Ebon Moss-Bachrach won two Primetime Emmys for his role in The Bear, and he has spent years proving he can play anything from a sitcom sidekick to a superhero. Now he is offering advice for anyone who has ever had to fake enthusiasm at work: be a perennial.
The quote comes from a 2024 interview with The Talks, where Moss-Bachrach discussed the challenge of finding value in projects that might not deserve it. “You have to be a perennial!” he said. “It’s very important when you work as an actor, or in any kind of collaborative media, to be able to fool yourself and trick yourself into thinking that the thing you’re working on has some value or some potential. Even if it doesn’t!”
The Perennial Problem
Moss-Bachrach’s full statement explains the stakes. “You need to be able to fool yourself for that amount of time that you’re working on it, to be able to show up and honor it and do service to your own work,” he said. Some jobs will not spark joy, but the actor insists you still have to commit.
The quote is a reminder that professionalism is not about loving everything you do. It is about showing up and giving it your best, even when the material is weak.
Richie Jerimovich and Beyond
Moss-Bachrach rose to fame as Richie Jerimovich in The Bear, a role that earned him two Primetime Emmy awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He also picked up two Golden Globe nominations for the part.
His TV resume runs wide. He appeared in Girls, NOS4A2, The Punisher, The Last Ship, and Andor. On the big screen, he played Ben Grimm/The Thing in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, a role he is set to reprise in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
The Cynicism Question
Moss-Bachrach prefaces his advice by noting that his idealism has faded with age. He does not feel cynical about his work, but he acknowledges that some of his enthusiasm has worn off.
“I try not to judge the material too harshly,” he added. “Even if it doesn’t! … One of the hardest challenges for me is when the material or the writing is not so good, or maybe when my motives are not so pure, I have to figure out ways in, ways to find inspiration.”
He is aware of the financial realities of his profession. “Listen, if I was interested in making a lot of money, I never would have become an actor!” he said.
Consistency Over Joy
The core of his argument is consistency. An actor might not always connect with a creative project, but it is necessary to honor it for the sake of consistency.
Moss-Bachrach separates his love for art from the need to earn wealth. His attraction to acting comes from the variety of experiences it offers, across film, television, and theater.
“What I’ve always been attracted to most is the variety of experiences that you can have between the three medium — film, television, and theater — but also with different kinds of writing and different kinds of parts,” he said.
More Quotes From Moss-Bachrach
Moss-Bachrach has a habit of speaking plainly about his craft. Here are three more lines from interviews:
| Quote | Source |
|---|---|
| “I love my job, and I want to do it to the day I die. I would love to, you know, keel over on set. That’d be fun.” — from a 2024 interview with The Guardian | |
| “I’m not ever concerned with whether they’re [his roles] likable. I also loathe judging my characters.” — from a 2023 interview with Daily Actor | |
| “I just learned that when you’re in a creative position, and you start letting expectations in, or you start to think about being good or being great or being something, then you’re not really doing your work.” — from an interview with The Talks |
What This Means For You
The perennial approach is not limited to actors. Anyone working in a collaborative field faces the same problem: how to treat a project with dignity when it feels like a dead end.
Moss-Bachrach’s advice is simple. Show up. Find a way in. Pretend it matters.
That is a useful lesson for anyone whose day job involves pretending to care. It is also a funny one, coming from an Emmy winner who has done the pretending himself.
The quote is a reminder that success is not about loving everything you do. It is about showing up and giving it your best, even when the material is weak.
That is the part worth remembering.
Source material: “Quote Of The Day By Ebon Moss-Bachrach: 'You Have To Be A Perennial! It's Very Important When You Work As An Actor, Or In Any…',” TVLine.
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