The Bear sports a voluminous ensemble, with the cast having multiplied over its five-season run like ingredients in a pantry. But it all had to start from somewhere. And, when Bacharach was asked who the first person cast on the show was, it was the most logical answer."I think it wasJeremy Allen White," she says. "We really needed to know who our Carmy was in order to kind of build around him. So, yeah, I'm pretty sure it was Jeremy."She goes on to mention that series creator Christopher Storer next brought on actors like Ayo Edebiri and Lionel Boyce, both of whom he already had in mind before the casting call was put out. Once they had their chemistry reads with White (albeit over Zoom, given they were done during the pandemic), their place in the proverbial kitchen was set.
One character was originally written as a smaller part — and a man
Liza Colón-Zayas as Tina in 'The Bear'Courtesy of FX
If we're talking about character transformations, though, the gold standard has to go to Richie. As Ebon Moss-Bachrach's front-of-house manager puts it so eloquently in the final season, "I used to be a people hater, and now I’m a people lover." Indeed, over The Bear's run, we've seen him go from a misanthropic loner to finding his life's purpose and true bliss in hospitality. It's a performance simultaneously guarded and vulnerable that only Moss-Bachrach could pull off. And there's a world where he wasn't part of the show at all."Ebon was last [to be cast]," Bacharach reveals. "Ebon had been working on another project, Andor, and shooting remotely. And he had initially sort of passed on the project, like, 'Life is too busy. I can't wrap my head around this right now.'"Bacharach continued to do her due diligence and read other people for Richie. But one thought remained prevalent: It had to be him."So we circled back to him," she recalls. "We caught him at a time where his schedule and things had cleared enough that he could open his mind to it." And before you could say, "Mangia, baby!" a life-changing performance was born.Related: Who Is Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Wife? All About His Marriage to Yelena Yemchuk
The biggest thing to look for when casting The Bear
Suffice it to say, the cast of The Bear spanned a huge variety of ages, backgrounds, and notoriety. But, no matter whether they were looking at an affluent Emmy winner or someone finding their big break, Bacharach says there's always a common denominator she and Storer looked at when casting the show."We really needed to have people who are fast on their feet," she explains. "Who can improv, who can roll with it, who can hold their own against these cast members. The speed with which they work, and that sort of rawness and realness. As things evolved, how this show was shot, and the tone, which was important in sort of thinking about who we can drop in."The Bear dialogue is peppery, to put it mildly. And in order to be an ingredient on this five-season plate, they needed to bring the heat!
The secret behind The Bear's celebrity casting
Jamie Lee Curtis as Donna in 'The Bear'Courtesy of FX
There's, of course, a big to-do about the number of famous faces who have been cast on The Bear. But that extends outside the realm of Hollywood. Considering its setting, the show made sure to bring real-life chefs into the fray as well. Of course, there's Matty Matheson, who wound up becoming a major part of the show as comic foil Neil Fak. But perhaps the primary example is Christopher Zucchero, whose restaurant "Mr. Beef" inspired the central location at the start of the series. Additionally, he appeared throughout the show as Chi-Chi, one of The Beef's employees, truly merging the fictional world of the show and its real-life counterpart."That goes back to Chris," says Bacharach. "He has this instinct about people that they will be able to deliver. He just really has this unbelievable eye and instinct in people who will work. So many of our culinary people were people who have been involved in the show in some way, in consulting, or sort of just being there as friends of the show. So that was Chris just reaching out. And who doesn't want to be on The Bear?!"Related: Does Ayo Edebiri Have a Boyfriend? Inside ‘The Bear’ Star’s Dating History
One actor initially appeared on The Bear in a completely different role
(L-R) Ricky Staffieri as Ted Fak, John Cena as Sammy Fak on 'The Bear'Courtesy of FX
Rob Reiner graced The Bear with his presence in Season 4, playing Albert Schnur, a businessman and mentor to Ebrahim (Edwin Lee Gibson). Tragically, it would be one of the final on-screen roles for the iconic actor and director before his death in late 2025. And Bacharach reveals the Hollywood icon was their first choice for the role, considering the unique role Albert served in the show."With Chris, we started talking about ideas, and it went from talking about actors to talking about writers to then talking about directors, because of this mentor aspect to the character," she explains. "So we were thinking about directors. And certainly the fact that Rob had also acted was an additional bonus. How lucky we were to have had that experience with him!"Related: ‘The Bear’ Pays Tribute To Rob Reiner In Series Finale
Why The Bear Season 5 didn't have any big celebrity cameos
The guest star The Bear crew went craziest for
While Season 5 lays off on bringing in the A-listers, it still rolls out the red carpet (albeit a sopping wet one) for a Chicago legend. One of the guests dining during that fateful night is Tom Skilling, a meteorologist who worked for WGN-TV from 1978 to 2024. When Richie reveals the VIP for the night, Sydney is absolutely gleeful, declaring her love for the weatherman. And that apparently mimicked the mood behind the camera as well."I think Tom might have been the person who the crew was most excited about," Bacharach says. "I mean, we've had some big people on the show. But the crew members who were local Chicago [natives] were so nervous. He was a big star. Just seeing people line up to get to shake his hand. He couldn't have been kinder. And he fit into our world beautifully; he improv'd [all of his dialogue]. It was great."
Related: 'The Bear' Series Finale Ending Explained: Did Carmy Leave the Restaurant?
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