Before Brie Larson was cast as Francie Fak, there was a Vanderpump Rules alum in the running for The Bear cameo.
Abby Elliott, who plays Natalie, was asked about Francie’s introduction in season 3, telling Elle last month, “[The Bear creator] Chris Storer and I have been having conversations about this since season 2, when the concept of Francie first gets introduced. We were like, ‘Who is she?’”
There was initially a plan to cast a reality star.
“We talked about Stassi [Schroeder] from Vanderpump Rules. And we were like, ‘I think she’s kind of like Stassi,’” Elliott, 38, recalled. “Then, I think it was between seasons 2 and 3, I was at the L.A. Natural History Museum, and I saw Stassi. I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I was so embarrassed because my kid was having a tantrum and her kid was so well-behaved, and [Storer] was like, ‘This is perfect. This is so Natalie and Francie.’”
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Schroeder, 37, ultimately didn’t join the hit Hulu series. Instead, viewers were surprised when Larson, 35, popped up on screen.
“When Brie stepped in, it made it all the more perfect. We really hit it off,” Elliott shared. “I think we’re pretty similar, and she’s so funny. I love her. We were simpatico from the start, which was so much fun to play. And even though we do, sort of, find out [the source of Natalie and Francie’s feud], it’s still a little unclear!”
Season 3 built up to a reunion between former friends turned enemies Natalie and Francie. But when Francie finally appeared, it remained unclear what actually led to their falling out. The duo hinted at a romantic past before acknowledging that they missed each other and decided to resume their friendship.
“Another thing that Chris and I talked about: I was watching a reality show with all these women at this wedding in those Hill House nap dresses. And I was like, ‘It’d be so funny if [Francie and Natalie] are going at each other in these Little-Bo-Peep pastel dresses,’” Elliott told Elle. “So we tried to do that with the wardrobe in episode 7. She’s wearing a headband and I’m wearing a headband.”
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Elliott pointed out the juxtaposition of the setting and the subject matter, adding, “Everything’s very cute, and then we’re going into this dark drunken backstory. It was my favorite thing to shoot. That episode felt so much like My Best Friend’s Wedding and The Wedding Singer and all of those kind of ’90s/2000s movies that you watch and you’re like, ‘Oh, I wish I was at that wedding.’”
Elliott concluded: “There was a scene in My Best Friend’s Wedding, which takes place in Chicago, and [Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz] are in the bathroom at Wrigley Field. Cameron’s wearing a little headband and she’s in pastel, and she goes off on Julia’s character. I kept watching that scene before [filming episode 7] to really get me into it. So much goes down at weddings. It’s such a perfect backdrop for drama and comedy.
The Bear is currently streaming on Hulu.
