Episode notes

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 24: Vincent D’Onofrio attends the Daredevil: Born Again red-carpet launch event at The Hudson Theater on February 24, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Disney)

Vincent D’Onofrio is a remarkably physical, remarkably versatile actor. He played Gomer Pyle in Full Metal Jacket. For ten years, he starred as detective Robert Goren on Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Now, he’s in the Marvel series Daredevil. He plays Kingpin, the crime overlord supervillain and foil to Charlie Cox’s Daredevil character. Earlier this month, Disney+ revived the show as Daredevil: Born Again.

Kingpin is a formidable part of Marvel’s television shows, appearing in Hawkeye and Echo as well as Daredevil. D’Onofrio’s portrayal of Kingpin is no less formidable. His voice and physicality have been carefully crafted by the actor. In the past, D’Onofrio even changed his own physical appearance, gaining and keeping weight to play the part.

We talk about some of his most memorable earlier roles as an alien piloting a human body in Men in Black, and a guest appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street. We also talk about how an actor accesses these grand characters through physical and emotional inspirations, as well as the Kingpin costume made of material developed by NASA.