"It means so much to people"
It's one of TV's most beloved shows with the anticipated third season of 'The Bear' just a week away. Ebon Moss Bachrach, who plays Richie or "Cousin" on the hit show chatted to The Guardian this week about the success of the show and the pressure of making season three great.
'The Bear' swept up accolades during this year's award season with Moss-Bachrach winning the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
He describes it as "one of the most joyful nights of my life … but beyond that it just kind of stressed me out, because then we go back to make season three and we’ve won a bunch of awards, you start to feel like: ‘Oh, fuck.’ I mean, then you really don’t want to be discovered to be a fraud. And then there’s pressure …"
He went on to say, "Not that I feel like I need to win another Emmy or anything, but I just feel like it means so much to people, you know, so much more than I ever thought it would. And I just want people to not feel let down by the thing.
"I’ve had so many beautiful interactions with people that have been really moved in a way that it sort of inspired me about the power of telling a story or the power of making a show or making a piece of art. It’s really invigorated me and renewed my faith in my job."
Moss-Bachrach has been working for 25 years as an actor with previous roles in the likes of 'Girls', 'Andor' and 'The Punisher'. It's his role in 'The Bear' however that has really brought his talents into the spotlight however he is not here for the "struggling artist comes good" trope.
"There’s a convenient narrative I find myself trying to resist that people often like to imprint, that’s like, I’ve been waiting in the wings or something," he said. "And that’s just kind of romantic and stupid and oversimplified. I mean, I’ve been, in my mind, pretty successful. I don’t know what percentage of my union works, but it’s very small. And yeah, I’ve never had anything connect like 'The Bear', but I’ve been fine."
'The Bear' season three arrives on Disney+ on June 27th.