I Was on 'The Bear'!
Four years ago, I was cast in the TV show The Bear, which shoots in Chicago.
I got Covid and was replaced.
To say I was disappointed is a huge understatement. I love that show. My friends kept saying, “Don’t worry, they like you. They will have you back. You will get a better part."
Like any good actor, I did not believe them.
Four years later, they were right. I got cast again, this time for the fifth and final season.
The morning of the shoot I showed up feeling nervous. On the set, the entire cast sits in a giant circle -- the leads, the regulars, the day players like me. As the cast slowly came in to take their seats, I was feeling intimidated, seeing so many actors I have admired for years.
Whenever I have done TV and film shoots, there's a lot of hanging around, and I was thinking that this was going to be a long day.
Then to my surprise, some Chicago improvisers started showing up that I knew: Brad Morris and Eddie Piña. They introduced me to other people, and we all started talking and doing bits, and the day went by so fast I forgot that I was there to work. When more than two improvisers gather together we always have fun. There is mutual respect and shared history, even if we have never worked together. Improvisers are some of the best listeners, storytellers, and most supportive people in the world. I think our training teaches us that.
When the day was over, I was sad, because for me, being on The Bear was a big deal, but hanging out with improvisers was even better. When you spend a lot of time with people on set, you feel like you have gone to overnight camp with them, and now you have to say goodbye to friends and go home. I wanted to come back the next day, even if I was not in the scene, just to hang out with the people.
When the season finally dropped on June 25, I watched my episode with my family. I was supposed to have just a couple of lines, but in the final edit it ended up being just a couple of words. My friends were more excited than I was. They were texting me screenshots of my 3-second scene and calling to congratulate me.
But the fact that my part was so small didn’t really matter. I was just grateful I made it in. I have done stuff before where I have been cut completely. More importantly, it felt like redemption, which rarely happens these days.
When I lost the original part four years ago, I didn’t understand why God had me get Covid and lose the part. Now, I kind of do.