Jeremy Allen White FAULT Cover Shoot + Interview

Photographer + Creative Art Director + Producer: Tyler Kenny

Fashion + Market Editor + Stylist: Chaunielle Brown

Grooming | Kennedy Trisler @kenedytrislerhair.nyc

Cinematographer | Brianna O’Connor

Interview | Jacquex F @thecooljag

Stylist Assistants | Marissa Kruep, Campbell Brown, Monet McFarlane @mochmonetmc

Photographer Assistant | Alexa Alexiades

We met with a special figure who has gone from chaos to madness; in leading the new series of The Bear, the one and only, Jeremy Allen White. If you think commotion has kept you on the edge of making or breaking goals, you may want to know Jeremy. Most known for the eleven year run of Shameless, now he’s got a personal space to give you all the best moments, which you won’t want to miss. See what he has to say, and what he’s been asked to do!

Jacquex: What’s your week going to look like?
Jeremy Allen White: A lot of talking with people about the show, we are in NY now. My family and I bounce back between Los Angeles and New York. I grew up in Brooklyn, we have family here. We try to come for the Summers to see friends and family while here. I like those New York nights where the Sun can go down but it’s still very hot. Maybe I’ve over romanticized it a little bit, and it’s really miserable. But I like it here during the Summer.

Jacquex: When did you start acting, was this always what you wanted to do?
Jeremy Allen White: I stumbled into an acting class when I was in seventh grade, at 12 years old or something. I danced for several years, I had a lot of energy and not a lot of focus as a kid. My parents would throw me into anything physical. I did soccer, wrestling, baseball, lacrosse, dance, and did a lot of stuff. I really liked dancing, I liked the performance of it. I found that I was able to focus while performing which is something that I found difficult to do especially as a child, even still to this day. Acting was something I was always aware of, it was something both my parents did, when they were in their 20s and 30s. They met in NY doing theater, there was always a passion for theater, film, and the art of acting in our household growing up.

Jacquex: Was this always what you wanted to do?
Jeremy Allen White: It was something I was very aware of, but I don’t know if I ever really thought about doing it professionally. It was something I enjoyed in storytelling. I had a really wonderful teacher in seventh grade, who sent me out to open casting calls. Where hundreds of kids would show up. And I ended up getting a movie, a commercial from that. I started working at around 13 years old, I loved it. I was a pretty uncomfortable kid, sort of anxious, and had difficulty focusing. For some reason being on stage, or in front of a camera, really puts me at ease.

Jacquex: From Shameless which was an epic hit, and we absolutely LOVED you in it. You as Lip definitely made the show – what was your big take away. What did you learn from that which you’ve carried on with you?
Jeremy Allen White: Ah thanks! It was 11 years, I learned a lot, everything over that amount of time. What stuck with me, and I’m sure most of the cast would say something similar. We had ??William H. Macy sort of our leader, not only as a wonderful actor but the way he carried himself on set. The amount of respect he has for: the set, for the crew, for the cast; whether they’re regulars on the show, or coming for a scene that day, he never wavered in 11 years. He was always kind, patient, and never complained. So I think it was really wonderful, for my first big job, to have someone like him, to look up to. As a leader. That was really big. Everybody’s comfort level goes off your energy, if you make everybody feel welcome and safe, they will do their best work and he allowed us to do that.

Jacquex: You’re killing it on The Bear show, what can we expect in the near future?
Jeremy Allen White: Ah thanks! I have a movie I’m going to do in September that I’m really excited about. It’s by a director that I have loved for a really long time. And then hopefully more of The Bear. We have just been officially picked up for season two. Everything seems pretty positive.

Jacquex: What is your passion project? Something you want to do…
Jeremy Allen White: I don’t know, I’ve been asked. I kind of know when I see it. I’ll read a script, connect with the character, and chase that. But at the moment, there’s no pick that I’m considering. 

Jacquex: In The Bear, is Carmy stressed? Are you?
Jeremy Allen White: As I’m acting in a scene, it was important for me to have Carmy to feel a little bit on the edge the entire time. Through really wonderful writing that was pretty easy. Carmy is so wrapped up in his identity, about being a chef, and successful. I don’t think he has much of a life outside of that. Which is a really scary place to be in. That allowed me, the character, to play him with the stakes being very high all the time. If he succeeds, he’ll think everything will be okay. And if he fails, I think Carmy believes he would die, that’s how serious it is for him. As a younger man and an actor, my identity was at times really wrapped up in my profession. And if I felt I was having great success as an actor, everything felt really wonderful all the time. But if I wasn’t getting the work I wanted, it was so heartbreaking, my life seemed small at times. I was familiar with the way Carmy could be feeling in these situations, it was not much of a stretch for me, to tap into the pressures that are felt through the show. If you believe the story you’re telling, as an actor, it is pretty easy. 

Jacquex: How do you cope/process basically everything that’s been going on in this crazy world, because it’s been so much everyday nonstop?
Jeremy Allen White: I think it’s hard to. You have to remain aware of what’s happening because there’s so much. But it is important to know when it is time to be with people you love. And to focus on immediate things by taking breaks. 

Jacquex: What scares you the most?
Jeremy Allen White: Loneliness, it is scary for everybody. But much like Carmy, like myself, it is scary dealing with loneliness. It is about how one is capable of: connecting, being vulnerable, and dealing with loneliness. It’s a fear that I’ve been thinking about a lot because of Carmy. 

Jacquex: Do you live by a motto?
Jeremy Allen White: Um, no.

Jacquex: Tell us a word you say on repeat.
Jeremy Allen White: “Um.”

Jacquex: What’s the craziest thing you’ve been asked to do?
Jeremy Allen White: For Shameless I had to do a scene, where I had to get rid of all my pubic hair. My girlfriend at the time helped me, I was 19 or 20 at the time. That was pretty crazy.

Jacquex: What does chaos mean to you?
Jeremy Allen White: It is madness. The lack of ability to connect with reality, your fellows.

Jacquex: What’s your friendship advice?
Jeremy Allen White: What do I tell my girls? Patience, breathing, I tell people it is going to be okay. Even if it’s not.

Jacquex: Is this always going to be your hairstyle?
Jeremy Allen White: I DON’T KNOWWW! No, but for a while, just keeping it long. I am hoping to find out about the show.

Jacquex: What is your FAULT?
Jeremy Allen White: Lack of being present for the people I love. I think what I’m always working on is being present. For my family, friends. Being a person is hard.