‘The Bear’ Star Ayo Edebiri On Robert Townsend Playing Her Father In Season 2: ‘I Owe Him A Debt’

Robert Townsend and Ayo Edebiri are excited to have played father and daughter in season 2 of The Bear.

Edebiri told The Hollywood Reporter in a recent interview how monumental it was for her to have the iconic Black actor and filmmaker play her father in the second season, referencing how his 1990s sitcom The Parent ‘Hood was a big part of her life growing up.

“He literally was my dad for a period,” she said. The interview also focused on how Edebiri had a cutout of a poster of Townsend’s 1987 comedy Hollywood Shuffle on her desk, and how she and Olivia Craighead focused on Townsend’s career on their Iconography podcast. Edebiri also told The Bear creator/co-showrunner Christopher Storer that Townsend was her dream actor to play her father in the series.

“I owe him a debt and I think so many Black multi-hyphenates, and multi-hyphenates in general, do because he was such a trailblazer and so excellent, whether was in front of the camera or behind the camera, or doing content for adults or for kids,” she said. “There’s just so much that he did that I love and that I have so much fondness for, and I know I’m not the only one.”

Townsend also wanted to be a part of The Bear, making his casting a perfect fit.

“I was the biggest fan of The Bear before I was even thinking about being considered for the role,” he said. “I love the show. I was like, ‘I can’t wait for next season. What’s going to happen next?’ And then my agent gets a call and said, ‘They want to know if you want to play Sydney’s father, and I was like, ‘Are you joking?’ This is one of the best written, directed and produced shows on television. So, I was like, ‘Yes, yes and yes.'”

He called being cast in The Bear “the best gift ever.”

Townsend said he talked both Edebiri and co-star Lionel Boyce to congratulate them on their performances after the first season. Townsend called Edebiri “a baby unicorn.”

“She’s like a little force of nature. I love her being,” he said. “As an artist, you respond to people’s energy and who they are. We call it that ‘it thing’ in show business and she has that it thing. She’s having the most amazing moment.”