Everything you need to know about 'The Bear' actor and chef Matty Matheson, who kissed Ebon Moss-Bachrach at the Emmys
Matty Matheson kissed his "The Bear" costar Ebon Moss-Bachrach onstage at the Emmys.
Matheson plays Neil Fak in the critically acclaimed Hulu series.
Here's what you need to know about the actor and real-life chef.
"The Bear" scooping the award for outstanding original comedy series at the Emmys on Monday night came as little surprise to most viewers. After all, the second season has a 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
What was surprising, however, was the good-humored moment actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach planted a wet one on his costar, Matty Matheson, for longer than you can shout, "Cousin!"
Matheson plays Neil Fak, the hapless maintenance man who works for Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) at The Original Beef of Chicagoland restaurant. In "The Bear" season two, Fak becomes one of the front-of-house staff, along with Richie Jerimovich (Moss-Bachrach).
Off-screen, Matheson is a real-life chef, who also serves as a producer on the series. Here's what you need to know about the actor.
Matheson runs several restaurants as well as starring in "The Bear."
Matheson started his cooking career in 2000 when he enrolled in a culinary course at Humber College in Toronto, though he dropped out to tour with his friend's band shortly before graduating, per a 2016 profile piece in Toronto Life.
Upon his return to Toronto, he worked at Le Sélect Bistro and La Palette, reports Toronto Life, before helping open the restaurant Oddfellows in 2008.
Matheson runs several restaurants around Toronto through Our House Hospitality Company, including Prime Seafood Palace, Matty's Pattys, and Cà Phê Rang.
In 2022, Matheson told Toronto Life that it was a difficult road opening Prime Seafood Palace, which was originally meant to open in 2018. Delays in construction and the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the launch to April 2022.
"This was supposed to be my only restaurant. Now I've got a couple, and I'm very proud of what we've done. But this ain't overnight," Matheson said.
Matheson has hosted several cooking shows.
"The Bear" isn't the first time Matheson has been in the spotlight, as he's hosted several food shows since 2014.
In 2014, he fronted six episodes of "Keep it Canada with Matty Matheson" for Vice on YouTube. The series sees him tour the country and learn about different delicacies and how they're made, from catching fish in Newfoundland to having a roadside barbecue in New Brunswick.
He was also the star of Vice's "Dead Set on Life," which had a similar premise to "Keep it Canada," with Matheson touring the world to learn about food in different cultures. His energetic hosting style kept the series going for three seasons until 2017.
Matheson went on to host Vice's "It's Suppertime!" The cooking show revolves around Matheson cooking his favorite dishes, with his signature larger-than-life personality at the forefront of the series. It ran for 24 episodes.
Matheson also runs his own YouTube channel, cooking up mouth-watering recipes to share with his 1.3 million subscribers.
As well as acting, Matheson helps curate the food for "The Bear."
Aside from his role as the lovable Fak in "The Bear," Matheson is also a producer on the show, and he uses his expertise to help develop the dishes cooked in each episode with culinary producer Courtney Storer.
Speaking to Variety in 2023, the chef said that he and Storer talk through the entire cooking process through the eyes of Carmy and Sydney (played by Ayo Edebiri).
"We'd ask ourselves, 'What are we doing together? How are we collaborating? What are they going to be doing? What are they going to be cooking on camera?'" said Matheson.
"'How are they going to be doing that? How do we then give them the steps to bring that to life on set?' Even when Carmy and Sydney are talking, we're trying to figure that out mentally," Matheson added.
Matheson has opened up about past substance abuse issues, and having a heart attack at 29.
Matheson's exuberant personality originally stemmed from his hard-partying lifestyle, as he used to drink heavily and use cocaine regularly.
Matheson told Toronto Life in 2016 that when he was the executive chef at Oddfellows in 2008, he and the staff used to finish work and party till late in a motorhome behind the restaurant.
"We just did whatever we wanted — it was our place," he said. "It was like, 'Oh, you think the music's too loud? Then go somewhere else.' And then I'd crank the music louder."
Matheson's lifestyle caught up to him in 2012 when he had a heart attack at 29, following three days of partying, per Toronto Life.
The chef got clean for a while but soon relapsed. Matheson's boss at Oddfellows, Richard Lambert, staged an intervention in 2013 after Matheson bought drugs at the restaurant in front of customers and staff, according to Toronto Life.
"He was definitely humoring us initially. But then something clicked. He realized how much he needed help," Matheson's friend Chris Hammell told the publication.
Read the original article on Business Insider