In the second season of The Bear, the main characters split up. This decision was met with critical acclaim, with the series’s second season having a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. According to The Hollywood Reporter, however, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Punisher, Girls), who plays Richie, the manager of the restaurant, the second season was tinged with sadness.
“I knew ahead of time that there was going to be less of everyone together in the restaurant, which I kind of mourned,” he said. “It’s really fun for me to have a day with everyone together, and those kitchen scenes feel very volatile alive — and it’s just a really nice group of people and I enjoy spending the day with them.”
Moss-Bachrach talks about the loneliness he felt while playing Richie this season. “I embraced it because I think that was similar to the way Richie was feeling,” he said. “I was in a very strange, inhospitable environment. For a couple of days, I don’t think any other actors were there. It felt like I was in a completely different show, and to some degree I was.”
Another element Moss-Bachrach talked about was his character’s relationship with Tiffany Jerimovich, played by Gillian Jacobs (Community, Come Play), and his work with the show’s director Christopher Storer (Ramy, Eighth Grade). “Well, that’s the work that I think all actors do by themselves,” he said. “You have to fill in so blanks, and if I have questions then I can ask Chris and he’s always very happy to talk about it. But for the most part, I’m really happy to do that work by myself, and I also don’t know how important it is that it aligns with Chris’ idea. I think it’s nice when there is a discrepancy in interpretation.”
Read the full interview here. The Bear is now streaming on Hulu.