‘Burnt’ Cast Binged on Michelin-Starred Meals Between Takes

Craft services be damned — the cast of Burnt grazed on food prepared by an actual Michelin-starred chef between takes.

“Everything [in each scene] was exceptional, and I was so happy because the catering was really bad,” Daniel Bruhl, who plays a maitre d’ to Bradley Cooper’s Adam Jones, told The Hollywood Reporter at the Weinstein Co. film’s New York City premiere at the Museum of Modern Art last week.

The film features plates created by Michelin-star chef Marcus Wareing and, according to the cast, none were above sampling the goods every chance they got.

“Anything that wasn’t nailed down, I inhaled it,” said Matthew Rhys, who plays a rival chef. Even if doing so irritated the actual prep chefs in the scene. “When there are stupid actors saying, ‘Can I try a bit?’ it’s like, ‘F— off!'” Rhys joked.

Comparing Wareing’s movie menu to craft services’ usual on-set offerings of macaroni, sandwiches and salads, is unfair, Bruhl confessed. “[The caterers] probably had food that was fine, but if you have to compete with Michelin-starred professionals, it’s tough,” he said.

The Hollywood Reporter caught up with the cast and gathered their Michelin-star snack selections on set:

Bradley Cooper
“Riccardo [Scamarcio] was the meat section, and right before he knew we were gonna break for lunch or if it looked like it was gonna be a long turnaround for a lighting setup, he would slice thinly, add a little bit of rock salt, and lay the meat just on the grill. We’d just graze for about ten minutes — that was my favorite food of the entire film.”

Sienna Miller
“My favorite food wasn’t an actual dish, but there was this pot of beef sauce that goes with the beef dish. It’s basically cow and butter, blended with some other magic. I had a spoon and I had to taste it, and I was eating it like a soup. It’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever had.”

Daniel Bruhl
“The lamb was incredibly tender and marinated with wonderful herbs. And the quality of the meat was just exceptional.”

Sam Keeley
“The fish was unbelievable. I love fish, but the turbot was done in a special way where they’d put butter in a pan, bring it to a boil and tilt the pan at the 45-degree angle and baste it, and it was cooked within 30 seconds — in butter. Every bite was stunning.”

Matthew Rhys
“My [scenes’] food were cooked in a plastic bag, but when we were prepping stuff, I got a few radishes that were cut so thinly, they had literally been placed with tweezers. In fact, there were more tweezers in the kitchen than knives. It seemed like some sort of alchemy or witchcraft to me, because it was disappearing on my tongue. I didn’t even have to chew it!”

Burnt hits theaters Oct. 30.