Black Mirror and We’re The Millers star Will Poulter, who appears in Season 2 of The Bear, recently recalled how he “literally begged” the producers of the series to cast him.
Poulter is one of many new faces and celebrity cameos in the second season of the FX show which premiered on June 22 on Hulu.
Speaking to Variety about his role as pastry chef Luca, Poulter discussed his love of the show’s first season, and how desperately eager he was to be part of the cast.
“I called them. I literally begged to be in the show,” he said. “I asked if I could meet with [series creator] Chris Storer and basically communicated that I was such a fan of so much of his work, but especially The Bear.
“He was kind enough to gift me with the offer to play Luca, and it really changed my life, to be honest.”
Poulter added: “I have such an immense amount of respect for chefs and the women and men of that industry.
“I feel like the whole society stands on the shoulders of people in the food and beverage industry, and we don’t even necessarily really know it or think about it. They sustain us and maintain us daily and they don’t get enough thanks for what they do.”
Reviews of season two of The Bear have praised the show’s sophomore season for being “funnier” despite its lowered intensity.
Decider’s Joel Keller says “even though Season 2 of The Bear isn’t as frantic as Season 1, we get to know everyone at the restaurant better this season. And the second season is shaping up to be funnier than the first.”
Season 1 of the FX series, which is created by Christopher Storer, followed award-winning chef Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) who returns to his hometown of Chicago to run his family’s Italian beef sandwich shop after his older brother’s tragic suicide.
In addition to Poulter, Season 2 features Jamie Lee Curtis, Bob Odenkirk, Olivia Colman and more.
All 10 episodes of Season 2 are currently available to stream on Hulu.
