Lately we’ve seen an explosion of high octane, shout-filled kitchen dramas both on TV and film, but none has garnered as much hype, merch, and fan dedication as FX’s The Bear, and rightfully so. Season 1 was terrific, and against all odds, Season 2 was even better. Season 3 premiers today, June 27, on Disney+, so we spoke with the entire cast about their thoughts on the latest season, acting techniques, and, naturally, favourite Chicago eats.
Ebon [Moss-Bachrach], in Season 2, your character Richie got to work at another restaurant which really softened him and taught him a lot. How did that inform you moving forward with the character and into Season 3?
Ebon Moss-Bachrach: Season 3 picks up I think not long after Season 2 ends. And I don’t know, I think Richie is in a place where he’s sort of seen…he’s been exposed to maybe a more evolved way of being, and I think he kind of sees a path to head towards. But it’s one thing to see the path and it’s another thing to walk it. So, I think, like any kind of personal growth, it’s forward and back and there’s not a kind of clear and one-direction path.
Things were not in a great place between Richie and Carmy [played by Jeremy Allen White] when we last saw them. How will their relationship move forward as the season progresses and can they overcome the differences that they have?
Ebon Moss-Bachrach: They wake up every morning, go for a jog. You know, a little coffee klatch. No, I mean, you’ve got to watch it, right?
Jeremy Allen White: I mean, yes, Carmy is like continuing to do what he does best, which is like be incredibly avoidant of all the issues that he has going on.
Matty [Matheson], with regards to co-writing the first episode, what was that experience like? What did you bring to the table?
Matty Matheson: There’s little pieces that you grab onto throughout your life, and that’s how and what makes you who you are, the good and the bad. And in culinary school, I had this chef that told us this story about how 30 chefs made who he was and told me this story about working under all of these chefs all over Europe and working with chefs and cooks and just learning all of these different trades. And you know, it is a trade. And so, I think picking up these little skills along the way—and you never stop learning—is who you are made of, you know? The people around you. And we kind of wanted to tell a story of what and how Carmy was kind of built in that way.
Ayo [Edebiri], congratulations on directing an episode this season! Did you personally choose the script or was it a decision made with [showrunner] Chris Storer?
Ayo Edebiri: A little bit of both, I guess? Like, he had one in mind. We’re lucky enough to read all the episodes as actors beforehand, and we’d been talking about it for a while. And I know that he had one in mind, and I think he and the other producers had talked about it a bit, about how the episodes would be distributed. Because I wasn’t the only guest director this season. Our AD, Duccio Fabbri, also directed an episode. And so, I think they had in their minds who would go where a little bit. But then we had a conversation, and he was like, “Which scripts are you responding to?” And I was like, “I would literally give you my firstborn child, who does not exist yet, if I could do the Liza episode, because I would love to work with Liza in that way.” And then, he was like, “Well, we have nice little parallel thinking.”
Seasons 1 and 2 both won a lot of awards in many categories. Are you nervous about the reception of Season 3?
Ayo Edebiri: I think we were very fortunate. The first reactions to Seasons 1 and 2 was very beautiful and very exciting, but I don’t feel like we make this with that in mind. And I think the chips will fall where they may, but I’m really proud of the work that we all continue to do.
Jeremy Allen White: Yeah. We talked a lot about this, going from Season 1 to 2, is that we were really curious if we’d be able to find our own little bubble again after the first season had the success that it did. We were able to make Season 1 without any expectations whatsoever, and we were a bit uncertain if we’d be able to find that place again. And I think we did in Season 2. But I think we we were all able to kind of find that creative space with each other separate from all of the other things, which I think we’re really lucky to be able to do over and over again.
Lastly, if we’re ever in Chicago, what are your favourite spots to eat in that we have to go to?
Ebon Moss-Bachrach: Birrieria Zaragoza [everyone agrees]. What else do we got?
Lionel Boyce: Duck Duck Goat.
Ricky Staffieri: We all had a very nice meal at Viaggio in the West Loop.
Matty Matheson: I love getting a dog at Gene & Jude’s.
Jeremy Allen White: What was that ice cream spot we went to that one time?
Ricky Staffieri: Margie’s Candies.
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