How Josh Hartnett Became a Surprise Guest Star on ‘The Bear’

(This story contains spoilers from season 3 of The bear.)

When Josh Hartnett appeared on screen in the new season of The bear, revealing himself as one of this year’s surprise guest stars, fans experienced this as a delightful and seemingly random casting. But, like everything in the world of The bearIt was actually a highly strategic decision that took years to prepare. Hartnett first met series creator Chris Storer years ago—like most of Storer’s friends and collaborators, he can’t remember exactly how they first crossed paths, but says they had mutual friends in the culinary worlds of New York and Los Angeles—and the two were in talks about a potential role in Storer’s directorial debut. “I remember him mentioning that he was trying to do this other chef movie, because his sister (The bear (producer Courtney Storer) was a chef, and then years went by and I started hearing all this hype about The bear“, Hartnett explains from his home in the UK. “It looked very familiar, so I checked and saw Chris’ name and I was blown away. I called him straight away to congratulate him and tell him the show was amazing.”

Now, two years later, Hartnett is Frank, Tiffany’s affable and caring fiancé and, depending on who you ask, Richie’s worst nightmare. Here, the actors open up about what it was like to see behind the scenes of the beloved series and the Easter eggs he incorporated into the episode.

So you call Chris to congratulate him; does that conversation turn into a job offer?

It was organic, but not that much.Laughs) He was like, “Thanks, man, we’re gonna have to work together at some point, let’s make it happen.” And then maybe a year went by and he called my agent and said we had a part for Josh. I said yes right away, before I even read the script, because I wanted to work with him. Our job can be cruel sometimes, and sometimes you get really lucky and you meet people you really admire. Chris and I have always gotten along, so I was just thrilled that he asked me. And I have to say, they have a lot of fun doing this show. It shouldn’t be called work. The actors just come on set and hang out together even on their days off. It feels like a group of friends doing a college show or something. And yet, it’s a phenomenal success.

Before you read the script and learned more about Frank, had you ever thought about the character? I know I would imagine what this guy looked like or why Tiffany chose him.

I wondered: Who is Tiff going to turn to after Richie? And what kind of person is put in that situation knowing Tiff’s history with Richie? The guy has to be relatively confident. And there has to be some opposition to Richie’s character. And then when I got the script, my reaction was, this is a delightful interplay between the two of them. I also knew it would be fun to work with Ebon[Moss-Bachrach]because we had known each other for a long time in New York and had never worked on a project together.

How much of the blocking in this scene was written? The way Frank gets closer to Richie, and Richie looks like he’s trying to push himself into the wall.

It wasn’t written in the script. What I love about Ebon as an actor is that he’s very reactive – he knows where his character is and he allows them to react in a wonderful way. But something that I found helpful was that they had me come out of the house and stand two steps higher than him, which gives that dynamic. But I also think Frank really needs something from Richie. He needs to feel like everything is clear, that there’s not going to be any friction between them. He’s genuinely in love with Tiffany but he doesn’t want to make it difficult for his new daughter-in-law, for his wife or for himself. It’s a really tricky thing to navigate. The stakes are very high, it’s all about Taylor Swift. And there are a few other things that I did to maximize the intimidation that he could exert on Richie. Like the nail polish: My daughters are always painting my nails, and I thought that was something Frank would be proud of as a stepdad. And Richie would see it and be like, “Oh, that makes me feel bad.” I also wanted it to feel like even though he has this big, beautiful house, he worked on it himself.

Looks like Richie caught Frank polishing the floor or something…

Exactly. All of these things would make Richie say, “I want to hate him but I can’t,” and what a horrible position to be in. It highlights his predicament and adds more drama. Richie needs more drama.Laughs.)

On the subject of nail polish, Gillian Jacobs said she imagines Frank having a stash of Taylor Swift friendship bracelets. Does that ring a bell?

Oh, sure. Of course there were the friendship bracelets, especially since they had these concert tickets last season. Weirdly enough, I went to the Eras tour with my daughters recently and it was crazy. I’ve never experienced anything like it: 90,000 people at Wembley Stadium losing their minds, including my two daughters. And people were so respectful, my daughters got so many bracelets and it was all really cute. It was a great event for my daughters’ first concert.

