Actor Jon Bernthal -- known for his roles as Shane Walsh on The Walking Dead and Frank Castle/the Punisher on both Marvel's Daredevil and Marvel's The Punisher -- believes that true masculinity comes from empathy and compassion, not bombast and stubbornness.

During Bernthal's recent appearance on Hot Ones, host Sean Evans brought up the actor's role as Johnny Soprano, father of Tony Soprano, in the new film The Many Saints of Newark, which serves as a prequel to HBO's The Sopranos. Evans noted that the character of Tony Soprano has often been credited with ushering in a "whole new era of masculinity" on television and asked Bernthal to explain his relationship with the "tough guy" characters he himself often portrays.

RELATED: The Many Saints of Newark Trailer Digs Into the Sopranos Family History

"I just think that there's this thing that's going on right now -- it's everywhere, it's in our politics, it's in our entertainment, it's in our media -- where, sort of, the rigidity and unbending, sort of, just inability to move off of your opinion. That is being confused with, sort of, patriotism and strength and masculinity, to say 'it's my way or the highway' -- where I think that, for me, that's the most un-American thing in the world."

Bernthal continued, "As far as being a man, I think you need to be able to talk to anybody. You need to be confident enough in yourself that you know that you can make a mistake, that you can learn from everyone, that you should approach and engage in dialogue with people that think completely differently than you. The people that I really respect and admire in my life all have that. I think people who actually walk the walk, that don't just talk about it, they all kind of live by that code -- that you're constantly trying to get better, you're constantly trying to grow. It's not about implementing my will on you."

RELATED: Charlie Cox Wants Bernthal, Ritter to Bring Punisher, Jessica Jones Into the MCU

Circling back to the topic of masculinity, Bernthal explained, "I feel like it's sort of been bastardized in this way that, again, it's about the bombast and it's about looking tough. But, you know, having empathy for people, having compassion for people, helping people, wanting to be the kind of person that will be there for someone in need -- that's what I think being a dad's about, being a man's about. And I certainly... that's how I'm trying to raise my boys, to have an open heart towards everyone."

The Many Saints of Newark is playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max now.

KEEP READING: Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal Reportedly Return For The Accountant 2

Source: YouTube