Ebon Moss-Bachrach interview: ‘We’re nearing the end of The Bear’

Despite being the star of one of the biggest shows on the planet about Michelin-starred eateries, The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach isn’t a fan of haute cuisine. “I don’t like fine dining, per se,” he tells me when we meet at London’s Corinthia hotel. 

Yet he likes good food: on another recent trip to London, he was thrilled to find some culinary gems and is keen to share tips. “I like Rochelle Canteen; I also ate at a place called Rita’s that was really good.” He loves cooking for his wife, Yelena Yemchuk, the Ukrainian artist and photographer, and his two teenage daughters at home in New York, where he’s a dab hand in the kitchen (impressive images of his homemade bread can be found on his Instagram). He’s also keen on stress-free dining experiences. “I like to be in a relaxed dining room,” he laughs. 

Relaxed isn’t how you’d describe The Bear, the show that’s given Moss-Bachrach the role of a lifetime via highly-strung restaurant manager Richie. It follows the story of Richie and his “cousin”, Jeremy Allen White’s chef, Carmy, and the latter’s quest to turn the family sand­wich joint into the best restaurant in Chicago. Yet tempers between the two frequently flare: in the latest series, which arrived on Disney+ last week, the pair yell “f--- you” at each other for a good 10 minutes during their first scene together. 

Are those scenes as stressful to create as they are to observe? “It does take some energy, but they’re also a dream to film,” the 47-year-old smiles, his gentle voice and quiet demeanour a world away from the deafening Richie. His relationship with Allen White couldn’t be further away from what we see on screen, too: the pair frequently meet up outside of work. “He has a guitar in his apartment, but I’ve never heard him play it… or sing,” he smiles, discussing Allen White’s upcoming stint as Bruce Spring­steen in a new biopic. “I would always pick it up when we were hanging out, learning lines.”

As a child, Moss-Bachrach loved music and learnt to play the piano, while his dad ran a community music school in rural Massachusetts, where he grew up. He had ambitions to be a jazz musician: “I was completely deluded about that. I was never good enough or disciplined enough.” He also loved film and theatre, too, but wasn’t sure how a kid from the sticks could land a break. “I never thought of it as a viable job option when I was young,” he remembers, mentioning that he had toyed with another career path altogether. “I wanted to be a detective!” 

There were odd jobs along the way, including a summer as a caterer while he was a student of English and music at Columbia University. “I would serve appetisers and drinks and stuff at fancy weddings in Connecticut,” he recalls. “I had, like, a little clip-on bow-tie, and I think they were paying $20 an hour, which was great money to me. I was excited, and all the other caterers who had been there for some time were very cynical and really over it. They called me Speedy, because I was ebullient. I was an enthusiastic caterer.” 

It was a short-lived career, however, after he struggled to serve from a heavy tray stacked full of appetisers that towered high above his lofty 6ft 1in frame. “It fell over and just exploded onto this woman’s dress,” he laughs. “I got fired.” 

Now, however, Moss-Bachrach is one of the most in-demand actors in America. With the arrival of The Bear’s new season, he’s on a whirlwind global press tour. He arrived here less than 24 hours ago, but must fly straight back to the US as soon as our interview finishes. He’s dressed smartly, like season-three Richie, in a sharp navy-blue Prada two-piece with a white polo, but seems exhausted with jet lag, his piercing blue eyes looking tired. 

Still, he says he wouldn’t have it any other way: his job brings him the same excitement today as it did when he got his “lucky break” in 1997 after being cast in a play called Dead End, at the Williamstown ­Theatre Festival. One of his first on-screen gigs was in Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums, and later in Mona Lisa Smile as Kirsten Dunst’s cousin.

Theatre followed, before a big break in Lena Dunham’s seminal Girls – a television show about millennial women navigating life in the Noughties, which is currently undergoing a revival among Gen Z. This pleases him. “I’m proud of the work I made on that show. I agree with the assessment of Girls as a deeply important cultural moment. I think it ushered in a more personal and confessional TV show that we didn’t have before. I mean, without Girls, we probably wouldn’t have The Bear.”

Arguably, Moss-Bachrach’s highlight in The Bear was in the season two episode “Forks”, in which Richie undergoes a huge transformation after being sent to work with the inspirational Chef Terry, played by Olivia Colman. After hitting rock bottom, Richie finds his self-worth again – something that culminates in a euphonic moment where he sings along to Taylor Swift’s Love Story in his car. 

The moment went viral with Swifties, who called for a real-life duet with Taylor. “That’s sweet,” he says, happy but bemused. Would he do it if the call came? “I guess I’d have to think about it,” he laughs. “I have a feeling that call probably won’t come. I’m not waiting around for that call!” He says the scene was “a highlight” of his time on the show. “So rarely in life, in movies, do we get to see somebody celebrate in a very full way with [all] their heart and really live out a victory at level 10. I was very happy that he got to have a chance to celebrate, to have a big win.”

Moss-Bachrach had his own big win back in January, landing a Primetime Emmy for his portrayal of Richie. He’s had plenty of other pinch-yourself moments this year, too, such as being cast as The Thing in Marvel’s Fantastic Four, following last year’s role in the acclaimed Star Wars spinoff Andor. Growing up, Moss-Bachrach was into comic books and sci-fi, so this Marvel role is “a dream”, plus a chance to “break away from reality for a little while” after the intensity of The Bear. “I’m hoping in many ways it’s a return to youth, like playing with my friends behind my house.” As a child, Moss-Bachrach would play Dungeons & Dragons – “I was not cool” – and with Star Wars figures. He struggled with nerves on the set of Andor at first: “The full weight of being in the galaxy far, far away dropped in quickly.”

He is known as a serious “actor’s actor” in the industry: does he have any thoughts on those who criticise Marvel parts for not being “proper acting”, on account of their green-screen work? “I think if you’re going to a Marvel movie and ­expecting Chekhov, that seems like a mistake,” he says. “I’m into epics. I like spectacle and world creation,” which he says is what Marvel is all about.  

There could be plenty of other spectacles on the horizon for Moss-Bachrach, too: Steven Spielberg is a fan. “I’d obviously love to work with him,” he beams proudly. But first there is The Bear to finish, which could be ending sooner than we think. “I feel like we’re getting near to the end of The Bear. It seems like that story is wrapping up to me,” he admits. He doesn’t say when, but with seasons three and four having been filmed back-to-back, it feels like season four could be the last. 

He says he’ll be sad to walk away from Richie, who’s “very dear to me”, and the cast, who are one of the most close-knit he’s ever worked with. “I’ve been doing this a long time, and you definitely don’t always get that. Everyone is lovely.”
But he admits he also hates standing still. “The thought of playing a lawyer on TV for 10 years, that feels a little bit too much like being a lawyer, you know? I’m not cut out for that kind of work. I’m restless, so I like to keep it moving.” 

Indeed, he’s going to be on the move very soon, but first there’s time for a pause via a rel­axed, stress-free feast. “Is lunch in here?” he asks a press rep eagerly, before grabbing a plate and tucking in.

All episodes of The Bear are available now on Disney+