Ayo Edibiri knew "The Bear" was a hit when her parents didn't fall asleep during the premiere, which was a real victory for them, she told TODAY Nov 16.
The show's breakout talent is TODAY's fall cover star and said her dad usually just watches sports and her mom "has fallen asleep in every single movie or TV show we’ve ever watched together."
But during the first showing of the FX/Hulu hit, in which Edibiri plays a sous chef, "both of them stayed up through the whole premiere.
"My dad was like 'I think I will watch this.' I was like 'OK, great,'" the 27-year-old actor shared triumphantly.
"The Bear" stars Jeremy Allen White as renowned chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, who leaves his fancy job to return home and run his family's sandwich shop following the death of his brother by suicide. Carmy hires Sydney Adamu, Edibiri's character, who thinks she has the answers to the restaurant's problems with an impressive resume to back her up.
The show is notorious for its fast chopping, leading many to wonder whether the actors have stunt doubles just for the food preparation scenes.
"Those are my hands," Edibiri confirmed, acknowledging that it may be hard to believe, even among her closest friends. She said her best friend's mom is a chef and "called me and was like, 'I know those aren’t your hands.' I was like, 'Those are my hands. I learned something.'"
She even attended culinary school in preparation for the role, she shared in TODAY's cover story. (If you want to be impressed, a montage of Edibiri chopping starts at around the 1:30 mark of this TODAY video clip.)
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, she said the show has given her some street cred when it comes to participating in her family's meal plans.
"My mom never let me into the kitchen before," she said. "And after the show she’s been like, 'So, what are you bringing?'"
