Michelle Pfeiffer almost played Carmy’s mom on The Bear
Melanie Griffith was also in the running to play Donna Berzatto in the show's guest-star heavy "Fishes"
Aux News Michelle Pfeiffer
FX and Hulu’s The Bear recently released its second season—a pivotal time for a show that became both a critical and an audience darling pretty much five minutes after its first season hit the streaming airwaves last year. One consequence of that immediate enthusiasm for Chicago-based beef becomes evident when you scan the guest list roster for the show’s second season, which is ridiculously stacked—including two recent Oscar winners, in the form of Olivia Colman and Jamie Lee Curtis. The latter plays main character Carmy’s oft-mentioned, emotionally erratic mother Donna, who’s not seen until the season’s big, explosive centerpiece flashback, “Fishes.”
Although The Bear deployed other big-name guest stars in its first season—Oliver Platt and Jon Bernthal both appeared in small but pivotal roles—“Fishes” is a testament to how many famous people really like The Bear these days, featuring appearances from Curtis, Bernthal, Bob Odenkirk, John Mulaney, and Sarah Paulson. But, per an interview this week in Vulture with casting director Jeanie Bacharach, she revealed that, while Curtis was one of the first people the show’s creators thought of for Donna, she wasn’t the first one they approached.
In fact, the first person offered the job was Michelle Pfeiffer, who, despite being “a huge fan of the show and really, really considered it,” ultimately passed due to scheduling issues. Similarly, Melanie Griffith turned down the part after considering it, which led series creator Christopher Storer to swallow his nerves and approach Curtis, who was then in the run-up to her Best Supporting Actress win for Everything, Everywhere All At Once. Luckily, Curtis was already a fan: “I think she said ‘yes’ before she even looked at the scripts, just based on the character description and getting to be part of the show,” Bacharach said.
(Bacharach also tries to shoot down the idea that the show was going intentionally for huge names with these castings—not entirely convincingly—saying that, “It wasn’t so much about wanting to go after big names as much as we just knew we needed people who could fill these roles in a significant, meaningful, and memorable way.”)
The Bear’s second season aired (all at once, for some reason) back on June 22.
29 Comments
Unpopular opinion: They never got around to eating in that episode, but holy shit did the scenery get devoured. It’s like the director said, “OK, let’s do it like Scarface, but less subtle.”
And with more forks!
It was my least favorite episode of the season, tbh. I get what it was trying to do, but it was very “Uncut Gems” to me, and not in a good way. I think the Fishes episode could have worked if they had maybe not supersized it so much. If it were 40 minutes instead of 60+, I think they could have pulled it off.
Co-sign that. I’m happy for people that love it, but it crossed over into camp for us. The shouting!, the big speeches!, the self-face-slapping! (even the small moments felt BIG and telegraphic). Everyone turned up to 12 for an hour doesn’t give you anywhere to go. That said, I had problems with the whole season. There’s a lot to love, but tempered with so much ughh (don’t get me started on the doe-eyed Girlfriend Character of it all).
I still cannot believe they expected us to be swooning while Carmy goes on the most boring romcom plotline of all time.
I’m pretty sure when they intro’d her I grooooaned to my partner about how he was going to get the “met a girl and got distracted” arc. Which, fiiiine. But the contrivance of her silently listening to his Big Monologue through the locked cooler door … woof.
Wtf, she’s great..
i wouldnt want one minute less of that ep. You get a bunch of actors like that, you use em to the most of their abilities.
Eh, I know a lot of people liked it, so to each their own. I thought some of the guest starts chewed the scenery a bit. For my money, it was a bit bloated.
It almost felt like they tip-toed up to the “Potentially traumatic for anyone that’s experienced an uncomfortable holiday with family” line, and then deliberately bungee-jumped right past it to stop the episode from being too relatable for anyone.
I choose to see it as “this is what Carmy’s family life feels like to him”—non-stop screeching and yelling and everyone being chaotic all the time. Obviously even families full of no-chill Chicago meatheads have times when they’re just sitting around quietly or whatever, but this is what Carmy feels like family holidays are like and it’s why he was, at least then, avoiding his family.
thats exactly what they wanted. it worked. they got a bunch of big name actors and none of em went to waste.
One of the most amazing things about that episode is the sheer number of recognizable stars in one bottle episode without for one second getting that Ocean’s 11 effect where you see them all as stars and not as their characters.
I literally said “whoa!” or “holy shit!” out loud to myself like 6 times at the various character cameos!Bernthal vs Odenkirk was incredible.Also I had to pause several times throughout the ep due to stress / anxiety.
people probably assume berenthal wouldve won in a fight, but it wouldve been great if it happened and odenkirk did. Either just because hes an older guy with experience whos tougher than he looks, or because berenthal is weakened mentally and physically from all the drugs.
I sadly did. It wore off, but it certainly took me out of it at the start. /late to the show
Cool and all, but Jaime Lee crushed it, so who cares!Just don’t ask her if she is “Ok?”
In a season of standout performances, hers has to be the best…honestly didn’t know she had those actings chops!!
I am amazed it was not Katie Segal. It’s always Katie Segal
Just my opinion, but Angela Bassett would’ve killed it!
It’s hard to believe she’s still slumming it over on that 911 show.
Her and Nate Fisher and Rob Lowe.
Damn, now I’m actually thinking if she would’ve been some married into the family aunt.
Full disclosure, I only read the first 34 characters of this headline but I’m fairly certain she did actually play Catwoman once.
The show is really good, but do you know what would make it better? If they fucking paid their writers more.
Oh yeah, LOL I forgot that’s still going on. I’d be more sympathetic if I actually enjoyed any of the modern shows
maybe thats why theyre on strike.
everyone whos complaining on here is fuckin stupid. The Fishes ep was great. Claire is great. Most of the season was.
This would have been a bad choice. I love Pfeiffer, but we’d have a really hard time believing the supremely facelifted Michelle Pfeiffer as this middle-class mother. Someone from that milieu just wouldn’t have gotten the extensive work Pfeiffer has gotten down, and she’d stand out against everyone else.