Ayo Edebiri says The Bear season 3 is dishing up some major surprises, including her directorial debut!
Talking with ET’s Denny Directo from the premiere of Inside Out 2 on Monday, the 28-year-old actress and comedian shared that she is anxiously awaiting fans watching episode 6, “Napkins,” which she directed.
“Well, you know, check it out — it comes out June 27th,” she told ET, adding of the experience, “It was amazing. It was really the best.”
Of her first time behind the camera, she continued, “I love the crew, I love our cast, but getting to work with them on that level and in that way was like really moving.” Edebiri stars in the series as sous chef Sydney alongside Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, who play Carmy and Richie, respectively.
Jeremy Allen White as Carmy and Ayo Edebiri as Sydney in ‘The Bear’ season 2 – FX
Edebiri first confirmed she would be directing in a profile with Vogue earlier this year. At the time, she joked that the show’s creator, Christopher Storer, had immediately pegged her as someone with directing potential.
“The first time I met Chris, I was 21, and he was like, ‘You’re a director.’ I was like, ‘Mind your business, bro,'” the Bottoms and Theater Camp star told the outlet. After a little bit of pressure from Storer, 43, Edebiri says she caught the bug. “I was like, ‘Oh, okay. Yeah, I think I want to do this.'”
And to that, we say, “Yes, chef!”
It’s surprising that Edebiri could even find time in her busy schedule to pick up yet another job, though. The actress — who social media has dubbed the “booked and busy queen” — appeared in 15 projects across film and television in 2023 alone, according to her IMDB page.
Additionally, Edebiri also has more than half a dozen upcoming movies and TV shows still to be released, including Inside Out 2. In the sequel to the 2015 film, the SAG Award and Emmy winner lends her voice to Envy, a new emotion inside the head of the protagonist, Riley (Kensington Tallman).
Ayo Edebiri at the ‘Inside Out 2’ premiere in Los Angeles on June 10 – Getty Images
Since the film follows the plight of the now-teenage main character, Edebiri offered up some words of advice to her younger self (and young girls and boys everywhere), especially those in desperate need of a pep talk.
“I would just be like, ‘Hey girl, just take a breath, just take a breath.’ I think that’s where — that’d be the first place to start. She needs a lot of advice, but I would start with take a breath ’cause it’s gonna be okay,” Edebiri shared with ET on Monday.
She continued, “It’s very easy to get overwhelmed and I know social media, and just like life in general, all can feel so crazy, so I’d start with take a breath.”
We repeat, “Yes, chef!”
The highly anticipated Disney-Pixar sequel sees the return of Amy Poehler (Joy), Phyllis Smith (Sadness) and Lewis Black (Anger) in their original roles and welcomes newcomers Edebiri, Maya Hawke (Anxiety) and Adèle Exarchopoulos (Ennui). Veep star Tony Hale also takes over as Fear from Bill Hader, while Liza Lapira picks up the mantle as Disgust from Mindy Kaling.
Watch the trailer for Inside Out 2 in the player below:
Inside Out 2 premieres in theaters everywhere on June 14. All episodes of The Bear season 3 drop on Hulu on June 27.
RELATED CONTENT: