You can't pick your family, but you can certainly cast them. At least, that's the job of Jeanie Bacharach when it came to creating the critically acclaimed ensemble of The Bear. The Emmy winner was responsible for filling out the proverbial (and sometimes literal) kitchen staff of the hit culinary drama, finding just the right people to bring to life the complicated characters that have kept fans' appetites whet for half a decade. With the series having come to a close with its fifth and final season on June 25, Parade got the opportunity to talk with Bacharach about, for lack of a better term, how the sausage gets made. Here are the ten most delicious nuggs from the conversation, including which character was initially written with the opposite gender, one actor who originally appeared in a completely different role, and which of the many celebrity guest stars the crew geeked out over the most.?SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox ?
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
While the characters of The Bear have undergone an incredible metamorphosis from Seasons 1 to 5, one of the most notable among them is Tina. The sassy line cook at The Beef came into the series incredibly guarded of the new "Jeffs" of Carmy and Sydney. But the more she opened her mind, the more she learned, rising to become CDC of The Bear by the end of the series. Tina was a fundamental part of the show's lifeblood through its entire run, and earned Liza Colón-Zayas an Emmy in the process. But, according to Bacharach, the character looked quite different before her audition."Liza's character was originally written as a man," she reveals. "And then they changed that. And she was initially, I believe, just going to be a recurring character. And she's just so dynamite that they had her [stay]."It's heartwarming to know that, much like Tina, Colón-Zayas was able to earn her own promotion, showcasing why she was the perfect person to play this character — gender be damned.
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
Like many successful shows, after The Bear enjoyed massive acclaim for its first season, everyone was looking for ways to do it bigger and better in Season 2. Nowhere is that more prevalent than in the iconic episode "Fishes." Taking a break from the havoc of the present day, the hour-long episode takes a deep dive into the tumultuous and toxic dynamic of the Berzatto family. And the chaotic clan features a bevy of notable names, including Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, John Mulaney and Jamie Lee Curtis. And, surprisingly, Bacharach went into casting "Fishes" flying blind."I wasn't given the script before," she says. "With Chris, we started talking about it early on. When your show is successful, it, you know, it's a great place to be able to operate from. So certainly the success of the show, you know, allowed for us to sort of reach out to people that might not have jumped in in Season 1 without sort of knowing what the show is. It would become a wish list, like, 'What if Jamie Lee wants to do it? I mean, she's about to win an Oscar, but what the heck!'"Bacharach and her team didn't know until after the fact, but getting Curtis on board was even easier than they may have thought. Allegedly, the Oscar winner had watched the first season when it came out. And, when the character of Donna, the Berzatto matriarch, was mentioned, she turned to her husband, Christopher Guest, and said, "I'm going to play that role."As much as the show was eager to jump at the chance to cast Curtis (who would go on to win an Emmy for the role), they knew the importance of certain characters. Another big example, and award-winner in his own right, is Jon Bernthal. While Bacharach obviously had no idea how much he would appear throughout the series as Carmy's deceased brother Mikey, his spiritual presence in the story meant that extra consideration was needed."These characters have loomed so large in our story already," Bacharach muses. "The role of Michael, he had so little to do in that first season. But it was so important for us to understand how huge that character was in these people's lives, and how complicated that relationship was. And the same for Donna. It was about finding people who could be both enormous personalities and impactful. But still remain grounded, still find the humor, still find the humanity in these people."
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
The Fak family is one of the most polarizing parts of The Bear's fandom, considering how the shenanigans of the siblings seemed to only expand over time in both stakes and size. We saw a couple of celebrities get into the ring to lend their face to a Fak, including John Cena and Brie Larson. But the dynamic duo at the center are Neil (Matheson) and Ted (Ricky Staffieri). And, shockingly, Bacharach says that the latter actually originally appeared on The Bear in an entirely different role."Ricky's a great story," she recalls. "Ricky originally auditioned for and booked a role in the first season of the show as someone at the Al-Anon meeting. He did a beautiful job. But then the role ended up being cut for story purposes and time."Luckily, an opportunity came around during "Fishes" to play the happy-go-luck-handyman. And Staffieri got his second bite of the proverbial apple, a role he stuck with through the show's finale."The fact that he then got the opportunity to be this character that just took off, I mean, you could not have imagined that it was going to go from this one small part into something major. It was so disappointing when they had to cut the part, and then this other opportunity arose." His performance as Ted, much like the character in Season 5, was through the roof.
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
As mentioned above, The Bear has gained a reputation for bringing in a wide range of celebrities to portray a wide range of characters in Chicago. Interestingly, however, for its final go-round, the show went much simpler. The vast majority of Season 5 focused on one long, memorable, hellacious service, bringing the focus back to the restaurant at its core. Of course, Curtis still had some significant scenes, and the last moments of the series featured cameos from Mulaney, Odenkirk, Josh Hartnett and others. But, surprisingly, there were no big guest stars in the final season of The Bear. And Bacharach reveals that's completely by design."I think Chris had a very specific idea in mind for this season," she says. "There wasn't the same opportunity to kind of bring new people in just because of the structure of Season 5."
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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