As season three of The Bear is released, Ebon Moss-Bachrach talks about the surprising character arc of Cousin Richie, and the unconventional, award-winning storytelling of the show
Pairing fine dining with fine writing, The Bear is a TV show that deserves a Michelin star. Instead, Christopher Storer’s acclaimed drama returns for its third season with a slew of Emmy Awards: best comedy, best directing, best writing and a trio of acting trophies for Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. The Bear, then, is undeniably popular and, a few days after the premiere of season three, Moss-Bachrach admits that there was renewed pressure. “It was slightly stressful that the show had won a bunch of awards,” says the 47-year-old actor, who plays ‘Cousin’ Richie. “You want to deliver because it feels like it’s very meaningful to people.”
Launched in June 2022, The Bear started out as a frenetic, grease-on-the-wall depiction of a Chicago restaurant called The Beef. The building was disgusting, the staff made a mockery of HR standards, but the sandwiches were succulent enough to justify the tantrums – well, perhaps. One episode, Review, all shot in one take and culminating in an accidental stabbing of Richie, epitomised the joyful chaos. In season two, the writers took a gamble: The Beef was replaced by The Bear, a fancy establishment that opened in the final episode. Thus, with season three, it’s like a brand-new show, with brand-new energy: the opener is practically a 30-minute montage; one episode, directed by Edebiri, focuses solely on Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas); another is a two-hander between Natalie (Abby Elliott) and Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis).
What’s consistent, though, is the fact that Richie is a scene-stealer. A cussing cousin who’s not literally a cousin, Richie began as an outsider to the fine-dining world: in the infamous season two episode Forks, he embarks on shifts at a restaurant with three Michelin stars and, witnessing the craft, mutters in front of customers, “Fuck me.” From then on, Richie has donned a suit, a new look he’s taken into season three for leading the front of house. “Identity is tricky,” says Moss-Bachrach. “Change can be glacial and incremental, and maybe not mono-directional. It’s easy to put a suit on, but to really change yourself on the inside and how you communicate, that’s not so easy. Meaningful change takes work.”
For Richie, in season three, that meaningful change involves co-parenting with Tiffany (Gillian Jacobs), his ongoing feud with Carmy (White), and fighting for colleagues amid tensions between front and back of house. “He’s reading books,” Moss-Bachrach explains. “He’s trying to control his impulses, and maybe not say the first thing that pops into his head. He’s trying to listen more. But he’s 47 years old and has been behaving a certain way for a long time. It’s easier said than done.” Then again, is the suit a facade, with the same character underneath? “A suit will change the way you are in your body,” he says. “But I’m trying to shout less. There’s volume stuff I’m changing in the performance. But I definitely feel like I’m playing the same person I was playing in season one.”
Outside of The Bear, Moss-Bachrach has built up a steady filmography over the years, albeit mainly in supporting roles. In his early twenties, he had a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo in The Royal Tenenbaums; in his thirties, he gained more attention in 25 episodes of Lena Dunham’s Girls as Marnie’s guitar-playing boyfriend Desi. Now a major name through The Bear, Moss-Bachrach has found a new thing: playing The Thing in Marvel’s upcoming Fantastic Four. Still, I cite a New York Times interview from 2005 in which he claimed to be “more a character actor than a leading man”. Two decades on, he dismisses his past words. “I don’t believe in these binaries. Character actor, leading man, comedy, drama – these things seem oversimplified and not a very interesting way to go through life.” But is it exciting that his role in The Bear means he can play more protagonists? “I don’t think about things that way.”
In terms of shaping Richie, Moss-Bachrach describes collaborating with Christopher Storer, the showrunner, and taking inspiration from real people in Storer’s life. “I have my own take on [Richie],” says Moss-Bachrach. “Somewhere in the middle, we created the character.” He explains that some details, such as Richie’s adoration of Philip K Dick, stem from his own passions. “People don’t assume Richie is a reader based on his behaviour. I like to challenge people’s oversimplified assumptions.”
As The Bear has always had its new episodes uploaded in one batch, it’s inevitably been consumed by bingers. However, it’s a novelistic show, not unlike Mad Men, and would probably benefit from breathing space in between episodes. That, I suspect, has contributed to the general critical consensus that season three didn’t meet the highs of season two. Ironically, season three’s main arc revolves around how a review can make or break a restaurant. I ask Moss-Bachrach if he reads write-ups by journalists. “Some actors are obsessed with reviews. Personally, I’m not,” he says. “There’s nothing I can do when a review comes out. It’s not going to change my work one way or another. I’ve already shot the season.” But couldn’t feedback be applied to the next season? “I have more interesting things to do with my time.”
Throughout our conversation, it’s apparent that Moss-Bachrach knows he’s struck gold – or whatever Emmy trophies are made out of – with The Bear, and he’s eager to praise the scripts whenever possible. “The writing is so strong that you say the words, and it takes care of you,” he says. “The scene just happens.” When I suggest that the show’s popularity allowed Storer to take more storytelling risks with season three, and can continue to do so in season four, the actor pushes back. “You might be right,” he says. “But the show has been bold from the very beginning. If you look at the first episode of the show, it’s crazy; it’s cutting and cross-cutting between videogames. To me, it reminded me of a skate movie from the 90s. The creators and directors have always told the story in an unconventional way.”
Seasons 1-3 of The Bear are streaming now on Disney+.