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I tried to make doughnuts, and boy, did I burn those.
Its not easy, says Boyce.
Im looking at Instagram pages and watching people make desserts that seem really difficult to pull off.
He starts off as a person whos just kind of working in this restaurant as just a job.
And I think thats what I responded to someone striving for a goal and actually going for it.
I love doughnuts and I love desserts.
Its the best research.
I spent a lot of time doing that.
But no lie, the doughnut is what connected me to it because I do love doughnuts.
Ive always worked with my friends the way I came into this was working with my friends.
Thats what I connect to.
Carmy saw that with Marcus, and it felt like a parallel to me.
Somereviewsare callingThe Beara comedy, and others call it a drama.
Nobody seems able to decide what it is.
I know he always said that he wanted it to feel real.
I dont think its really inherently funny.
Theyre not writing jokes.
The comedy comes from these people and what they think is funny just like real life.
I dont know what to call it, either.
When I think about a character likeEbon Moss-Bachrachs Richie, the dumb stories hes telling arent funny.
And thats why I love him.
He thinks hes so cool, and thats why hes funny.
You know that character in real life.
They take themselves so seriously.
You guys filmed in Chicago.
Some days, when I was off by myself, I would rent a Divvy Bike and explore.
I was just flying down Lake Shore Drive like a crazy person.
It was the time of my life.
Theres a lot of revolving doors out there; theyre just everywhere.
It was a lot of food.
There was this one soul-food spot called Oooh Wee It Is, that was really good.
I was on a quest to find the best wings; Jake Melnicks Corner Tap was pretty good.
There was an Italian spot that we all went to eat at, I cant remember the name.
Obviously the steak houses, like Bavettes Bar & Boeuf and Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse.
That conversation between Marcus and Ayo in the finale made me so curious.That was real!
The bacon is good.
Its frowned upon, I know that.
But hey, I cant control what I love.
There is this huge amount of tension in the kitchen and yet Marcus seems outside of it.
He has his own station, hes doing his own experiments.
I was fortunate enough to, in preparation for this,stageat a couple places.
Just to mostly observe, I got to stage at Tartine.
You work at their speed, but its also controlled.
Youre on your own rhythm.
Youre not part of that madness, although youre adjacent to it.
And I also got to observe for two weeks at this place in Copenhagen, Hart Bageri.
Its their own rhythm, they put their own music on, youre in your own world.
So I knew that feeling.
I wanted to see to it that comes across, and hopefully it does.
And also, it was something Ayo said.
And I was like,Oh, I love that, because thats exactly what he is.
Hes off in his own world.
Hes so consumed with trying to achieve his goal that he dissociates himself.
That moment, I remember reading that and thinking,This guy is out of control.
Talk about no social awareness.
But thats why you love him, because hes real.
Thats how people are.
You just come in and youre ignoring everything else.
They really got all the food together.
They knew what they were doing because they come from that kitchen world.
Its just me doing the final steps, because baking takes forever.
We dont have eight hours to film them from start to finish.
Its just TV magic.
That doughnut moment happens in the seventh episode, which is presented as one uncut 20-minute take.
Can you talk about that filming experience?
Was it actually one take, or were there some secret cuts hidden in there?Thats whats cool.
They wanted to really capture this feeling and this tension because its a climactic moment of the season.
You just feel so accomplished:Wow, this is so crazy.
Its such a quiet moment, but the timing of that, it didnt feel too rushed.
That one, I was proud of.
You mentioned Ayo, and the two of you have a very easy chemistry.
Had you met before?No.
I met her on the first day of rehearsals or something like that, doing the pilot.
Ayo is just a very easy person to click with.
I read in an interview from a few years ago that you were watchingBobs Burgerswhile working onThe Jellies.
It was mostlyBobs Burgersbecause I liked that show, and I love animation as well.
They have cool music and the whole package.
When I was a kid, my dad loved Emeril [Lagasse].
I think everybody grew up watching Emeril.
Everybody wants Guys job.
You drive around in cool cars and eat?
Who doesnt want that!And you say three adjectives to describe it every time?
That is still one of the best doughnuts.
SK Donuts is really good, too.
I drove over to Glendora, its called Donut Man, I think?
That one was really good, too.
I was one day too early to have this famous strawberry-filled doughnut that people line up to try.
Theres one in Carlsbad, near San Diego, the Goods, that one was really good too.
They had these Tahitian vanilla doughnuts with glaze, and I was like,Wow.
This is 10 out of 10.
Are you a filled-doughnut person, or a ring-doughnut person?Ring doughnut.
I love the standard chocolate ring doughnut.
Thats probably my favorite.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
