This past summer, I had the pleasure of reviewing the fantastic second season of The Bear, and one of the prevailing wants of some people who watched was a supposed love story between Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri). Of course, art is open to interpretation, but I saw a friendship and mutual respect forged by the life and death of a restaurant. Once Carmy’s focus was pulled into the direction of his budding relationship with Claire (Molly Gordon), Sydney felt that. It’s no different than a friend getting married or having a baby and things just not being the same as they used to be. Nevertheless, fans view Carmy and Sydney as possibly having an unrequited romance. It’s a testament to how great the writing is for the show.
Edebiri and Allen White took home well-deserved Golden Globe awards last night, but the fan idealization looks like it leaked into much of the interview time Edebiri got throughout the ceremony. There were two specific instances where Edebiri was asked about her co-star’s recent Calvin Klein ad. Both times, she relented and even turned the picture away. Imagine if your co-worker took a photo shoot of their own accord, and there were unfounded rumors that you two had a thing for one another. Then, at the behest of parties who want to see sparks fly, they keep bringing these pictures out for you to comment on. It would not feel very pleasant. While Edebiri tried to be a good sport, you can see she was a little uncomfortable. We cannot fathom that some people in Hollywood are just good friends and co-workers.
We’re all in the news game. Extra and Access Hollywood got the soundbites and stirred up some conversation (which, by the looks of it, still dominates the day). However, I can’t help but wonder if they bit the bait a little too hard on this one. In the spirit of trying to make fetch happen, they leaned into the dream scenario and tried to engineer something that wasn’t there. If Jeremy and Ayo were ever to get together, they are two adults who I’m sure can figure that out. However, they aren’t, and neither are Carmy and Sydney. It might be hard to believe, but people can fully detach and exist outside their characters. It’s not like we can bring our own created storylines into existence. Ayo stated that Jeremy is her boy, and she’s happy for him — but like many of us, you’re not trying to be the expert of your friend’s scantily clad photos.
Photo Credit: Chris Pizzello/AP
