Expectations are increasing as the hyped "The Bear" returns. Both in the fictional restaurant kitchen and for the actors in reality.
The pressure is really on, says lead actor Jeremy Allen White.
At the premiere in 2022, the situation was different. Then "The Bear" was a nerdy little restaurant drama with a small budget and a group of unknown actors.
Two years later, the series is a cultural phenomenon. Accolades and Emmy statuettes have poured in, and famous actors are queuing up to play guest roles.
They have more to prove now. And it felt that way during the latest filming, admits Jeremy Allen White, who plays the troubled star chef Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto.
I hadn't worked between seasons two and three, and we came directly from the success of the gala season, so I was very worried. I knew the script was strong and that we had all the opportunities, but the pressure is really on, he says at an international press conference ahead of the new premiere.
"Our little bubble"
On the other hand, they did manage to repeat the success with the second season, he reasons.
Then we were curious to see if we could find our way back into our little bubble again after the success. We managed to make the first season without any expectations and we were a bit unsure if we could find our way back to that place.
In the series' plot, they also have a lot to prove. With great effort, Carmy and the gang have transformed the family's rundown burger joint in Chicago into a star-studded restaurant with huge ambitions. Now it's about delivering. But Carmy's perfectionism and generally messed-up psyche threaten to ruin both the restaurant and love life and family.
Grief continues
Besides food love, dysfunctional relationships, and kitchen bickering, unresolved grief is a leitmotif in "The Bear". Even in the third season, explains Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who has become a public favorite as the charming troublemaker cousin Richie.
I would say that one of the strengths of the series and one of the reasons why so many people have taken it to heart is the grief that flows through us all. It may be the only thing that all people really have in common. So that continues, and everyone deals with grief in their own way. Or not at all, he says.
In Sweden, "The Bear" season three premieres on Disney+ on July 17. All episodes will be available simultaneously on the streaming service.
Drama comedy that revolves around a restaurant in Chicago. The cast includes, among others, Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, and Liza Colón-Zayas. Created by Christopher Storer.
In the latest season, several famous actors appeared in guest roles, including Jamie Lee Curtis and Olivia Colman.
Had its premiere in the summer of 2022 and got a big breakthrough. At this year's Emmy gala, the series took home awards for, among other things, best comedy series, best male actor, and best male and female supporting roles in a comedy series. The third season, which has already premiered in the US, has received a mixed reception from critics.
