Chapman says “yes, chef” to Jeremy Allen White

Photo courtesy of Matt Harbicht

You don’t star in an 11-season show right out of high school without knowing you’ve got chops and being serious about your craft, and that’s exactly what Emmy-winning actor Jeremy Allen White did.

Before appearing on the comedy-drama series “Shameless,” White studied theater throughout middle and high school. Acting was his chosen art form after he deemed the kids in his dance class slackers.

“I was there for a couple of weeks, and I didn't feel that the teacher and the other classmates were taking dance seriously enough. At the age of 12,” White said, at his master class at Dodge College of Film and Media Arts on Nov. 11.

White joined the drama class instead, where things were taken very seriously, and that was his introduction to the world of acting. While he was focused on his craft, he was much less interested in formal education. White would often leave school during the day and not come back. He spent his free time working at Susan Shopmaker Casting, taking in all the lessons from watching auditions and reading scripts.

“I was such a crummy student,” said White. “I went to a performing arts school, so I knew that was my focus and my desire. I don't think there was anything else for me.”

Unlike his very academic character, Lip Gallagher in “Shameless,” White didn’t do well in school. He hadn’t received his high school diploma until recently, when his former drama teacher brought it to him at the New York premiere of “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.”

White’s first major role was in a hit television series — it’s not typical to obtain that kind of success right out of the gate. The series went on to be renewed many times over and White said that gave him the opportunity to experiment in his acting.

“I think that show is such a gift, you know, especially as a young actor, to have that kind of consistency. Every year, you know where you're going to be, to have that security,” said White. “The show was popular enough, but it wasn't like an awards show. I guess at a certain point, I also felt like, well, let me try things … I wasn't afraid of failing at a certain point.”

Only one year after concluding his legendary time on “Shameless,” White starred as the main character in “The Bear.” White almost turned down the role because it felt too close to the world he had just left.

“I think I just had a moment where I was like, it's too good for me to say no to. Regardless of the environment, regardless of the city of Chicago, I have no right to say no to something that is this good,” said White.

Preparing to play a chef is no easy feat. White said he possessed no kitchen-related skills prior to acting in the series and had to enroll in culinary school alongside Ayo Edebiri for weeks. He even worked at a Michelin-starred restaurant to prepare.

In between seasons of television, White would appear in films, most recently starring in “The Iron Claw” and “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” which was screened at the master class prior to the interview with White.

This slice of Bruce Springsteen’s life sees him making the 1982 album “Nebraska,” and the mental health struggles he faced during that period. At the time of making the album, Springsteen was a known artist, but he hadn’t quite reached the level of fame he would achieve in the years to come. White said in some ways he related to this feeling; his steps to fame were gradual.

“I have been acting since the age of 14 or 15, and while to many it seems that ‘The Bear’ came out and I was kind of shot out of a cannon, that wasn't the case. It's all felt very gradual to me, so I feel lucky in that sense in my relationship to fame or public opinion,” said White. 

Like the challenges and time commitments that came with learning to play a chef, White had to fully immerse himself in vocal and guitar lessons for six months straight to believably become Springsteen. He said on his first day of lessons, he told his coach how excited he was to learn how to play a new instrument. White was quickly reminded that there was no time to learn to fully play the guitar, but only four specific Springsteen tunes. 

Springsteen was heavily involved in the filmmaking process and this was the first time he had agreed to a narrative film being made about his life. One thing White didn’t expect was Springsteen to show up almost daily on set.

“I felt like he was there to judge me. I felt like he was there to pick apart my choices and what I was showing up with and then very quickly, I realized he was there really as a supporter and he was there to give me permission.” said White. “That's the balance that we found over the months of the filming. Almost every night I went home, I had a text message from Bruce Springsteen about a particular moment that day that felt true to him.”