Ayo Edebiri has turned heads with her work in “The Bear” as Chef Sydney, a young woman who is finding her voice while making amazing food on the FX series, easily plating a pasta in under three minutes and standing up to Carm (Jeremy Allen White). While the two are friends and colleagues, their working relationship is not where it needs to be, and Sydney eventually figures out how to speak her mind about that.
However, Sydney isn’t the only character Edebiri has recently played who is forced use their voice. “Opus,” a movie that flew under the radar when it came out in early 2025, stars Edebiri as Ariel, a journalist who’s invited to attend a listening session for the new album of a pop star (John Malkovich) who has seemingly been retired for decades. When she visits him at his compound — which he shares with other people — she begins to realize that he is not just a singer but a deeply dangerous cult leader.
Though “Opus” failed at the box office, only grossing $2.2 million against its $10 million budget, it’s a must-watch for fans of “The Bear” and Edebiri. Not only was her performance praised in reviews, but watching her play a similar character to Sydney, who ultimately goes down a different path, shows her versatility and talent.
Ayo Edebiri plays a similar character to Sydney in Opus
“Opus” features another great performance from Ayo Edebiri, which alone makes it worth a watch. However, Sydney and Ariel are more alike than you’d think. While the chef is one of the most likable characters on “The Bear,” she clearly has something to say and the talent to back it up, Ariel is a writer who just wants to be known for the sake of people knowing who she is. Being good at her craft is almost secondary.
When the two characters both try to figure out the best way forward in situations that are steadily getting worse, they each react differently, giving Edebiri a chance to show her range. These experiences define the characters in transformative ways: Sydney inadvertently realizes what kind of leader and teacher she is, which is the polar opposite of what she’s been exposed to. Ariel, meanwhile, feeds into the narrative she was trying to expose, inadvertently spreading the message she’s attempting to discourage in the pursuit of people knowing her story. It’s two sides of the same coin — they both find their voice, but it really only works for one of them.