Did she play “Long Live,” the song that plays on The bear during your scene?

Oh man, that’s more than I know.

I asked you a trick question by accident, because I now remember that it was cut from the original setlist to make way for the new era. Here’s one that doesn’t have a good answer: do you think Richie will go to Tiffany and Frank’s wedding?

I think so. I think Richie wants to keep his promises to his daughter and his ex-wife, from what I can see. I don’t think he wants to rock the boat just because he’s jealous. I think he’s growing up and becoming more mature, like we saw in his arc in Season 2 – which I thought was a really good one and a really interesting choice for the show. I guess that’s going to continue until something bad happens.

How would you describe the experience of being led by Chris?

I’ve never shot a movie, even a low-budget independent movie, as quickly as Chris did. I find that refreshing. He’s not too precious. The scripts are written very specifically, and the actors are all so connected to their characters that he gets what he wants immediately, and then he just shoots a little bit and it’s done. You can see these actors on that set that they really trust the process and it’s done something extraordinary for them. I also think the show is innovative in that the tension of the show feels organic. You can’t come in and not know what you’re doing or you’re left behind.

Have you thought about how his work compares to some of the big directors you’ve worked with recently, like Christopher Nolan and M. Night Shyamalan?

All the really talented directors I’ve worked with are willing to trust their collaborators. They have a very clear vision, and it seems like only directors who aren’t sure of their vision want to overmanage things. There aren’t many top-notch directors who work too hard.

Did you notice any machinations to keep your role secret? There wasn’t even a blurry cell phone photo of you in Chicago.

I felt like the city of Chicago was really protective of The bear. People there love this show, and I feel like it’s an unspoken rule not to spoil it. And no one on the show wants to spoil it. It’s so much more fun to have this last-minute reveal. I’ve told my parents, because they love the show, and I’ve told a few friends who love the show. But I don’t have social media or anything, so I’m wondering who I’m really going to tell.

Carmy terrorizes her co-workers this season with her list of non-negotiables; do you have any when it comes to your career or what you’ll say yes to?

It’s mostly about the people. Do I respect the directors and the producers, and do I feel like we can do something together that’s exciting and new? I don’t want to do the same thing over and over again. I don’t want to make a movie that’s been done a million times. For a long time, I worked on smaller independent films with first-time or repeat directors because I like the idea of ​​having someone who hasn’t proven themselves in the industry yet and therefore doesn’t have the kind of expectations that you have. Those expectations don’t come from outside forces; they just come from themselves. If you meet someone who already has a very clear idea of ​​what they want to do in this industry, I find that a little less interesting.

Do you also look for a similar energy in the experienced directors you work with?

I’ve had the opportunity to work with a lot of unique directors recently who also have, in a way, the audience’s ear, for lack of a better way to put it. They’re very respected and unique, but they’re also part of the zeitgeist. It’s the best of both worlds. I guess I’m always looking for someone who’s at the top of their game and with whom I can do something unique.

You mentioned meeting Chris in the restaurant world. What is your favorite memory related to food or restaurants?

My wife and I took a trip to Lake Garda in Italy when we first met. We were in London shooting a movie together and we were about to break up. I was living in New York and she was in London. We thought we really liked each other and should see if we should go out together. We decided to take this trip last minute because it was a quick flight. Her mother had to bring her passport to the airport. We didn’t know much about each other other than what we knew from our jobs together and we fell in love on this trip. We were staying at a place called Villa Feltrinelli. I was trying to impress her and it was really fancy, they had a Michelin star and it was really small, only six tables or something. They had a carbonara that I still can’t explain. There was some kind of brown sugar magic that amplified the cheese. It was a magical moment. That day, we had seen a storm sweep across the lake, and then we went inside and ate this meal. It was like, OK, one day we’re going to get married and have four kids.

Have you been back since?

No, we haven’t been back. We talked about going there for our wedding, but it was too expensive. I need to make more movies like Trap to do this. (Laughs.)