Will Poulter Endured Months of Chef Training for One Episode of ‘The Bear’

One subtle hand motion taught Will Poulter everything he needed to know about his character on FX’s The Bear.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 star acted alongside Lionel Boyce, who plays Marcus on the Hulu series, in an episode where the duo work together in Copenhagen. Marcus “stages” (a restaurant term for an unpaid internship in a fancy kitchen, learning the ropes) underneath Poulter’s chef Luca, learning how to create marvelous desserts in a premier restaurant in Denmark. While the pair worked together, director Ramy Youssef (Ramy) showed both Poulter and Boyce how to form their relationship with a small movement of his hands.

“He did this lotus flower opening up,” Poulter says over Zoom, in an interview with The Daily Beast’s Obsessed. He demonstrates by pressing his hands together in an oval, slowly bringing his fingers outwards and ending with his hands in a Y-shaped flower.

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This motion guided him throughout the entire episode. “Just by doing that, he communicated everything I needed to know. I mean, he didn’t just come up to me and do that and walk away. He said a bunch of clever things as well,” he says.

Luca could have been a demonic, overly authoritative chef, scolding Marcus for each minor mistake—like being unable to tweeze tiny nuts into the right location on a dollop of cream. Alas, no. Luca subverts expectations, becoming a tender mentor figure to Marcus, as they both discuss why they got into restaurant biz. The pair bond as they fluff hunks of dough into perfect spheres, giving each other more wisdom than more simple, technical skills. They open up to each other—like Youssef’s lotus flower.

Poulter’s appearance in “Honeydew,” the fourth episode of Season 2, was kept a secret until The Bear Season 2 premiered; the release also introduced a number of other cameos—like appearances from Olivia Colman, John Mulaney, and Jamie Lee Curtis. But Poulter’s short-lived role wasn’t the case of a celebrity just agreeing to do a quick stint. Poulter loved the show so much he got down on his hands and knees, he says, to beg for a part in the second season.

Youssef’s hand motion did a lot to help him understand the relationship between Marcus and Luca, but Poulter also did a helluva lot of training to prepare for the few scenes he has in the kitchen. Below, Poulter ruminates on how working on The Bear changed him for life, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and Luca’s off-screen relationship, and who he wants to cameo in Season 3.

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How did you get involved with The Bear?

I was such a huge fan of Season 1. It was my favorite thing I’d seen on TV in years. It was a show that I had imagined in my dreams as like, “I wish someone would make this show.” And then they did. I basically asked to meet Chris [Storer] and I begged him to be in it. I was like, “Please, I will do anything in this show.”

What was Ramy Youssef like as a director?

He’s a really, really talented guy, with a clear, unique, discernible style to everything that he does. I don’t want this to sound any type of way, but he’s a great actor, and I didn’t know what he’d be like as a director. I know he’d directed his own show, but I didn’t know what he’d be like directing something else. His notes were brilliant and really helped to shape me and Lionel’s dynamic. He’s got a light touch. Everything he says is really worth saying. He’s got a clear vision of what he wants. That clarity of vision that he applies to his own work, he’s able to apply to directing others.

What was the most helpful note that he gave you and Lionel?

The point that [Ramy] made from early on was the idea of opening up over the course of the episode, and giving ourselves a place to go. Initially, we’re closed off to each other, because of hierarchical roles. The structure’s in place, with Lionel’s character being a relatively inexperienced person staging, and my character being quite experienced. He was able to communicate and resemble what needed to happen between the two guys over the course of the scene. That became my reference.

Luca clearly has a huge impact on Marcus. But does Marcus have an impact on Luca, considering how many stages Luca has worked with in the past?

Oh my gosh, absolutely. A number of things are going on, and we discussed it in a lot of depth. In Luca’s position [as the top chef at a fine restaurant], stages come in all the time. Young people come through the kitchen, [and] they think they want to be a chef. A lot of them don’t quite realize how much hard work it is, or they might be in it for the wrong reasons, or they don’t apply themselves with the same level of passion, dedication, and focus that is required. They come and they go. Some people are not necessarily all that nice to hang out with.

But Marcus is a star student who is also a good buddy for Luca.

In Marcus, Luca sees someone who is naturally talented, curious, cares a lot, is trying his best, and is a really nice dude as well. But [Marcus] is not so deferential and in awe of Luca that he can’t give him a bit of banter back or assert his own opinion on things. The impression he leaves on Luca is not to forget the importance of handing down pieces of advice beyond just the technical—what you do naturally when someone comes in and stages. [You] give them that extra bit of advice that you wish you’d had. I don’t like the expression “reaching back,” but rather extending empathy and being conscious of the fact that you were in the position once.

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Hearing about all of the thought put into crafting the episode, I’m sure you and Lionel developed a great rapport on set.

