‘Shameless’ is a comedy-drama that follows the dysfunctional family of the Gallaghers who reside on the South Side of Chicago. Based on the British series of the same title, the American version went on for 11 seasons between 2011 and 2021. Jeremy Allen White, who played the role of Philip “Lip” Gallagher on the show, recently opened up about how it affected him mentally.
The actor confessed his love for the show but admitted that it left him in an “upsetting head space” by the time of its conclusion a decade from when it began.
Jeremy Allen White On How ‘Shameless’ Affected Him
The actor talked about how the show’s conclusion brought too many questions to his mind. He told GQ, “I love ‘Shameless’ so much. I love everybody that was a part of it, and the experience was incredible. But I’m not sure if shows are meant to go that long…There was a period where I stopped feeling like an actor and I started feeling like I was just here to do this show.”
White added, “It was an upsetting head space to be in. When it was going to end, I was questioning: maybe I do just exist on this show. What else is there? Am I an actor? I was definitely having a lot of doubt when I was finishing ‘Shameless.’”
White On Playing A Chef On ‘The Bear’
Jeremy Allen White dealt with the feelings of self-doubt post ‘Shameless’ and now his career is back on track. He currently plays the role of Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto – a chef who leaves his fine-dining restaurant days behind to run a sandwich shop in Chicago after the heart-breaking loss of his brother – on ‘The Bear’.
Talking about relating to his character, White said, “I think that [self-doubt] was something Carmy was really struggling with, too. We kind of found each other at a similar place. He knew he’s really gifted at this thing, but he could be painfully insecure about his abilities as well. I was feeling a little insecure at the end, too.”
So, did the similarities between his ‘Shameless’ character Lip – who was brilliant but had to make tough choices for his family – and ‘The Bear’ character bother the actor? “I think I was too concerned with what other people might think, [but] I also knew that if I said no to this, that whoever ended up doing it, I would hate them forever,” White explained. “So there was some spiteful stuff going on, too.”
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