'The Bear' co-stars describe show's recipe for success, prep for season 2
The hit new FX series "The Bear" gives viewers a glimpse inside the intensity of a professional kitchen with complicated characters and lots of drama.
The show stars Jeremy Allen White as James Beard Award-winning chef Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto who goes from cooking in the prestigious, high-pressure kitchens of The French Laundry and Noma to take over his family's chaotic, rundown Chicago sandwich shop with the intention of transforming it into an efficient, respectable eatery.
White and his co-star Ayo Edebiri, who plays his spunky sous chef Sydney, spoke to "Good Morning America" about the breakout show of the summer.
"I knew while we were making the show that it was really good. But I think it's impossible to predict exactly how people are gonna react," White said. "And it's been overwhelming for sure."
The show's recipe for success comes from a mix of elements: dark comedy, drama and intensity.
"The world was so fascinating to me. And then Carmy -- my heart really broke for him instantly, because he's just gone through this incredibly traumatic thing," White said.
In the show, Berzatto is dealing with the loss of his brother Michael, who died by suicide.
"He's coming home," White continued. "He doesn't have much of an identity outside of his profession and it allowed me to play him consistently with high, high stakes, because he's always moving forward. He's always thinking about the next thing. And that seemed like an exciting thing to play, like, as an actor."
Although both actors play chefs, the pair admitted that they aren't exactly up to the skills of their on-screen personas.
"I could make scrambled eggs, toast, that kind of thing. But that was really it," White said. "So I was learning everything. And it was -- it was overwhelming."
The actors trained with renowned chefs in real kitchens to ensure they looked the part.
"I have, like, a couple of things I can do now that I think are good. But I want to keep learning," White said of his newfound culinary clout. "I really love it."
Edebiri also said she picked up some critical cooking skills in the process.
"I feel like I have knowledge now, not just like feeling or things that I like," Edebiri said. "My knife safety is definitely much better than it was before. I've been corrected many, many times on how I hold a knife -- I feel safer cooking for myself as well."
She added that "people are asking me for dinner parties" in the wake of seeing her slice through dozens of onions with ease, reducing down veal stock and other tactical kitchen maneuvers.
The 30-minute, eight episode series -- which was recently picked up for a second season -- is available to stream on Hulu.
"The Bear" is produced by FX Productions, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, the parent company of ABC News.
