Is “The Bear” a comedy? This debate has popped up every year for the past few Emmys cycles, with fans wondering if the highly dramatic show actually belongs among its sitcom peers. Just don’t expect “The Bear” star and director Ayo Edebiri to weigh in on the discourse.
“My feeling is that that is a question that is honestly above my pay grade,” Edebiri said in an interview published Tuesday with Vanity Fair. “That’s a question for the studios. We get asked a lot about it as actors and they don’t ask the producer, so that’s kind of my answer to that.”
“The Bear” once again finds itself among the Outstanding Comedy Series at the Emmys this year, this time competing against shows like “Abbott Elementary,” “Hacks,” “Nobody Wants This” and “The Studio.” The show’s fourth season is nominated for numerous categories, with Edebiri herself scoring nods for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (for the episode “Napkins”). This is the first time someone has been nominated for both categories in the same year since Lena Dunham in 2013 for “Girls.”
Edebiri told Vanity Fair she has plans for a directorial feature in her future.
“I really enjoy directing,” she said. “I mean, more than like it, I really love it and I can’t wait to do it more. And it’s nice to get to wake up like an hour later because you’re not in hair and makeup. I enjoy that as well.”
“The Bear’s” comedy category placement has become a frequent matter of contention at the Emmys, with fans debating annually whether a show so heavy and dramatic can fairly compete against series like “Abbott Elementary.” It’s a strategy that worked out in spades for “The Bear’s” first season, with the show winning six out of six Primetime Emmys (including Outstanding Comedy Series) and four out of seven Primetime Creative Arts Emmys.
Season two, however, was not quite as universally successful. While the show won Outstanding Lead Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actress and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, it missed out on Outstanding Comedy Series, which went to the third season of “Hacks.” Edebiri, who was elevated to the Lead Actress category for the second season, did not repeat her Supporting Actress win from Season 1 (losing to Jean Smart in “Hacks”).
This may not be the only awards season for Edebiri this year. The performer is set to lead Luca Guadagnino’s “After the Hunt,” which will premiere at Venice International Film Festival, alongside Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield. The film has been eyed as an early awards contender. Edebiri will also appear in James L. Brooks’ “Ella McCay” (the director’s first feature in 15 years) this December.
“When I think about our show, I remember we just wanted to mean something to each other and to whoever watched it, and I think it was able to have an impact,” Edebiri said. “So I just hope that everybody just keeps resisting with whatever little pieces of light and specificity we have because if we don’t, everything is boring and all of us will have slop for brains and that’s not why we exist.”
