[Editor’s note: The following contains some spoilers for Season 4 of Barry.]

From co-creators and executive producers Bill Hader and Alec Berg, the HBO dark comedy series Barry is in its final season, with hitman turned acting student turned really emotionally and morally confused man Barry Berkman (Hader, who also directed every episode of the fourth season) locked up in jail and facing all of his past deeds. Every action has consequences, which not only goes for Barry, but for all the characters in his world orbit, including his love Sally (Sarah Goldberg), acting teacher Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler), mobster NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan), and family friend Monroe Fuches (Stephen Root), and it’s quite clear that they’re not all headed for the happy ending they might have envisioned for themselves, by the story’s conclusion.

During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, Carrigan talked about never knowing where the next Barry gut punch would come from, flipping out about his famous episode three guest star, being at a moment when Hank sees Barry for who he really is, protecting his crime utopia, his point of no return with Cristobal (Michael Irby), and his reaction to the series finale.

Collider: We know this is the last season, which is bittersweet. But at the same time, you’re going out on top. What are you most excited for fans to see this season? Should they be worried?

ANTHONY CARRIGAN: If they’ve learned anything so far, it’s to always be worried. With Barry, you never know where the next gut punch is gonna come from. But I will say that this season stands out as something that is so spectacular and unique. I think it’s my favorite, so far. Fans will have everything in store for them. It’s really funny, but it’s also gonna be intense. Let’s lay it out there. Let’s not lie.

Image via HBO

Hank decides that he has to kill Barry to protect himself, and then he’s suddenly meeting with Guillermo del Toro about it. What was it like to share a scene with him, as an actor? How insane was that?

CARRIGAN: It was so cool! Oh, my God, I’m allowed to flip out about it now. I kept my cool, at the time, but now, I get to actually geek out and say how wonderful it was. Guillermo, the man himself, was so sweet and so gracious, and so intelligent and open. If it were up to me, I would have basically just picked his brain, all day, about all the films that I love of his. But at the end of the day, we had a scene to shoot, and fortunately, he was amazing. We had so much fun. Him playing this really outlandish character, I just loved it. I loved every second of it. I’m so happy that worked out.

He’s definitely made no secret of how much he loves the show. What was it like to find out that he was as big a fan of the show as he is?

CARRIGAN: It’s awesome. I’m not gonna lie. It’s pretty cool because I’ve been a fan of his for such a long time, and the fact that he digs the show is so cool. We were just happy to have him, honestly, in this hilarious role.

Image via HBO

How does it feel for Hank to really see Barry for who he is now? Does that put a lot of things into perspective for him?

CARRIGAN: What’s really lovely about it is that, if you go through the entire series, you see these bread crumbs. You see these markers of Hank acknowledging that the Barry dynamic is a toxic one and he has this new, healthy thing with Cristobal (Michael Irby). It’s like that narcissistic lover who never leaves you alone and who always needs something from you. There’s part of Hank that always wants to please Barry and always wants to prove himself to Barry. Is it the most healthy thing? Absolutely not.

Hank decides to put together a group of a bunch of men, who he then decides to kill in a sand pit, which is certainly a moment. What do you think such a cold-blooded action says about him, especially since he almost kills Cristobal in the process? Why do you think he decided to make that choice to just bury them all in a sandpit at once?

CARRIGAN: In order to understand that decision, you have to backtrack a little bit to the Bolivian dungeon, in which Hank almost meets his demise. What you see throughout the season is how that really changed Hank from this goofy, aloof character to someone who is now preoccupied with his and Cristobal’s safety. When you think about it that way, all of a sudden, you see that, if Hank is trying to protect the two of them, this vulnerability in this crime utopia cannot stand with these Chechens. They will come in and wipe them out. And so, Hank has to make a decision out of the compromised position that he’s in.

Image via HBO

That’s why it’s so interesting to see the contrast between Hank not knowing that Cristobal was stuck in the sand pit and having to save him, and then being okay with having him killed in the next moment. Is there a difference in how Hank feels about what could have happened, when it would have been his fault, and what actually did happen?

CARRIGAN: It’s really tough because Hank is coming at it from the standpoint of, he had no other choice. This is what he had to do, in order to keep them both alive. But then, at the end of the day, that decision to make the hardened choice to murder all these men, and almost doing in Cristobal by accident, Hank made a choice to be ruthless. That ruthless thing ended up costing him his relationship. But at that point, Hank couldn’t turn around. He couldn’t backtrack from that point. It was the point of no return.

Does he ever stop to wonder if it’s all worth it, or can he not take the time to do that?

CARRIGAN: I don’t know. The hourglass has already been set into motion, quite literally. From that point on, it’s just all set into motion.

It’s one thing to know where things in a season are leading, but it’s another thing to read that last script. What was it like to read the last script, to see it all on paper, and to know where it would all end up?

CARRIGAN: It was so cool. I was so blown away, when I read the last script. I was floored. I was surprised. I was delighted by it. I thought, “Wow, this is something that no one is gonna to anticipate.” And I thought it was just a beautiful way to wrap things up. Obviously, it was sad that this was it and that it was the last one, but at the same time, I’m so proud of this show. I’m so honored to be a part of it and to be of service to it. I’m gonna take this experience with me, for the rest of my life.

Image via HBO

What will you miss most about playing Hank, and is he someone you’ll miss more than other characters that you’ve played?

CARRIGAN: Oh, definitely. I will definitely miss him, so much. I do miss him. Fortunately, people are constantly asking me, “Hey, can you do this in the NoHank voice?” And I’m like, “Sure!” I’m paying homage to him, keeping Hank alive. But overall, the decision to make this four seasons was the right one and the smart one, in order to keep the integrity of the show intact, but I’m always gonna remember this role and this series as the greatest thing I’ve worked on, to date.

As much as you don’t want a TV show to end, they all have to end, at some point, so it’s always better to do so when people still love it.

CARRIGAN: One hundred percent. It’s a tougher decision to make, but that being said, just for the cohesiveness of the story, it is so tight and so efficient, and it really hits the mark.

Barry airs on Sunday nights on HBO and is available to stream at HBO Max.