Fans all over the world have been pleasantly surprised by the true-to-life storytelling that has seemed like child’s play for the writers of Hulu’s “The Bear.” Created by Christopher Storer, “The Bear” tells the story of a culinary prodigal son who returns to Chicago to help run the family restaurant after a brief stint as a top chef in New York City.
Starring Jeffrey Allen White (Carmine), Ebon Moss Bachrach (Ritchie), Ayo Edibiri (Sydney), Liza Colón-Zayas (Tina), Edwin Lee Gibson (Ebraheim), Lionel Boyce (Marcus) and a diverse cast of characters culled from Americana, the show has received high praise for a myriad of reasons—directing, writing, character arc and the manner in which the series uses levity whenever possible but brandishes true to life hardships when needed.
Diversity, while apparent, isn’t used as a forced measure of public appeal but a true reflection of life in a big city restaurant. AllHipHop recently spoke with Lionel Boyce, who plays Marcus on “The Bear.”
AllHipHop: The entire aesthetic of “The Bear” is multicultural. It’s natural, appropriate and free flowing. And its storyteller telling. There are four different Black characters on the show, and none of them are alike.
Lionel Boyce: I think it’s super cool. To me, you don’t really see that. And then, there’s been times where you are working on something where they want the actor to fit into what they want the scene to be.
But you realize, “Oh, they don’t understand a reference point or any of that stuff.” For me, it’s like a natural. You just knock it down. But not only do they not understand that, they also have the audacity to decide “this is what I think is how it should be, or it needs to be.”
With this show it’s great because Chris Storer, who created the show, he’s a person who just understands. He’s like, “I hired people. And I’m looking for honesty and truth and reality, not trying to create and make something fit.”
And so he hired us. Also, it has a diverse writing room. So it was like, it’s not just all white people writing and making the show. It’s just that you have a lot of different perspectives. And so, it just felt real. And I mean, I’m even bringing Edwin Moss Bachrach, who plays Ritchie, and we actually talk about that.
It’s really cool, like you see Black men having a conversation. There’s no conflict in our conversations when we interact. And it’s great. It’s like, it’s not like a typical show in that way. And I think it is cool. It’s just like a bunch of smart people making a real and honest, specific thing, rather than trying to make the idea of something. And I think that’s what it boils down to. That’s what makes this show feel different in that specific regard.
AllHipHop: Of all these diverse characters, if you weren’t playing Marcus, which of the other characters would you like to portray and why?
Lionel Boyce: I would do nowhere near as good of a job at it as Ebon does, but I would be playing Ritchie. That’s my favorite character because I love characters like that. Like it’s a character looking for a hill to die on. And I love that. He was one of those headstrong people, he’s combative.
But I think either him or Neil Fak, who Matty [Matheson] plays just because he gets all the good jokes. He gets a lot of good jokes. I told him “I am jealous, man. I wish I can get to riff a little bit more with you this season. We get into it a couple times, but I wanted more. But I wish I could just riff more with you because it’s fun.”
AllHipHop: From season one, we see that nothing ever really bothers your character, Marcus. He sort of rolls with the punches. But, from the first episode of season 2, we see foreshadowing into his life.
Lionel Boyce: I think you can expect this to continue cultivating his passion. He has found this thing that he loves and now he’s like, “I want to get great at it.”
We watched his journey of him take it to the next step while also dealing with what’s going on at home. Because this season is very much about all the characters’ lives outside of the kitchen, because we’re rebuilding the kitchen.
So, it’s like, “Well, who are these people?” Are we take the time to get back over to the kitchen. And so you see him delegate time and care. You see how much time he pays to things, what it’s like to deal with a ticking clock with an expiration date that he feels is coming soon due the state that his mother’s in.
So, how does that affect the mental? And how do you find relief and expression for yourself within all of that? And I think that’s what you’re watching over the course of the season. And it’s like, he finds the solace in coming up with desserts and creation in his work.
AllHipHop: Since you’re speaking with AllHipHop, who is a Hip-Hop artist that describes your current vibe. And, if you know it, flow it.
Lionel Boyce: You won’t catch me flowing the lyrics, but what I have been listening to is “Verses From The Abstract” by A Tribe Called Quest. Just because it’s at the top of my mind, and I’ve always loved that song. So, I’m going to go with that one, but I’m not rapping it though.
The entire second season of “The Bear” is currently streaming on Hulu.