Bernthal makes it quite clear throughout the article that he was thrilled to return to work on "The Bear," especially after forming a friendship with showrunner and creator Chris Storer as well as his connection to real-life friend and on-screen best friend Ebon Moss-Bacharach, who plays Richie. He also clearly welcomed the opportunity to delve further into Mikey's psyche, despite how deeply sad the character is.
"What I was super grateful for in this round with Mikey is when you look at perspective and you look at what happened last season with that little scene they had, Carm was almost looking at him on a pedestal," Bernthal says of his character's brief appearance in Season 1, which was just Carmy remembering his brother. "Through the lens of memory, it was this beautiful celebration of this guy. But this year, they really showed the other side — his ugliness, his damage, his hurt, his pain, the parts of him that didn't quite sync up. And to get a little bit of a glimpse into how hard the world was for him, it's bold storytelling. It's people who aren't afraid to dig into the wound of their own personal history. I think you really got to see his hurt, his pain and his damage, and he doesn't want his brother to be a part of that."
Season 2 of "The Bear," including the incredibly stressful sixth episode, is available to stream on Hulu now — and whether or not Bernthal will return in the future is anyone's guess, but Bernthal is definitely down to do so.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
