They were both pretty popular 10+ years ago, so you may have been old for a while. Or you just don’t watch Marvel stuff and/or other more recent fantasy TV lol
Deborah Ann Woll played in True Blood, then was cast into the Marvel universe through Daredevil, then Punisher. Bernthal played Punisher in the series of the same name, and in The Walking Dead before that.
This is how I see it too. His intentions were pure - he wanted the ring’s power to save Gondor. The Ring corrupted and exploited those desires. In the books, we know his immediate thoughts were for the people of Gondor and the hobbits he felt like he failed, and he gave his life to defend their escape.