'The Bear's Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri shed light on whether writers discussed a romance between their characters in season 3.
It's not looking good for fans holding out for a romance between The Bear's Sydney Adamu and Carmy Berzatto in season 3. While the chemistry between co-stars Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White has led to a frenzy of fan theories about their characters since the FX dramedy began three seasons ago, the duo has declared there were no "romantic implications" discussed in the writers' room ahead of the show's upcoming third season.
Per Vanity Fair, when asked if the writers considered scripting a romance between the show's two lead characters, White answered, "There was no talk in the rooms about any romantic implications [between Carmy and Sydney]."
However, Edebiri, 28, and White, 33, shared that Sydney and Carmy's relationship will evolve as season 3 finds them discussing a more formal partnership over The Bear.
"Carmy is somebody that I think she's really looked up to, but now is sort of in the thick of doing business with," said Edebiri, "and it's, I think, a lot more chaotic than she might have idealized before they really started working together."
White said that, although Carmy isn't "the best communicator," he uses a "a sort of grand gesture" like offering Sydney a partnership "to try and communicate to Syd or the kitchen or whomever."
"He's got a lot going on in his mind all the time, and people aren't always aware of exactly what's going on. You'll see, obviously, how that affects Carmen and Syd's relationship, but I think Carmen's trying to welcome her in a little bit was the point of the partnership agreement," he added.
The Bear follows the story of Carmy, a fine-dining chef who teams up -- and oftentimes butts heads -- with his sous chef, Sydney. The two start as partners in pursuit of saving Carmy's late brother's restaurant, The Original Beef, but later move their efforts to the development of their own restaurant, The Bear.
Sydney and Carmy's on-screen relationship has sparked a fiery debate on whether there's potential for a love story between the show's two protagonists. Previously, Edebiri has said that she doesn't believe fans hoping Sydney and Carmy will become romantic will "get what they want."
"It's really not our thought process when we're making the show," Edebiri told The Hollywood Reporter last August. "I think it's incredibly cool to have this dynamic onscreen that isn't romantic, but that feels charged and sexy."
But the denials haven't killed any hope or speculation that the on-screen pair will find their relationship becoming intimate beyond the kitchen. A particularly poignant scene in the penultimate episode of season 2, during which Carmy and Sydney drop their guards to be vulnerable about their fears concerning the upcoming soft-opening of The Bear while fixing a table, has served as fodder for many theories on the duo's "soft-burn" romance.
Abby Elliott, who plays Carmy's sister, Natalie "Sugar" Berzatto, shared her thoughts on fans hoping the characters would get together during a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
"It was, you know, a platonic relationship from the start," she said of creator Christopher Storer's initial plans for the characters. "But who knows what the future holds?"
Despite the naysayers, Syd and Carmy fans will likely find more fodder for their hopes when The Bear season 3 begins streaming on Hulu on June 26 at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
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