Ebon Moss-Bachrach is thrilled fans are loving The Bear — but he is still adjusting to some of the attention that comes from playing fan-favorite Cousin.
Moss-Bachrach, 47, reflected on his interactions with viewers since The Bear found success on Hulu, telling The Guardian on Wednesday, June 19, “I was on top of a little mountain outside Kyoto and a Korean couple came up to me and were saying how much they love the show.”
The actor, who plays Richard “Richie” Jerimovich, wasn’t as happy being calling his character’s nickname.
“I get a lot of comments. People yell ‘Cousin!’ at me all day,” he noted. “Sometimes, you know, you’re just not having a great day. And it’s just like, ‘I’m sorry, man, I don’t have much for you.'”
The Bear, which debuted on Hulu in June 2022, introduced viewers to The Beef restaurant, which was taken over by Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) following the death of his older brother, Mikey (Jon Bernthal). Carmy ultimately decided to close the sandwich shop in favor of opening up a new spot called The Bear.
With help from Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), Richie and other employees, they were able to pull off a rush opening with a successful first dinner. Season 3 is set to premiere on June 27 and will pick up as the kitchen faces major changes.
Moss-Bachrach is not the only cast member to find success from the show. White has become the internet’s newest boyfriend.
“I mean, I’m not even sure I can say I’m happy for him. Because he thinks it’s all quite ridiculous,” Moss-Bachrach told the outlet of the attention of the Shameless alum. So, no, I try to support him. And I basically try to protect him when the fans get really excited.”
Before the show returned for season 3, Moss-Bachrach admitted there was added pressure for fans to enjoy the new batch of episodes.
“Because then we go back to make season three and we’ve won a bunch of awards, you start to feel like: ‘Oh, f—k.’ I mean, then you really don’t want to be discovered to be a fraud,” he explained. And then there’s pressure.”
Moss-Bachrach concluded: “I’ve been an actor for, like, 25 years and there’s a reality that, for most actors and probably most people in the world, you’re doing a job because you need to feed your family. I feel very fortunate in a time where work is really tight in my business. I just feel very privileged.”
The Bear returns to Hulu on June 27 with all episodes streaming on Hulu.