[These are all] qualities that Lionel possesses as a human being as well. He’s such a warm, open, sweet, kind person. He creates a sense of safety that allows you to be emotionally spontaneous and vulnerable, to speak freely and feel supported. He brings that to Marcus.

Did you have a backstory in mind for Luca while you were playing him?

I was set up in a couple of kitchens in London [to prepare]. I worked at Black Axe Mangal, St. JOHN, and then I did half a shift at Trullo. Conor [Gadd], who is the head chef at Trullo, and the people that I met during that experience really helped me form my backstory. It was thanks to the fact that production had set me up in that way and provided me with those opportunities. I’ve never felt more supported by a production ever in my life on any job.

I had a life-changing experience. Some people go their entire lives and never get that opportunity. Here I was, an actor with technically no right to be there! To be welcomed and supported in that way, I don’t regard it as anything other than an honor.

What did you learn at those restaurants?

There’s a chef at Black Axe Mangal who was very open with me about experiences he’d had. I could see the way he treated me, a young person trying to learn, [with] care and empathy and kindness, [that] was something I knew was born out of experiences [where] he’d shaped an opinion. He represented the way it ought to be done.

I was like, “I need to emulate what the chef at Black Axe did for me, when it comes to working alongside Marcus in my position as Luca. I need to show that there’s a way of being in the kitchen—in a senior position, in order to be authoritative—you don’t have to scream and shout and throw pans and be an asshole.” There’s a way of being successful and authoritative whilst also treating people with kindness.

Later in the season, in Episode 7, we learn that Luca and Carmy actually worked together at the same restaurant at which we see Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) staging. Fans have speculated that, in the scene where Luca tells Marcus about a chef who was miles better than your character, he’s talking about Carmy. Can you confirm that?

That was definitely it in my mind. I appreciated that about [my] episode. It was not on the nose, per se, but it opened up the opportunity for more layers of interpretation when you see Richie checking out the photographs in the hallway. That was a special touch.

Jeremy does such a great job with Carmy. He leaves such a strong impression that he was an easy person to have in mind when doing those scenes.

What do you think the relationship between Carmy and Luca would’ve been like?

At the [time] that Luca went a separate way, I don’t think Luca would’ve tamed his ego enough or had been able to come to terms with the fact that there was someone better than him. Had he done that, maybe there would’ve been a world where they did a venture together, or they could’ve continued working with one another, or they linked up down the road. But Luca had to get away from Carmy. Trying to keep up with him almost killed him.

When did you take that photo with Jeremy, the one Richie notices in Episode 7?

Do you know what’s crazy? That’s the only [time] me and Jeremy have ever done [anything] together. I jumped in, and I took that photo with him before I even shot a single scene as Luca. I think I’m allowed to say this, but I took that photo with him in The Bear kitchen.

We put down a white backdrop, we took that photo, and then Jeremy gave me a tour of the kitchen and the restaurant. As a fan, I was blown away. My character doesn’t go into that space whatsoever. Jeremy was such a great guy and was so welcoming. He sent me such a sweet message when I came aboard, welcoming me on. When I think about the host of people I’m cameoing with, I’m even more honored.

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Like many of those other cameos, yours was a secret. Was it hard to keep that under wraps?

It was nuts. I remember being in the costume department, [seeing] this rail of clothing, and I was like, “Oh my God, you know who this clothing reminds me of? This is like Nancy Silverton!” The [costuming team] was like: [Silence]. And I was like, “Wait, Nancy Silverton isn’t in The Bear, is she?” And they were like, “Well, no. But Olivia Colman is, and Nancy Silverton is a big inspiration.” Like, hold on! Olivia Colman is one of my favorite actors in the world. I have this joke with someone I work with—we’re such fans of hers that we want her to run for prime minister. Acting’s loss would be Britain’s gain.

To be one of those cameos is an honor. It’s been one of the most special experiences of my life. It was two days of shooting, but it was a lot of prep. Hereafter, it’s changed me.

Who would you pick to cameo in The Bear Season 3?

Viola Davis as a head chef of an unbelievable place would be really incredible. If I could work for Viola Davis in a restaurant, that would be my dream.

You said that working on The Bear changed you. How so?

I’d like to think I got better [at cooking], thanks to my experience of being in The Bear. It’s funny—food and cooking have always been big passions of mine. But I’d never really set aside the time to [cook]. I’ve always been of the school of thought that if I spend time cooking food for myself, I’m wasting time with my job. I should be reading my script or learning my lines.

It’s only when my passion for food naturally intercepted with my passion for acting that I realized I need to make time to do this for myself. It brings me so much joy. It’s so good for my mental health. It’s such a meditative practice. It’s an act of self care and love—food is a love language. You’re able to bring other people satisfaction and happiness by sharing food. I’m making a conscious effort, as I get older, [to make] cooking a big part of my life. It’s a benefit to me and the people around me—hopefully, if I don’t burn anything too badly or underseason something.

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