Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for The Amateur.

Recently, Jon Bernthal appeared in the new spy thriller movie, The Amateur, and weirdly enough, his new character has an unlikely connection to his role in The Bear. Released on April 11, 2025, The Amateur follows Charlie, a CIA cryptographer whose life is turned upside down when his wife, Sarah, is killed in a terrorist attack. Seeking justice for her death, Charlie blackmails his superiors into giving him the resources to hunt down Sarah’s killers himself. Despite having little field training, Charlie tracks down the terrorists and makes them pay for his grief.

The Amateur not only boasts a unique premise, but it also has a star-studded cast to back it up. Rami Malek stars as Charlie, alongside Rachel Brosnahan, Laurence Fishburne, Caitríona Balfe, and Bernthal. Though the movie hasn’t been out long, it has already received fairly strong scores on Rotten Tomatoes, including a 62% critics score and an 88% audience score. For the most part, The Amateur’s positive reviews can be attributed to its fantastic cast, who bring a sense of seriousness to their characters, despite some over-the-top action sequences.

The Bear Star Jon Bernthal Plays A Character Named The Bear In The Amateur

How Bernthal’s Bear Characters Compare

One bright spot of The Amateur is Bernthal, who ironically plays a character who is known as “the Bear.” In the action film, the Bear is a CIA field agent who is friends with Charlie at the start of the movie, and later, attempts to intervene in Charlie’s violent plans. This character’s тιтle is funny because Bernthal is well known for his portrayal of Michael Berzatto in the comedy-drama, The Bear. Michael often calls the lead character Bear, and the nickname connects to their last name, Berzatto.

Strangely, Bernthal’s characters are somewhat similar. The main connection between them is that they are supporting characters who are not used super often on-screen, but when they do appear, they have an impact. Just like how Bernthal’s Michael offers moments of intensity and sadness on The Bear, the Bear in The Amateur brings a sense of emotion to the story because he clearly cares for Charlie, regardless of his actions. Overall, Bernthal succeeds at adding depth to whatever story he is in, especially if his role is bear-related.

The Amateur’s Jon Bernthal-Bear Connection Was Totally Unintentional

Bernthal’s Upcoming Projects Explained

The next most obvious question is whether The Amateur’s director meant to create this Bernthal Bear connection. Apparently, the answer is no. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, James Hawes explained that the name was a complete coincidence. He said, “The character was called ‘the Bear’ before Jon Bernthal came along. And whether or not that was something that sign-posted the part as a role he had to play, you’ll have to ask him.” At this point, Bernthal has not said anything about the situation.

After The Amateur, audiences may be craving more Bernthal. Fortunately, he has a number of projects that have recently been released or are on the cusp of their premiere. This year, Bernthal has already appeared in Daredevil: Born Again, and is set to return for The Accountant 2. In 2026, he is slated to be in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and will star in a new Punisher project produced by Disney. All in all, The Amateur is just the start of more Bernthal projects.