When Matty Matheson was a student at Humber College鈥檚 culinary program in Toronto, one of his teachers told him a story that made a lasting impression.
The 好色tv celebrity chef-turned-actor says it was top of mind as he headed into a third season of "The Bear," where he returns as hapless-but-lovable handyman Neil Fak.
鈥(The teacher) told me he was, like, 30 chefs. He was a chef, but he was also the cooks he cooked beside, and it really stuck with me how the many people that you鈥檝e worked beside, you draw from,鈥 Matheson says on a virtual call from Los Angeles alongside co-stars Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Ricky Staffieri.
Besides starring in the Emmy-winning series, Matheson also serves as its executive producer and consultant, drawing on his years of expertise running restaurants in Toronto, from Parts & Labour to Prime Seafood Palace.
Now, his role expands to include screenwriting, as he helped pen the premiere of the Disney Plus hit dramedy, which debuts Wednesday.
鈥淚t kind of came from the idea of 鈥榃hat makes a chef?鈥欌 says Matheson, adding that he worked on the episode鈥檚 storyline with creator Chris Storer and co-showrunner Joanna Calo.
The series follows Carmy, played by Jeremy Allen White, as he returns to Chicago to run his family's sandwich shop after the tragic death of his brother.
Last season, he transformed the restaurant into a fine dining establishment called The Bear, with the help of ambitious sous chef Sydney Adamu, played by Ayo Edebiri, and his friends and family, including Moss-Bachrach's sardonic cousin Richard 鈥淩ichie鈥 Jerimovich.
In season 3, Carmy pushes himself and his crew even harder towards earning a Michelin star. As the team grows in size, so does the pressure.
鈥淵ou work under all of these chefs over the years, and we wanted to tell the story of who made Carmy, good or bad 鈥 the life that he's lived and how he鈥檚 gotten to where he's gotten,鈥 says Matheson.
Staffieri says the third season will see the characters continue to juggle professional challenges and personal dilemmas. Carmy鈥檚 sister Natalie Berzatto, played by Abby Elliott, will balance her role as the restaurant鈥檚 project manager with welcoming a baby into the world.
鈥淭his season, everyone鈥檚 stepping up while stepping into something else, whether it be Nat with new motherhood, or Matty and Ebon running the front of house while also dealing with stuff at home. There鈥檚 something to pull from all these characters that鈥檚 so real.鈥
鈥淭he Bear鈥 is coming off a successful awards season that saw it tie HBO鈥檚 鈥淪uccession鈥 for the most Emmy wins with six in January and three Golden Globes statues that same month.
While accepting the Emmy for best comedy series, Matheson and Moss-Bachrach stole the show by sharing a long, passionate onstage kiss.
鈥淭hose ceremonies are really long and Matty was up there speaking. He had some shrimp cocktail in his moustache and some crudit茅s. I was kind of hungry, so I just went in to get a bite,鈥 Moss-Bachrach quips while reaching over to squeeze Matheson鈥檚 cheeks.
鈥淟ook at this. How can you not kiss this face?鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 tough to sit here and not (kiss him),鈥 adds Staffieri, who plays Neil鈥檚 brother Theodore Fak.
Matheson鈥檚 co-stars sometimes josh him for being a novice to acting. Moss-Bachrach calls his acting technique 鈥渢he Mathod school of acting.鈥
While he has plenty of experience hosting cooking shows like Vice鈥檚 鈥淒ead Set on Life," 鈥淭he Bear鈥 marks his first acting role.
Matheson says he was initially recruited as a producer and consultant, but Storer and Calo convinced him to appear onscreen.
鈥淚t's not even a dream come true. I never even thought this could happen. It鈥檚 just a different path and it鈥檚 pretty wild,鈥 he says.
Moss-Bachrach says Fak, who Matheson helped create in collaboration with the writing team, has been a 鈥渧aluable ingredient鈥 in the show.
"What he created was so unique and beautiful that they just wanted to keep him there,鈥 he says.
Moss-Bachrach attributes the show's breakout success to 鈥渟erendipity,鈥 saying the pandemic played a big role.
"Our lives were so separate from each other and this show is really the opposite of that, with everybody in this tiny little kitchen together on top of each other. Everyone's breathing in the same air, sweating on each other,鈥 he says.
鈥淚 was so starved for that kind of intimacy that I really responded to that, and I think a lot of other people might have had a similar experience.鈥
Matheson says 鈥淭he Bear鈥 is ultimately a love letter to the 鈥渉igh-intensity鈥 world of restaurants.
鈥淭here are things that happen in restaurants constantly that you're powerless over. Your fridge goes down, your grease trap blows up, people don't show up for work, somebody throws a brick through your window. To pull it off every day is a miracle,鈥 he says.
鈥淲e're all going to work no matter what, trying to take care of other people, trying to feed people, trying to allow them to have a moment of serenity or joy or have a drink to relax, to escape. I think that's a very honourable career.鈥
This report by 好色tvwas first published June 26, 2024.
