Plus, more Emmy nomination predictions, how Cannes factors into the 2024 Oscars, and more.
Chance
“I’m really not a winner.”
To think, she went to NYU to become an English teacher.
Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White on ‘The Bear’.Matt Dinerstein/FX
Below, read portions of Edebiri’s chat withThe AwardistaboutThe Bear,Abbott,Shadows, and more.
AYO EDEBIRI: I had started doing improv in high school, actually.
I’d always loved it.
Ayo Edebiri on ‘The Bear’.Matt Dinerstein/FX
We were co-presidents of the Improv Club.
We would watch UCB videos together we were so obsessed with it.
So I’d always known about it and I’d known that New York was the mecca for that.
Ayo Edebiri and Quinta Brunson on ‘Abbott Elementary’.ABC/Gilles Mingasson
And I just was like, people are like doing this!
Were you with students?
Yeah, I did.
Natasia Demetriou, Matt Berry, and Kayvan Novak on ‘What We Do in the Shadows’.Russ Martin: FX
I did student teaching for primary school.
And that was a humbling experience.
Both experiences were incredibly humbling.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
[Laughs]
So who’s scarier: kids or critics?
All due respect to critics…
Ooh.
Both have real hurt-feelings potential.
Evan Peters as Jeffrey Dahmer in ‘Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’.Netflix
And I’m like, just because.
What was…
[Laughs] My voice was cracking!
Yeah…
Was there something specific in that moment that hit you?
Ali Wong and Steven Yeun in ‘Beef’.Andrew Cooper/Netflix
But yeah, it was really I don’t know humbling to just win something.
I’m really not a winner.
So I think I was really shocked.
Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser in ‘Black Bird’.Apple TV+
And there’s so much good TV, there’s no guarantee that people will watch anything.
When did you get to meet Jeremy Allen White for the first time?
We met before the pilot.
Niecy Nash-Betts in ‘Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’.Netflix
At the time, I didn’t drive.
[Laughs] And he was like, what, you don’t drive?!
So he drove me home a few times and that was when we first got to know each other.
He was like, you really need to get your license.
And I was like, yeah, no, for sure, for sure.
I did get my license.
He’s the best.
[Laughs]
There’s a very wise presence about him, isn’t there?
It’s so funny.
Especially in season 1, a lot of what I was thinking about was stillness for Sydney.
Can we talk about that episode for a second?
Episode 7, the single take there’s a lot happening.
And then Sydney accidentally stabs Richie.
My anxiety was through the roof watching the episode.
But Chris is very good at knowing that sort of thing.
Julianne Moore, director Todd Haynes, and Natalie Portman at the Cannes premiere of ‘May December’.Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty
We did four or five takes total.
And people couldn’t stop talking about it.
It was like a blast to get to do that episode, even though it was definitely daunting.
‘The Zone of Interest’.A24
It initially wasn’t a one-take episode, so we got it together pretty quickly.
So everybody was on the whole time and aware of each other.
I just felt like my brain was exploding in the best possible way.
Grace Edwards and Scarlett Johansson in ‘Asteroid City’.Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features
What do you think Sydney’s defining moment was in season 1?
When she quit in 7.
I look at that moment and I feel like that was more of a breaking point for her.
She’s somebody who wears her heart on her sleeve and wears her effort on her sleeve.
She really just wants to be the best that she can be.
In season 2, we know they are renovating the restaurant, and the menu.
What does that mean for Sydney?
What does that open you up to?
She’ll have more responsibility.
A lot of season 1 was battling with people.
[Laughs] But I think she’s more a part of the family in season 2.
But even though that’s true, it doesn’t mean that everything’s going to go smoothly.
And lots of eating you get to do.
There’s a lot of eating in the trailer.
I was surprised by how much I’m eating.
I’m really full.
[Laughs]
How didAbbott Elementarycome about?
And then one day she was just like, “What’s your schedule?
Because I know it’s insane, but how insane is it?”
[Laughs] I asked why.
Do you hope she comes back?
I obviously hope that she comes back.
I’m not going to pitch.
I’m going to be a good guest star and be happy.
But, you know, if there’s a Thanksgiving or Christmas episode…
Spring break.
Janine goes on Spring break.
… You pitched it so that works.
[Laughs]
I also have to ask about season 4 ofWhat We Do in the Shadows.
You were a consulting producer and co-wrote the episode “Private School” with Shana Gohd.
The entire sequence is so funny.
Take me into the process of writing that part, specifically.
How far can we push that?
Can we see the Nadja doll come back?
How far can these permutations of relationships go?
Are we going to see one of the Impractical Jokers?
Like, literally, why not?
Let’s just see what happens if we write it.
[Laughs] We were just really trying to make each other laugh.
And then when we gave the script to the producers, they were down and they loved it.
I love that show so much.
It’s one of the funniest shows on TV, period.
Getting to be in the writers' room was truly a dream.
Can biopics or even fantasy titles prevail?
They’re both locks for nominations.
Either way, Netflix wins.
It’s a highly competitive category, with no clear winner just yet.
