Shameless came to an end last year after a decade on air, and now one of its main stars is opening up about the dark phase he went through following its conclusion.
Speaking to GQ, Jeremy Allen White revealed he went through an identity crisis once filming wrapped up. “There was a period where I stopped feeling like an actor and I started feeling like I was just here to do this show,” he said. “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,” Jeremy continued. “What else is there? Am I an actor? I was definitely having a lot of doubt.”
Jeremy Is On To Bigger Things With His New Role
Shameless originally premiered in January 2011 as a spin-off of the British T.V. show of the same name. It starred William H. Macy as a drug and alcohol addicted father-of-8. Jeremy played the second eldest sibling, Phillip “Lip” Gallagher.
It was announced in early 2020 that the show would be ending after 11 seasons. The final season concluded last April to critical acclaim.
Jeremy’s onscreen character battled addiction in later seasons, something that the actor has opened up about in subsequent interviews. “A constant theme for Lip in this series is how am I gonna not be my father?” Jeremy told Vulture in 2016. “Drinking and Frank have always gone hand in hand, so I think Lip would be hesitant to admit that alcohol could be a problem.”
He added, “Lip’s lost so much already, and he’s faced with the idea of well […] maybe I am becoming Frank. He has to confront that idea and do whatever’s best to avoid the inevitably of becoming his father.”
Although Jeremy has said goodbye to his fan-favorite character on Shameless, he’s since stepped into a new role as Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto on FX’s The Bear. Budding chef Carmy msut take over his family’s Italian restaurant after his brother’s suicide.
“I think that was something Carmy was really struggling with, too,” Jeremy told GQ of the new role. “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.”
Jeremy’s time on Shameless may be over, but he’s not leaving television screens anytime soon.
