The Bear: Typecasting Fears Almost Made Jeremy Allen White Pass On Playing Carmy
Jeremy Allen White proved repeatedly throughout 11 seasons of "Shameless" that he had serious acting chops. He didn't waste any time jumping to his next television sensation in the form of FX's "The Bear." The first season was a massive hit, with fans quickly binge-watching it to see more of the dysfunction surrounding a family-run restaurant in Chicago. Actually, "Shameless" was set in Chicago, too, so it seems like a pretty natural jump for White.
White takes the art of acting seriously, so it should come as no surprise there was a bit of trepidation signing on for "The Bear" after playing a similar character on "Shameless." Both Lip and Carmy from each show is a gifted man from a dysfunctional family living in Chicago. The topic arose during an interview with GQ, where the actor admitted getting in his own head a bit: "I think I was too concerned with what other people might think." But deep down, the writing convinced him this was something he couldn't walk away from, "I also knew that if I said no to this, that whoever ended up doing it, I would hate them forever."
Jeremy Allen White focused on the differences between the two characters
The similarities between "Shameless" and "The Bear," as far as Carmy's character is concerned, are fairly surface-level. He's a troubled man from Chicago who's talented but has a hard time bringing those talents to fruition. Jeremy Allen White mastered that archetype in "Shameless," but for "The Bear," he found a way to differentiate Carmy from Lip.
White spoke with Vulture about his character prior to Season 1 of "The Bear" coming out, and he said making the two distinct characters came down to confidence. He stated, "Lip was so fun to play because I had faith in him. He had a good sense of self. He knew how smart he was, how gifted he was, to the point of being obnoxious. Yes, Carmy's gifted. He's a talented chef. He's worked very hard at it. But I don't think he had that same confidence or sense of self."
Additionally, Lip had to be pushed to recognize his full potential — Carmy's aware of what he has, which is why everything is so serious all the time. The restaurant's success is a matter of life or death for him; as White pointed out, "If he fails, it's the end of the world, and if he succeeds, maybe he gets everything he wants. If we get to do more of the show, I'm curious to see Carmy getting everything he wants and how he behaves after."
That interview occurred before Season 1 dropped, and the show would indeed go on with a second season that's available to watch on Hulu now.