Jeremy Allen White & Ayo Edebiri's Platonic Chemistry In The Bear Is Just As Strong Off Screen
When we talk about the greatest on-screen pairings in television, we're typically looking at siblings, best friends of the same gender identity, romantic partners, or "will they, won't they" friendships that cumulate in a romance. However, Hulu's "The Bear" follows a completely different pathway, with leads Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) working together in the restaurant business, without any semblance of a romantic connection. It's a good thing, considering both characters are in two completely different places in their lives (and Carmy needs to do some serious soul-searching before he attempts a relationship with ANYONE), but also because part of the rush of watching "The Bear" is never having to be caught up in the drama of speculation or "shipping," so you can instead focus solely on the dramatic events as they unfold on screen.
It also certainly helps that Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri are two of the most naturally charismatic actors working today, and their off-screen friendship only emphasizes their authentic, platonic chemistry. In a profile on "The Bear" for Variety, the two discussed becoming friends during pre-production training at the Institute of Culinary Education.
"When we started at culinary school, we were instantly almost competitive with one another which was very, very weird," said White. "We didn't really know each other. We'd met and we were excited to do the show, and then this quiet competition started to sort of impress our teacher," he continued. "It was odd but worked for the show." I spent many years working in the service industry and as I and anyone else who has had to scream in a walk-in cooler can attest, going through the wringer of food service will forge unbreakable bonds between total strangers from all walks of life.
Kinship in the kitchen
The friendship between the duo is tangible not just for those of us watching at home, but also for those who work closely alongside them on set. "The relationship that Ayo and Jeremy have is so special and really different from the relationship that she has with Ebon [Moss-Bachrach] and the relationship that she has with Lionel [Boyce]," co-showrunner Joanna Calo said. "There is this really special thing where they all took the assignment really seriously and became friends in different ways." Fortunately, it sounds like everyone working on "The Bear" is also invested in maintaining their relationship as strictly platonic, and have no interest in a friends-to-lovers arc.
"I know there are people who are very invested in that, and I understand and I appreciate it, but it was not that for me," Edebiri said, laughing. White shared the same sentiment: "No! It was never discussed by anybody," he said. It is shockingly rare to see a platonic relationship between cis men and cis women on TV, and as Calo said, the idea of Sydney and Carmy getting together on a romantic level "never came up." Good! They don't need it! "We wanted to make something that was about friendship and a partnership," said show creator Christopher Storer. "It was interesting because Ayo and Jeremy, since they are our friends and are such wonderful people, I think there is this charisma that comes off both of them."
"The Bear" season 2 is available on Hulu.