But it's also so much more than the comedy it began as."

Much like "Atlanta," "Barry" is based on a very specific and singular creative vision, and it is unafraid to take wild swings, both tonally and narratively. Perhaps the biggest legacy of the show is that it served as Bill Hader's calling card as not just a great writer, but a fantastic performer and director. Still, it seems even the success of "Barry" isn't enough to avoid Hader getting teased by fellow filmmakers.

One of the biggest guest stars in season 4 of "Barry" is Academy Award-winning director Guillermo del Toro, who appears in the third episode of the season. Speaking to Deadline, Hader explained how he got del Toro on the show, and more importantly, how the director reacted to being given instructions.

"He was f***ing with me a little bit," Hader recalled. "He was like, 'Are you really going to block it like this?' [Laughs] I was like, 'Yeah, I am.' And he's like, 'Really? That's it? Okay...' No, he was really funny, and we're all friends."

Turns out, del Toro wasn't even the only director to get in on the fun of messing with the new guy. "I'm friends with [del Toro]," Hader continued. "And I'm friends with Alfonso Cuarón, and Alfonso was texting me, "Guillermo says you don't know how to direct." [Laughs] They were just f***ing with me while I'm shooting with him. And I'm like, "Oh my god." Guillermo was like, "I never said that. No, no, no. He's being an a**hole."

Of course, this isn't the first time del Toro has popped up in a supporting role in a show he loves. He previously played "Pappy" McPoyle in "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," appearing in episodes in 2012 and 2016. 

Bill Hader has certainly made a name for himself as a director worth paying attention to. Throughout "Barry," he's shown a keen eye for balancing action, tension, and comedy, pushing one over the other at the right time. Even if season 4 is less stressful than the previous season, it is much darker, but no less funny. Though he had very pragmatic reasons to take on directing duties for the entire final season of the show, Hader continues to prove he was more than up for the task, and if del Toro was comfortable enough teasing Hader, it is because he recognizes a fellow talent in the actor-turned-director. The final season of "Barry" will unfold over the next six weeks, and we can't wait to see what Hader directs next.