Ayo Edebiri (’13), Boston Latin School graduate and Dorchester native, is an emerging star in Hollywood, appearing in hit TV shows such as The Bear and Abbott Elementary.
Edebiri started out in BLS’s own Black Box theater with the Yellow Submarine Improv Troupe. BLS theatre teacher Mr. Joseph Gels has led the troupe since 2009 and had Edebiri as a student.
According to Gels, Edebiri discovered her love of theater after a class presentation earned her a recommendation to join theater from a teacher. By sophomore year, Edebiri was captain of the troupe, leading as a powerhouse of energy.
“She was just so funny,” Mr. Gels comments. “She had so much energy on stage, really capturing people’s attention.”
After graduating from BLS, Edebiri attended New York University (NYU), where she studied dramatic writing. During her time at NYU, her friend and later Bottoms co-star Rachel Sennott introduced her to stand-up comedy. Through stand-up, Edebiri emerged as a distinguished writer, working on hit shows like Dickinson, What We Do in the Shadows and the Netflix original Big Mouth.
Despite receiving an Emmy nomination, and sitting in the front row at Paris Fashion Week this summer, Edebiri has maintained the persona of an “uncomfortable child.” While her image of a thrown-into-the-spotlight kid is reflected in her self-deprecating stand-up, Edebiri carries an impressive range, as shown in her ability to play The Bear’s resolute Sydney and Theater Camp’s chaotic “needs-to-get-it-together” Janet.
Ashley Rodriguez (I), a fan before becoming aware of Edebiri’s BLS roots, finds the star to be an inspiration and feels represented seeing her on screen. She relates to Edebiri because of their shared identities as second-generation Americans. Seeing Edebiri working alongside Jeremy Allen White, an actor she watched growing up, is “mind-blowing” and gives her hope for herself and others with similar backgrounds.
“Now that I know that there are other women of color that have gained success from going to BLS, it’s given me more of a view that it’s not just an institution where only white success is generated,” says Rodriguez.
Edebiri’s success continues to echo throughout the school and serves as an inspiration for many. “It’s a nice thing to say, ‘Hey, there is a path here.’ So often the arts are viewed as something that’s just fun to do in high school, but not a career. So it’s nice to be able to say no, they are a career,” Mr. Gels remarks.
Even with these great feats, Edebiri’s career has only scratched the surface. She is expected to appear in Marvel’s Thunderbolts alongside Florence Pugh and David Harbour and her first directing role is also set for season three of The Bear, further expanding the scope of her excellence.