The Bear is a worldwide hit, but it’s had an unexpected side effect for star Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who plays Richie “Cousin” Jerimovich.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach returns for the upcoming The Bear Season 3, much to the delight of fans. Though Richie is initially presented as something of an antagonist, he quickly became one of the most endearing characters in popular TV show.
But he’s rarely known as Richie. Instead, he’s lovingly called Cousin by almost everyone on the series, despite the fact that he’s not actually related to any of the core cast. He’s the best friend of Mikey, the late former owner of struggling sandwich shop The Beef.
Richie has arguably had one of the show’s best character arcs, which has endeared him to viewers. Perhaps, as Moss-Bachrach told The Guardian, too much, as now fans of The Bear are constantly following him around, yelling “Cousin!” at him.
“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,” Moss-Bachrach explained. “I get a lot of comments. People yell ‘Cousin!’ at me all day.”
The Cousin nickname is also shouted by the various members of the The Bear cast as they whip through an anxiety-inducing kitchen at breakneck pace, making it one of the most rewarding and stressful shows on television today.
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That recognition may have pivoted to the real world for Moss-Bachrach, who revealed it’s not always a pleasant experience for him.
“Sometimes, you know, you’re just not having a great day,” he explained. “And it’s just like: ‘I’m sorry, man, I don’t have much for you.'”
Moss-Bachrach returns as Richie for Season 3 of The Bear, which sees the found family struggling with the launch of their fine-dining restaurant, the titular Bear. Outside of the show, Moss-Bachrach is next slated for an MCU return, joining The Fantastic Four as The Thing (having previously appeared in The Punisher).
All episodes of The Bear Season 3 will be released on FX and Hulu on June 27. While you’re waiting, read up on The Bear’s most traumatic episode, why a potential death has fans worried, or all the other great TV shows on streaming this month.
