Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who plays Richie on FX’s culinary dramedy ‘The Bear’, was not a Taylor Swift fan before he found himself belting out her hit ‘Love Story’ in the show.
However, after his memorable performance in the standout episode ‘Forks,’ Moss-Bachrach can’t seem to get Swift’s lyrics out of his head.
The Emmy-winning actor revealed to The Guardian that he wasn’t familiar with the song before filming the scene.
“That took some rehearsal,” he admitted. “My daughters aren’t really Swifties, for whatever reason. I think she’s probably a great songwriter, she’s a cat lover, I think she likes Rhode Island, so in my book, she’s great.”
To ensure his performance was spot-on, Moss-Bachrach kept the lyrics close by during shooting.
“I did have to have some of the lyrics right next to me, but now they’re burned into my heart and burned into my head,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll ever get those lyrics out of me.”
Reflecting on his Emmy win in January, the ‘Andor’ and ‘Girls’ star described the night as one of the most joyous of his life.
“[It was] one of the most joyful nights of my life… but beyond that it just kind of stressed me out, because then we go back to make season 3 and we’ve won a bunch of awards, you start to feel like: ‘Oh, f—,’” he shared.
“I mean, then you really don’t want to be discovered to be a fraud. And then there’s pressure…”
While Moss-Bachrach doesn’t fixate on winning more awards, he is committed to maintaining a high standard in his work.
“Not that I feel like I need to win another Emmy or anything, but I just feel like it means so much to people, you know, so much more than I ever thought it would,” he explained.
“And I just want people to not feel let down by the thing. I’ve had so many beautiful interactions with people that have been really moved in a way that it sort of inspired me about the power of telling a story or the power of making a show or making a piece of art. It’s really invigorated me and renewed my faith in my job.”
The actor also noted the unexpected ways fans express their passion for ‘The Bear’.
“I was on top of a little mountain outside Kyoto and a Korean couple came up to me and were saying how much they love the show,” he recalled.
“I get a lot of comments. People yell ‘Cousin!’ at me all day… sometimes, you know, you’re just not having a great day. And it’s just like: I’m sorry, man, I don’t have much for you.”
‘The Bear’s’ third season premieres on Hulu on June 27.
