Every surprise guest star The Bear cooks up for season 2
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Warning: This article contains spoilers for the season 2 finale of The Bear, "The Bear."
Just by looking at the sheer amount of previously unannounced A-list guest stars who pop up throughout The Bear season 2, you might wonder if there are too many cooks in the kitchen. But much like Jon Bernthal's unannounced and successful season 1 casting as elder Berzatto brother Mikey, it's more like the perfect recipe as each shocking cameo plays a crucial role in showing either where a character comes from or how they're growing and evolving now.
From Carmy's (Jeremy Allen White) intensely dysfunctional family to the people who help cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) move forward on his emotional journey of finding purpose, here's how each surprise guest star plays into the The Beef/The Bear crew's season 2 journey.
FX Will Poulter
Will Poulter
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 star Will Poulter is the first big guest star to pop up in season 2. He plays an old colleague of Carmy's who teaches Marcus (Lionel Boyce) a thing or two about gorgeous, delicious desserts in episode 4, "Honeydew." When Carmy sends Marcus to Copenhagen to up his game, he studies under Poulter's strict but kind (and, of course, heavily tattooed) pastry chef Luca.
Jamie Lee Curtis
The anxiety and tension of The Bear skyrockets in the sure-to-be award-winning episode 6, "Fishes," which flashes back to an extremely chaotic Berzatto family Christmas a few years before Mikey's death. In a high-pressure scene at the top of the hour-long installment, viewers are introduced to many members of the star-studded extended clan in quick succession, each one more jaw-dropping than the last.
Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis shows up as Donna, the alcoholic, passive aggressive, emotionally abusive Berzatto matriarch manically cooking the entire dinner on her own while chain-smoking cigarettes and yelling about how no one will help her... while simultaneously refusing anyone who tries to help her in the kitchen. She is clearly suffering from some unspoken mental illness, leading to multiple breakdowns and blow-ups. Ultimately, Donna drives her car through the living room as her kids look on in horror. Curtis pops up again in an emotionally devastating scene in the finale when Donna shows up to The Bear's friends and family opening night service but refuses to go inside.
FX Bob Odenkirk
Bob Odenkirk
The actual relationships between the rest of the extended clan in "Fishes" is a bit murkier. Better Call Saul alum Bob Odenkirk shows up as "Uncle Lee," who is either Donna's ex who's stuck around, a friend of the unseen Berzatto patriarch, or maybe even an actual blood relative. Who knows? What is clear is there's little love lost between Lee and Mikey, as their aggressive fight starts with thrown forks and ends with Lee angrily telling Mikey that he's "nothin'" over and over again.
FX Sarah Paulson
Sarah Paulson
Another Berzatto "cousin" is Emmy-winner Sarah Paulson's Michelle, who lives in New York and is visiting the family for Christmas. She gets high with some of the Faks and then convinces Carmy to come stay with her in New York to work at some restaurants there, which helps sets him on the path towards becoming the star-rated chef he is at the start of the series.
FX John Mulaney
John Mulaney
Comedian John Mulaney plays Michelle's romantic partner Stevie, who looks forward all year to watching the Berzatto chaos erupt during the holidays. He's both welcomed into the family with the usual insults and fighting while also remaining on the outside as a third party observer, but he plays a major part in trying to de-escalate the rising tension by saying grace before dinner. He gives a beautiful speech about the importance of family that seems to calm everyone down, but things blow up only seconds later thanks to a well-meaning but very well-known triggering comment by Natalie (Abby Elliott). The volatility of the Berzattos simply can't be avoided.
FX Gillian Jacobs
Gillian Jacobs
This season, we finally meet Richie's ex-wife Tiffany, played by Community alum Gillian Jacobs. During the Christmas flashback, she's still married to Richie and is pregnant with their daughter, which means she spends the majority of the episode either throwing up from the nausea or talking about throwing up from the nausea. But the most surprising part of finally meeting Tiffany onscreen is seeing just how in love she and Richie were (and still are), while also understanding why she ultimately ended things with him.
FX Sarah Ramos
Sarah Ramos
Parenthood alum Sarah Ramos pops up in episode 7, "Forks," as Jessica, the extremely competent back-of-house leader of the three-star restaurant Richie spends a week "staging" at. At first, Richie is irreverent and disrespectful, believing Carmy sent him there as punishment, but he ultimately gains a real passion for the strict regiment the staff employs and "drinks the kool-aid" to become one of the best stagers they've ever had. Ramos' Jessica is composed, confident under pressure, and firm but kind throughout Richie's whole experience there. She inspires him to learn how to do the same job for The Bear, finally stepping up to fulfill the potential he always knew he had but couldn't prove to others.
FX Olivia Colman
Olivia Colman
Finally, Oscar-winner Olivia Colman unexpectedly pops up in a quiet, yet pivotal, scene. On his last day staging at the three-star restaurant, Richie finds the legendary Chef Terry (Colman) peeling mushrooms in the empty kitchen, part of her routine to stay grounded every day. He ultimately bonds with her over their similar pasts and she helps him find his new purpose by proving it's never too late to start on a new, dedicated path in life, which leads him to help save the day during The Bear's friends and family opening night service in the finale.
All 10 episodes of The Bear season 2 are now streaming on Hulu.
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