FX‘s The Bear takes the idea of comfort food to a whole new level. The series is a half-hour cooking drama that not only focuses on the grander effect that food has on an individual but it also on how there’s no choice but to carry on after suffering a loss.
After losing his brother to suicide, Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) is left to help pick up the pieces at his family’s restaurant in Chicago following a very successful cooking career. He made a name for himself across the world as one of the best chefs to ever do it, yet it is moments like this that are a sobering reminder that even when life is going great, it can all come tumbling down at any moment. The series is a hones in on the deep connection that food has with us all, even during our most vulnerable and intimate moments.
“People have such a fascination with food and it makes sense because everybody needs food, right? That’s a part of everybody’s day,” said White in a recent interview with Shadow and Act along with co-star Ayo Edebiri. “I think what I really learned through his how food can really be used to take care of somebody and to communicate love and care.”
Although the series is centered around loss, Edebiri explains how at the same time, 'The Bear' can help people find the joy when life gets tough, in true comedic fashion.
“When you look at a lot of great comedy, it comes from a place of truth,” Edebiri expressed. “And a lot of times, great jokes come from horrible political situations, horrible personal situations, but still they find the things that are real and true and universal about that. To shine a light on things or to just give people a release. I think while this show might not be knee-slapping comedy, I think there is a lot of relief just in moments of connection and in those moments where there are so many emotions bubbling together. There are funny moments of joy when the characters just connect.”
Additionally, when working with a kitchen crew, various personalities soon become one big family.
It’s a testament to how as one grows older, the dynamics of family change and if one is lucky, they can begin to connect with their chosen family even if they aren’t related by blood. Beyond just what fans on the camera see, White explains how the cast and crew of The Bear alone was one big family in real-life too.
“I just felt really lucky. I was on a show for like 11 years before The Bear and that group really became my family. I was so young when I started and we’ve all had kids and it was such a beautiful thing,” he recalled. “And I was really afraid that I wasn’t gonna find anything quite like that again, but I feel really lucky with this group and this case because it was so easy. I felt like everybody was on the same page, everybody’s putting the same amount of effort and love into the work.”
Overall, like art imitating life, the series is filled with people trying to make it through life while acknowledging the cards they've been dealt.
“The Bear is a show about people trying to make a place the best version and doing that while trying to sometimes be the best version of themselves, sometimes the worst versions of themselves,” Edebiri added.
All episodes of FX’s The Bear are now streaming on Hulu.
Watch the full interview below:
