Photo: Billy Bennight/AdMedia/Splash News Online
Jeremy Allen Whiteis stepping away from the frying pan and into the fire for this season ofThe Bear.
“I spent a lot of time as a fly on the wall, and I’d help them prep where you can’t really screw up anything too badly,” theShamelessalum told the outlet. “It was a pretty busy night and Chef Dave [Beran] pushed me onto the line.” White said he was then told to “start cooking,” even though he was “so, so scared.”
White continued, saying he didn’t have to do the same level of preparation for his return to the small screen. “From what I understand, I won’t be doing as much sort of cooking in season two," he said.
Courtesy of FX
The actor clarified that Joanna Calo and Christopher Storer, the show’s co-showrunner and creator, “said I don’t have to drive myself as crazy as I might have before the first season.”
Regardless, White says spending time in these kitchens is “something I wanted to do," adding, “I like spending time in these places, I like all the people that work there, and I like all learning about this craft.”
While his times in professional kitchens like Pasjoli helped prepare the actor to show off authentic on-screen cooking skills necessary for the first season, the lessons White found most “shocking” may help provide substance for the sophomore season ofThe Bear,which follows White’s character, Carmy, as he tries to revamp and relaunch his family’s restaurant.
Matt Dinerstein/FX
“I was working in some, I mean, really amazing restaurants, Michelin Star places where they have everything together and they’re making a lot of money,” White explained. “You’d be shocked at just how much success is necessary to be in a place of real ease at a restaurant.”
Aside from the on-the-job lessons White had prior to filming, he and the rest of his castmatesgot a rundown from the show’s culinary producer,Courtney Storer, sister of creator Christopher Storer.
White,Ayo Edebiri(Sydney) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Richie) came in with some experience, according to Storer, who spoke with PEOPLE in September.
“Jeremy cooks a little bit, but he definitely learned more throughout this process,” she said. Edebiri, who plays Sydney — an eager, young chef who helps Carmy helm The Beef restaurant — actually joined Courtney in the kitchen in L.A. before filming in Chicago; but their cooking sessions transcended basic techniques.
“She really got to see how I move, how I navigate in a space, how I prep things, how I prioritize. I talked a lot to her about confidence, carrying my shoulders, how I move, to kind of get respect or have this position of leadership,” she told PEOPLE. “I think I was always really tiny in a space, and I could feel really small and I had to find ways to use my voice to get attention. So we spent a lot of time on that.”
Accurately portraying her experience as a woman working in busy restaurants was important for the veteran chef. “I remember using [a clipboard] and the cooks being like, ‘This f—ing chick.’ And I’d be like, ‘Yep, yep. We’re going to be organized today.’ And everyone giving an eye roll,” she recalled.
Similarly, Sydney is seen clutching a clipboard throughout scenes of Season 1 ofThe Bearas she fights to assert her voice.
“There’s a lot of suppression that can happen with women in kitchens sometimes because you can be underestimated,” Storer added. “I always gravitated towards women in the kitchen because I didn’t see it often.“All 10 episodes ofThe Bearseason 2 will premiere on Hulu Thursday. Season 1 is available to stream now in its entirety.
source: people.com
