Why was Bradley Cooper in ‘The Bear?’ His cameo, explained

The Bear season 3 might not be as solid as the other two seasons, depending on who you ask, but a cameo from Bradley Cooper in the last episode was definitely memorable. So, it’s natural that most folks want to find out exactly why he appeared in the show.

In the third season of everyone’s favorite kitchen comedy/drama (that makes us feel 10 emotions in every single scene), which was released in June, Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) continues his dream of having his own restaurant while (naturally) making a lot of mistakes along the way. And while we want to know more about what’s going on with Sydney Adamu’s (Ayo Edebiri) career, we also need to figure out this Bradley Cooper situation.

So, why is Bradley Cooper in The Bear season 3?

Bradley Cooper’s The Bear season 3 cameo was unlike all the others. While Josh Hartnett played Tiff’s (Gillian Jacobs) fiancé Frank, which builds on Tiff’s sad The Bear season 2 storyline, Cooper didn’t play a fictional character whose identity and presence on the show can be easily explained. When Carmy goes to a final dinner at Ever before it closes down, which they call a “funeral,” there is a board with photos of talented chefs… and Bradley Cooper as Adam Jones in Burnt, the 2015 movie that we may or may not have seen. (It wasn’t the best.)

We all want to solve this culinary mystery, and people have some ideas about why Cooper was shown in The Bear for such a short amount of time that we might have had to rewind. According to ScreenRant and Slash Film, there are three possible explanations. Cooper might be in The Bear season 4, Cooper’s Burnt character Adam and The Bear are in the same world, and maybe Chef Terry (Olivia Coleman) loves Burnt and simply put the photo up on her board. The Independent also shared a fan’s theory that maybe Cooper trained at Ever before playing Adam.

Personally, I think the most logical explanation is that Cooper is a famous actor in the world of The Bear and that Terry enjoyed watching him portray a tough and brilliant chef in Burnt. This would fit in with the theme of The Bear season 3 finale, which was all about chefs embracing why they love working in restaurants despite the many lows and not that many highs. Terry and the other characters look for motivation everywhere since they want to work hard and be creative.

While some of us might think that the episode was a little disappointing (with no Claire/Carmy happy ending or, really, any loose ends getting fixed), it was definitely heartwarming to see a group of talented and hard-working chefs enjoying a meal together. Sure, it was a little corny at times and the conversation became a bit pretentious, but it was still a pretty effective and powerful scene.

As of now, Cooper hasn’t said why he was in The Bear season 3 finale, but we’d like to think he’s as big a fan of the show as we are. No one else involved with the show seems to be talking about it, either, so we might have to sit back and see if The Bear season 4 brings up Cooper’s Burnt character Adam. Maybe then we’ll find out the truth.