Casting The Bear's Star-Studded Season 2 Episode Was A 'Leap Of Faith' From The Showrunners
During the opening moments of the sixth episode of "The Bear" season 2, titled "Fishes," I found myself wondering: did the team behind this show just invite every celebrity who asked to be on it during awards season? By episode's end, I was thoroughly convinced that the star-studded special pulled the whole endeavor off, but I don't think I was alone in wondering what the hell was going on. Not only did recent Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis stop by to play Carmy's emotionally volatile mother, but "Better Call Saul" star Bob Odenkirk, "American Horror Story" regular Sarah Paulson, comedian John Mulaney, and "Community" actress Gillian Jacobs all made appearances as well.
"Fishes" frankly contains a mind-boggling number of famous faces, but nearly everyone manages to blend into the fabric of the show eventually, with the hour-long episode demonstrating the depths of the Berzatto family's dysfunction as relatives assemble for a chaotic holiday dinner. While no one has confirmed my unfounded "this whole thing came together over the course of a single awards show party" theory, casting director Jeanie Bacharach did speak to IndieWire about the process of getting so many A-listers on the show. In short: Curtis was in the conversation all along, Odenkirk had that Chicago cred the show loves, and apparently, the casting process did not involve chemistry reads.
When asked if she tested any of the new castmates together (actors reading together is a common audition step), Bacharach confirmed that "nobody read" ahead of being cast. She says that co-showrunners Christopher Storer (also the show's creator) and Joanna Calo already had an understanding "of who these people are and who fits," and it came down to a matter of having "a sense of people who you know are coming to do the show for the right reasons."
'It's just about people with heart coming to tell the story'
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.
The casting choices pay off
Though these actors didn't show up for the spotlight, each of them shone in a specific way. Odenkirk doesn't initially disappear into the role as Uncle Lee, a family member we've heard about before, but by the episode's end, the character's true self — a judgemental boomer-type who gets off on putting Mikey down — comes to light. Jacobs' character Tiffany, then Richie's pregnant wife, doesn't do too much here but gets a meatier, more emotional role in the next episode. And while it's hard to see John Mulaney as anyone but John Mulaney, he eventually pulls off the role of Michelle's geeky boyfriend Steven when it comes time for the climactic prayer scene. According to Bacharach, the shoot was pretty special. "Chris and Joanna were both talking about how on just even the first couple of days of filming on that episode, like, it was just magical," she tells IndieWire.
She also answers another question that may have been on viewers' minds, saying, "This was not a big paycheck for anybody, it was not about money for anybody. It was really about wanting to be a part of this show." Ultimately, she says, Storer and Calo's decision to cast these celebs comes down to trust: "I think you're just taking a leap of faith knowing what you know about these actors and how they will come and land in this world."
It's a testament to the show's writing and the chemistry of the actors that by the end of the hour, the leap of faith paid off. "Fishes" is one of the best episodes of an already-great show, and regardless of how the blessed miracle of its cast came to be, the celebrity ensemble somehow works wonders.
"The Bear" season 2 is now streaming on Hulu.