Major spoilers for The Bear Season 2 lie ahead, so read at your own risk.
Another season of The Bear has come and gone, and it did not disappoint in the slightest. Hulu and FX’s acclaimed restaurant drama more than rose to the occasion for its second season, as it held onto what fans loved about Season 1 while also expanding on the show’s mythos. In doing so, the producers brought in a number of A+ guest stars, including Jamie Lee Curtis and the returning Jon Bernthal. The two were able to share the screen together, and their characters have a “complicated” relationship to say the least. Yet the actors themselves seem to have gotten on quite well, and Bernthal recently shared a sweet story about how they met before filming the show.
On The Bear, the Ford v. Ferrari alum plays the role of Michael "Mikey" Berzatto, the former operator of Chicago eatery The Beef, who died by suicide shortly before the events of the show. With that, the character has appeared via flashbacks and returned in Season 2 during a Christmas episode set several years in the past. The same installment, “Fishes,” also introduces fans to Berzatto family matriarch Donna, who Jamie Lee Curtis portrays. Both stars are absolutely impeccable as their respective characters, who both have issues to sort out.
Jon Bernthal spoke to Variety about the intense episode, which featured a number of major guest stars including Bob Odenkirk and Sarah Paulson. The trade asked Bernthal if he’d ever met any of his famous co-stars before collaborating on the hit series. It was then that the jovial star mentioned Jamie Lee Curtis and how her husband, Christopher Guest, played a part in the meeting:
I’d met Jamie Lee Curtis years and years earlier. I did a movie with Christopher Guest and met her then. It was so cool, and she actually flew out to visit Chris with my girlfriend, who’s now my wife. They got along so well, so it was really, really cool to see her. Everybody in that episode… I can’t really begin to describe how big of a dream that was — how creative the environment is, how conducive it is to collaboration and how free it was. It’s great to be there and watch it and know that that kind of work exists.
The movie that the 46-year-old actor is likely referring to is 2009’s Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. In the family flick, he brought Al Capone to life, while Christopher Guest portrayed fellow antagonist Ivan the Terrible. I’d have to agree that getting to meet the Halloween icon that first time had to have been a cool experience. (I know I would’ve been geeking out hard.) But from a professional standpoint, that slight familiarity might’ve been invaluable for both actors as they reunited for the dramedy.
JLC isn’t the only star on The Bear that he has a bit of history with. He’s also incredibly close with Ebon Moss-Bachrach, whose character (Richie) captured a lot of viewers’ hearts during Season 2. The two notably worked together during the first season of Marvel and Netflix’s The Punisher. And it would seem that we have Moss-Bachrach to thank for helping Jon Bernthal land the role of Mikey, as he recommended him for the part while casting for Season 1 was underway. If that’s not a firm friend, then I don’t know what is.
At this point, a third season has yet to be announced, but I’m optimistic about the chances of it happening. One also hopes that Jon Bernthal will return once more and get to chop it up with Jamie Lee Curtis again. Considering how great they are together, it’d be a shame if they didn’t get to play Michael and Donna again. Yet should that not come to pass, I’m sure Bernthal will treasure the time he has been able to spend with Curtis.
Both seasons of The Bear are now streamable with a Hulu subscription, and you can check out the 2023 TV schedule for information about this year’s other major premieres.
