All eyes are on Jeremy Allen White, whether he likes it or not. While he's been a successful actor for starring in the ensemble drama Shameless, he skyrocketed to A-list status after starring in the FX hit series The Bear. In the show, White plays a Michelin star chef, who goes back to his hometown in Chicago to reinvigorate his small family restaurant. His performance has earned him accolades like a Golden Globe and a SAG Award, in addition to widespread fame due to the show’s popularity. Now he is opening up about being followed by the paparazzi after The Bear, his divorce, and getting in shape for the A24 drama The Iron Claw.
In a recent profile by GQ, the actor chatted with the publication about how fame has impacted his life tremendously. He and his former wife Addison Timlin decided to divorce around the same time The Bear started to receive traction, and this combined with his need to get into shape for The Iron Claw made him a big target by the paparazzi. He said that this change in lifestyle has been a whirlwind, saying:
It’s been insane, A lot of high highs, a lot of terribly low lows.
As for the photographers following him around, White is certainly not a fan of this aspect of fame. He continued:
It’s such a weird aspect of this thing that I truly never thought I would ever deal with whatsoever. It’s not fun, and it’s not nice, and it’s really weird.
The paparazzi have taken an interest in White’s workout regime likely because of the physical transformation the actor had made within the last year. The Bear star is playing a WWE wrestler alongside Zac Efron in The Iron Claw, a new project by A24. The role has demanded the White to be in incredible shape, and according to the actor, he put on 40lbs of mostly muscle to play the role. While the muscle mass increase and physical demand obviously made the role a difficult one, the physicality wasn’t what concerned White the most. He was more concerned about the pressure of playing a real person. He told GQ:
I had never played a real person before. And it’s so frightening, because someone’s life is being investigated.
This aspect of the role clearly has new meaning for White as his own life is now under a microscope, being analyzed by the general public as he becomes more and more famous. This attention doesn’t seem like it will subside anytime soon either. The Iron Claw cast will be embarking on an Oscar campaign that will cause White to be even more in the public eye, and the Emmy nominee has a number of other projects down the pike as well. He will lead You Can't Win, which is an upcoming film based on a true-crime novel, and will also reprise his role as Carmy in The Bear's third season.
For White, the adjustment to the success has been an uncomfortable one, even as it has opened up opportunities to him as an actor. He still plans on using this success and attention to explore interesting characters and roles, but doesn’t seem interested in just capitalizing on his fame. He admitted to turning down offers from big studios like Marvel, despite much superhero fan casting. While he may unfortunately need to endure a more public workout routine than desired, one can’t deny that the photos have drawn more focus onto The Iron Claw, especially as the we draw closer to the indie film’s release date.
You can currently check out Jeremy Allen White in The Bear, which is streaming now with a Hulu subscription. You can also catch the actor in The Iron Claw, which is set to hit theaters on December 22nd. For more information on other projects from A24 coming soon, make sure to consult our A24 movie release schedule.
