Rob Reiner Credits Jamie Lee Curtis for Encouraging Him to Take on “The Bear” Season 4 Role (Exclusive)
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Rob Reiner credits Jamie Lee Curtis for encouraging him to take on the role of Albert on season 4 of The Bear
Reiner and Curtis famously shared the screen when they played exes on New Girl in the 2010s
Curtis has already won an Emmy for her recurring guest role on The Bear
The Bear fans have Jamie Lee Curtis to thank for Rob Reiner's part in season 4.
Speaking to PEOPLE for the 41st anniversary re-release of This Is Spinal Tap, Reiner, 78, credits pal Curtis, 66, with encouraging him to take on the role of Albert Schnur on the fourth season of the FX on Hulu series.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R17ekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R27ekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe"She had told me she was on the seasons before, and then when I was asked to do it, I said, 'I don't know,' and she said, 'No, you've got to do it! It's really fun!'" Reiner shares of Curtis, who is married to his This Is Spinal Tap costar and frequent collaborator, Christopher Guest.
FX
Rob Reiner as Albert on 'The Bear'Reiner appeared as Albert in three episodes of The Bear, mostly in scenes with Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Parker), and praises series creator Christopher Storer for setting "such a great mood."
"It was so much fun to do," the Emmy-winning actor gushes. "It's fun to act, and I love acting because it's no worries. You just show up and do your work."
Explaining his approach to acting versus directing, like he did with This Is Spinal Tap, Reiner recalls how Ron Howard called him years ago and asked him to be in his 1999 film "EDtv" alongside Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.
"I said, 'Yeah, okay, I'll do it.' He says, 'Well, let me send you the script, and see if you like it,'" he remembers of his conversation with Howard. "I said, 'Ah, you don't have to send me the script.' I said, 'If it stinks, it's not my fault. I'm just acting.'"
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R1eekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R2eekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe"So, to me, I love to act, and it's fun to do and you don't have the headaches," Reiner explains.
Reiner and Curtis' friendship goes way back, and the two even shared the screen as exes on New Girl.
The legendary actors played Bob and Joan, the divorced parents of Zooey Deschanel's Jess Day on New Girl, making numerous appearances during the show's seven-season run.
Reiner and Curtis first appeared in the season 2 episode titled "Parents" in 2012 and, after reprising their role a few times, showed up again during the two-part series finale in 2018, in an episode titled "The Curse of the Pirate Bride."
Reiner has also teamed up with Curtis' husband, Guest, on several projects, including This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride and Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.
FOX Image Collection via Getty
(L-R) Rob Reiner, Zooey Deschanel and Jamie Lee Curtis on 'New Girl'Curtis famously won an Emmy for her role as Donna Berzatto, the mother of Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Natalie (Abby Elliott) and Mikey (Jon Bernthal), on The Bear.
The Halloween star took home the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series at the 2024 Creative Arts Emmys for her performance in the season 2 episode titled "Fishes."
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R1oekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R2oekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeTaking the stage after her name was announced, Curtis told the crowd in her acceptance speech, "You know there’s a saying, 'Hurt people hurt people,' but I also think you can add to that and say, 'Helped people help people,' and I think that’s the story of The Bear."
Backstage after her win, Curtis called herself "the luckiest girl in the world."
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All four seasons of The Bear are now streaming on Hulu.
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