FX’sThe Bear, as well as being an incredibly produced and stressful drama, has become renowned for its guest stars, andJoel McHalewas the first. McHale, best known for his leading role in the sitcomCommunity, plays Chef David, an authoritarian, controlling chef who trained a young Carmen Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) before he took over The Beef. Chef David is the show’s most-hated character by the entire fan base, and McHale believes that the nightmare, panic attack, and stomach ulcer-inducing chef was a role he was born to play.
Speaking toGQabout returning forThe Bear’s recently released third season, McHale discussed playing Chef David intermittently over three seasons. McHale was the show’s very first guest star, first appearing in the second episode of season 1 during a flashback. Season 3 fleshed out Chef David, after Carmy is finally given an opportunity to confront him for his aggressive and demeaning behavior. When asked why the show’s creator, Christopher Storer, wanted McHale to play such a detestable character, McHale said:
“Oh, I think I have a natural affinity to play assholes. It’s a God-given talent. It’s just a natural ability. You can’t teach that. I have played, I think, a larger percentage of assholes than a lot of actors. I think I probably just had that look on my face, and the right level of hair transplant.”
Set in a Chicago sandwich shop, The Bear follows Carmy Berzatto, a young professionally trained chef who returns to take over his family business after the unexpected death of his brother. At odds with many of the shop’s employees due to his culinary training, Carmy struggles to maintain order and keep the shop from failing entirely. Jeremy Allen White stars as Carmy alongside Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Ayo Edebiri.
WhileThe Bearis renowned for its stressful atmosphere, McHale’s Chef David embodies the machismo, dehumanizing atmosphere that was commonly associated with working in professional kitchens for many years. McHale explained:
“There’s no secret that there were a lot of tough places to work, and some of them were pretty dehumanizing, and I think it’s a depiction of that mentality.”
How Joel McHale Was Cast in The Bear
Some fans have drawn parallels between Chef David and McHale’scharacter inCommunity, Jeff Winger. While Jeff Winger is at times a kind and caring person for his study group, he is also a stereotypically narcissistic lawyer.Communityis still an endlessly binge-watched sitcom, but few people would have expected it would directly lead to McHale being cast in one of the biggest culinary dramas of all-time.
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McHale isn’t the onlyCommunityalumni cast inThe Bear.Gillian Jacobs, who plays Britta inCommunity, alsoguest stars inThe Bear’s second and third seasonsas Richie’s (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) ex-wife Tiffany. In real life, Gillian Jacobs is the partner of Christopher Storer,The Bear’s creator, and this connection helped McHale land one of his most memorable guest appearances. McHale explained:
“I got very lucky that I was friends with him beforehand. So Gillian Jacobs started dating Chris in maybe 2012-ish, 2011. This is before he was ‘Chris Storer.’ He was just a guy who was a writer and happened to be a lights-out chef. But it was one of those things where the show started, and he asked if I wanted to come in for a day and shoot. And Chris, as we all now know, is a freaking genius, and I would do anything he asked me to. So I was like, ‘Absolutely.’ And that first appearance, we shot it in a single morning. And that was before the show exploded to what it is now. And my part is very small, but holy sh*t, I’m glad to be a part of it.”
All three seasons ofThe Bearcan be streamed on Hulu.
