The actor also dishes on that heartwarming moment between Marcus and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri).

The Bear’s Lionel Boyce reveals where Marcus and his dad stand after that poignant moment

The actor also dishes on that heartwarming moment between Marcus and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri).

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

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June 26, 2026 8:00 a.m. ET

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Lionel Boyce as Marcus for 'The Bear' season 5. Credit:

Kurt Iswarienko/FX

- Lionel Boyce is sharing where Marcus and his absent father stand after the penultimate episode of *The Bear*.

- The actor tells ** that he has "hope" that they pair can reconnect moving forward.

- He also dishes on that poignant moment between Marcus and Sydney.

**This article contains spoilers for the final season of *The Bear. ***

Marcus (Lionel Boyce) is keeping the door open when it comes to his complicated relationship with his father.

The fifth and final season of *The Bear*, which is streaming now on Hulu and Disney+, follows a particularly punishing (and potentially last) day of dinner service for its staff. In the midst of all the kitchen chaos, Marcus is also battling his own feelings of resentment and grief after inviting his absent dad (Harry Lennix) to the restaurant that evening.

The father-and-son get a chance to connect after the dinner rush, with Marcus ultimately making plans for them to talk. Still, when his dad goes in for a hug, the pastry chef meets him with a handshake.

Boyce tells * *that Marcus is “taking his time” when it comes to figuring out what kind of relationship he wants to have with his dad moving forward.

Ayo Edebiri in 'The Bear' season 5.

“The good thing is he's trying to keep himself open to establishing some sort of relationship with his father,” he says. “It's a tough thing, because they have a whole history and that thing… It can get really hard and get bitter.”

The SAG Award winner explains that there are “so many low moments in your life” where Marcus likely wanted his dad to be there for him, including the death of his mom (Alma Washington) at the end of season 2.

“To me, there's hope because he's agreed to be at least open,” he adds. “He's extended this branch and said: ‘I will sit with you. Let's get a meal and let's talk.’”

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The scene, Boyce notes, also showcases how Marcus chooses to deal with heartbreak directly rather than put it on the back burner like other characters on the Emmy-winning series.

“Marcus has dealt with grief in a different way, where he's just like, ‘I’ll try my best to take it on and like see how I can like handle it,’” he says. “And I'm a big boy, I can take the chink in the armor if it hurts too much.”

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And it does hurt. At one point, Marcus gets himself temporarily kicked out of the kitchen after getting into a fiery argument with Luca (Will Poulter). Outside, he admits in a poignant moment to Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) that the only reason he invited his dad that evening was because his mom couldn't come.

Boyce doesn’t know if Marcus even meant to confide in Sydney, who lost her own mom as a child, at that moment.

“It just kind of came out,” he adds. “Like, this is honestly what I'm truly feeling, and you are the only person who could understand this, because I can't talk to my mom about it, and that's the person I want to talk to most.”

Jeremy Allen White and Lionel Boyce in 'The Bear' season 5.

Which is why Boyce thinks it’s “such a cool thing” that Sydney chooses to comfort Marcus and affirm that his mom would be proud of him rather than scold him for lashing out.

“She just gives him this gift and puts it in perspective for him, like she would be proud, and you know it, and I know it,” he says. “And I think Syd also might be feeling that same thing, so she's telling herself that [too].”

The final season of *The Bear* is streaming now on Hulu and Disney+.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Comedy”