Casting The Bear’s Star-Studded Season 2 Episode Was A ‘Leap Of Faith’ From The Showrunners

It’s no surprise that any number of actors were hungry for a spot on “The Bear” after the roaring success of its first season, which is eligible for this year’s Emmy cycle for the first time but has already earned a Critics Choice Award, Film Independent Spirit Award, and American Film Institute Award, among others. While Bacharach doesn’t specify what the “right reasons” are, I can imagine some folks might gravitate toward coveted guest spots in hopes of earning accolades or getting a standout moment on screen.

According to Bacharach, that wasn’t the case with any of the actors who ended up in “Fishes.” “They were there to serve the piece, they were excited to be there and ready to work,” she tells IndieWire, adding, “It was not about ‘I need my moment. I need to shine. I need the scene to be about me.’ I think it’s just about people with heart coming to tell the story.” 

That heart shone through in an episode full of funny highs and painful lows for Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), his brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal), his sister Natalie (Abby Elliott), and the rest of the family. Curtis’s matriarch, Donna, lingers around the edges of each scene like a bomb waiting to go off, though her kids never seem sure whether she’ll explode outward or collapse in on herself. Paulson also gets a great moment as a cousin named Michelle, who seems to have achieved some sense of peace that escapes the rest of the family.