Eventhe trailerdidn’t quite convey what the show was.
When did you first realize that it had become a phenomenon?
It happened pretty quick, right?
Ebon Moss-Bachrach in ‘The Bear’.Matt Dinerstein/FX
And this person, this great chef."
So it feels like that authenticity was a big component.
Jeremy talked about it, certainly.
Checking in with ‘The Bear’ star Ebon Moss-Bachrach.Mirabelle Moss
Matty and Chris [Storer, the show’s creator].
It really felt like a calling, to make an honest portrayal of the kitchen.
It felt like it’s been something that’s been so romanticized in so many different shows.
Tell me about how the project came to you.
Was it an easything to say yes to?
It just sort of slipped through the cracks.
And my agent, to his credit, called me two weeks later.
I mean, this character of Richie was written so well.
It just was so beautifully formed, and there was so much life on the page.
And I remember I had to do a Skype audition with Jeremy.
F— that!
Are you f—ing out of your f–in' mind?"
You know, just screaming.
“[Laughs]
In your own life you’re a Massachusetts guy, and a Brooklyn guy.
Was there a crash course in Chicago lore you had to go through?
Well, I think the essence of the guy is not specific to Chicago.
you might find him in New York, you might definitely find him in Massachusetts.
This is like a particular Chicago sort of a manifestation of that energy.
And so yeah, I spent a lot of time in dive bars and in Italian restaurants.
I ate a lot of meatballs.
I ate a lot of calamari, in service of this project.
And it was such a joy to take this deep dive.
Chicago’s got so much pride.
And there’s also a sort of a Midwestern warmth and friendliness.
People are very willing to just talk to you.
And that was so, so helpful in making this guy.
Having three different conversations going at once.
And so I guess years of doing that in my own house, it felt very comfortable.
I mean I bake a lot, and my arms are just covered with scars from oven racks.
Was every scene onThe Beartightly scripted, or was there room for riffing and for improv on set?
They were very clear about wanting us to play with things.
And my reaction was fairly different every time.
Sometimes it hurt a lot.
Sometimes I was so angry with her.
And the take that they used, I feel like Richie’s like, “Of course.
Of course I got stabbed.”
I mean, a little redemption goes a long way.
There are very clear reasons to me why Richie’s acting the way he does.
The desperation motivates so much of that behavior.
So to me, it’s all really justified.
I mean, I think he’s deeply insensitive to a lot of other people.
But he has his back to the wall from before the show even starts.
So when the stakes are like that, there’s room to do anything.
When you’re fighting for your life, anything goes.
WasThe Punisherwhere you first met him?
To be totally honest, no.
And that was Jon Bernthal.
He never got to go on, but he was so cool and nice.
I just think he’s such a good actor, and such a great dude.
Well to switch lanes a little bit, this April marked the 10th anniversary of the launch ofGirls.
I think it’s such an important show.
I know for me it was really important.
Did you just sort of stay in touch and stay friendly with Lena?
Come hang out with your friend Jon Bernthal!”
That’s exactly right, yeah.
She was like, “I wrote this weird character.
Can you come to L.A. in December?”
But I haven’t even seen the movie yet.
Do you share that fascination?
Doesn’t everybody kind of always want to pretend that they’re someone that they’re not?
I mean, it seems so tempting, right?
It seems really human to me.
There’s so much literature, and so much art about the con man.
And Elizabeth Holmes, that’s like some good old-fashioned con stuff.
When people come up to you, do you usually know what role they’re recognizing you for?
What do fans generally tend to want from you when they approach you about your work?
People come up to me a lot and they’ll be like, “You’re an actor.”
I say, “Yeah.”
And they say, “What do I know you from?”
And I venture to read them, and then offer something up.
And I’ve been so delightfully wrong so much of the time.
But I think probably the things that have had the furthest reach have beenThe PunisherandGirls, probably.
But the other day, somebody came up to me aboutJohn Adams.
So I don’t know.
I think I can tell you that it comes out on September 21st.
And that Stellan Skarsgard and Diego Luna are in it.
It must be pretty wild, to join a franchise of that size.
You have to really, you know you’ve got to show up.
You’re like, “Can we just go back to stabbing me in the ass?”
What is the schedule for season two ofThe Bear?
Where does it go from here?
They’re figuring it out.
I think we probably start shooting sometime early next year, but I really don’t know anything.
They’re smarter people than me, and they have a plan.
Have you watched the show yet?
Do you generally tend to watch your work when it’s finished?
And I’m powerless at that point to do anything about it.
But there was no way I was not going to watch this one, because I was so curious.
It felt to me like a skate video from the ’90s, it was so crazy and anarchic.
It took me a couple viewings.
And Yelena was like, “Actually, no.
You’re being crazy.
It’s really cool.”
They’re 11 and 15.
And it’s nice that you’re a big part of that.
And the fact that so many people are responding to is really heartwarming.
I feel like a cheeseball, but it’s just, it’s really nice.
