The Bear S2: Why The Scenes Between Marcus & Will Poulter Are A Breath Of Fresh Air
Contains spoilers for Season 2 of "The Bear"
The second season of "The Bear," likely thanks in large part to the overwhelming success of its first season, is positively stacked with incredible guest stars. The season's sixth episode alone features a murderer's row of incredible, recognizable performers, of whom there are probably too many to name here. Before all that, though, Will Poulter — known for everything from "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch" to "Guardians of the Galaxy 3" — shows up, and he's the most welcome addition possible.
Everybody knows that "The Bear," set in restaurant kitchens, can be incredibly stressful to watch, and Poulter is a perfect antidote to the high-tension environment the show usually provides. Poulter plays Luca, a pastry chef working in Copenhagen who hosts Marcus (Lionel Boyce) while he's visiting from Chicago as the titular restaurant The Bear begins to take shape. Marcus is wildly nervous at first, pretending he understands every word that Luca utters and preparing for verbal abuse... but Luca is kind, gentle, and a good teacher, and his purpose is to help Marcus improve.
Not only that, but the duo strikes up a good rapport, but it seems like they become real friends; Luca even sends Marcus a gift when The Bear is set to open. It's a great decision to have a major character learn new skills in an environment that not only doesn't beat them down, but nurtures them, making Poulter's Luca an ideal addition to "The Bear."
Lionel Boyce had nothing but great things to say about working with Will Poulter
Apparently, Luca's good vibes and kindness extended to Poulter himself. Boyce spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about his character's journey this season as Marcus moves from an aspiring pastry to a seriously gifted genius, and he had nothing but kind words about working with Poulter.
"I love Will," Boyce told THR, saying that when he found out Poulter was cast he seemed like the ideal choice. "What he brought to it was exactly the energy of that character," the actor continued. "It's a person who drives themselves on perfection."
"When Marcus first comes, he doesn't know him," Boyce continued. "[Luca] doesn't know if he's serious or not, since he's doing this as a favor or whatever. I think it unlocks Luca, getting to know [Marcus]. This guy not only takes it serious, he has potential. That leads him to the final conversation, where he says, "I see a bit of you in me. Let me impart my knowledge." I think he's a pivotal person in Marcus' life, no different than Carmy [Jeremy Allen White] unlocking Marcus' passion and Sydney [Ayo Edebiri] unlocking his creativity and drive. Luca unlocks that this is what it takes to get to the next level, to understand it's a double-edged sword and what the pitfalls are." Luca is a vital character to Marcus' journey, and clearly, Poulter was the perfect pick for the role.
There's another calming guest star hiding in Season 2, Episode 7 of The Bear
"The Bear" Season 2 definitely still has moments of high stress, but on the heels of the season's sixth episode, its seventh, "Forks," is yet another breath of fresh air. Focusing exclusively on Richie (Ebon Moss-Bacharach), the episode watches as one of the show's most volatile characters is tamed by his experience training at a restaurant with multiple Michelin stars, a waitlist in the thousands, and a real, genuine commitment to bringing joy to each and every person they serve. Richie is, clearly, astonished by this new vision of fine dining, and he's also understandably upset when his training period comes to an end... which is when he finally meets the restaurant's executive chef.
That would be Chef Terry, who is only mentioned until it's revealed, at the episode's conclusion, that she's played by Oscar winner Olivia Colman. Chef Terry is cleaning delicate mushrooms by hand in the kitchen because she thinks doing so is "a nice little fun detail that, when the diners see it, they know someone spent a lot of time on their dish." Like Luca and Marcus, Richie and Chef Terry have a genuine heart-to-heart about their families, cooking, and everything in between, and she says she sees the good in him that Carmy also knows is there. It's a touching moment and a well-earned one for Richie, and along with Poulter, Colman provides real emotional lift in the show's second season.