There were some rather awesome guest stars that showed up in the second season of The Bear, and among them is Hollywood icon Jamie Lee Curtis. The appearance comes just months after Curtis won her first Oscar for her role in A24's acclaimed movie Everything Everywhere All at Once. While that kind of big win would make Curtis in high demand, giving her no shortage of offers on potential next roles, she was quick to accept a part in Season 2 of The Bear. The role is perhaps the most significant of the new characters of the series with Curtis playing Donna Berzatto, the mother of Jeremy Allen White's Carmy.
In a new conversation with Vulture, casting director Jeanie Bacharach spoke about the casting process for Donna. She revealed how Curtis was someone who was desired for that role from the start, but there were serious doubts that she would be attainable, given her recent Oscar win. So other big-name actresses were also pursued, including two other Oscar nominees, though both of them would pass on the role before it worked out with Curtis.
“Jamie Lee was on the list from the beginning,” as Bacharach explains. “But it was during the whole lead-up to the Oscars, and it was sort of like, Yeah, yeah, sure. Let’s keep talking about Jamie Lee, but, like, come on — she’s going to win an Oscar.”
Bacharach then reveals that Michelle Pfeiffer, was also up for the role of Donna. Pfeiffer is a three-time Oscar nominee, having been nominated for the films Dangerous Liaisons, The Fabulous Baker Boys, and Love Field. She was also quite interested in taking the role as a fan of The Bear, but in her case, it just wasn't possible because of scheduling. That led to Pfeiffer turning down the role.
"[She] was a huge fan of the show and really, really considered it,” Bacharach says. “We went back and forth and back and forth, and ultimately her schedule didn’t allow for it.”
Another acclaimed actress who was considered was Melanie Griffith. Griffith, who won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Working Girl, was much more hesitant to accept the part than Pfeiffer or Curtis. Bacharach surmised that she didn't think Griffith "was quite ready to take that on,” ultimately passing on the role. From there, the Bear team circled back to Curtis, offering the Halloween star the part even with the doubts that she'd accept. Fortunately, the exact opposite happened.
“She was just a huge, huge fan,” Bacharach says of Curtis. “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.”
The Bear Season 2 Brings in Amazing Guest Stars
Another fun guest star is Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk, who played "Uncle" Lee, a friend of the Berzatto family. Bacharach says that series creator Christopher Storer originally reached out to a "well-known actor friend" about taking on that role, but once Bacharach suggested Odenkirk, all plans were changed to cast him as the character instead.
“You needed someone who was going to be able to hold his own with [Jon] Bernthal,” Bacharach explains.
Officially, The Bear hasn't been renewed for season 3 at this time, but we'd expect that to happen soon, given the continued success of the series. One has to wonder which other guest stars could be coming in for the potential third season. In any case, you can stream the second season of The Bear on Hulu.