Jeremy Allen White is just like us. Well, ish.
For example: on the launch day of his inaugural Calvin Klein campaign in January, the star of The Bear did exactly what we would do if they were asked to strip down to their undies for the storied Americana brand: he dragged his friend, Gabriel, down to Houston Street, Manhattan at 6am in the shivering cold to check out the first billboard in the flesh. If you can’t take that opportunity to show off, when can you?
(Granted, we have not been asked to front the world’s most famous underwear campaign – but we’ll take the similarities where we can find them.)
“It had just gone up that morning so it still felt very much mine, and my own experience,” the 33-year-old tells me over the phone in late-August, clearly cherishing the memory. “It felt very special and intimate and personal. I hadn’t heard or felt any reaction from the rest of the public. I had that morning to take it in which was really wonderful.”
After that, the world went berserk. His Herculean, abs-for-days frame was posted, projected and discussed everywhere. “I got a lot of messages about it. I hadn’t told a whole bunch of people.”
Needless to say, that newfound attention didn’t stop at award show red carpets. Reporters, presenters and fellow attendees alike couldn’t stop chewing over the moment at the Golden Globes.
“He’s beautiful,” said his co-star Matty Matheson to ExtraTV after joking about turning the gig down.
“On behalf of the internet, thank you for the Calvin Klein campaign,” said social media personality Haley Kahil directly to the bashful actor.
“Have you seen your billboard on La Cienega [Boulevard], Jeremy?” asked USA Today. He hadn’t. But since he’s currently in Los Angeles, perhaps that’s where he’s heading to this very morning. To see his sophomore CK moment – the slightly more modest Calvin Klein Jeans Fall 2024 campaign – in all its glory, which is dropping just in time to fuel confab at the 76th Emmys.
This time, he’s prepared.
Last time we spoke, you were still trying to process the idea of being on a billboard. Has it finally sunk in now that the second shoot is here?
I’m really excited this time around – excited to be back working with all these great people at Calvin Klein. Yeah, I think it’s sunk in. It feels realer this time around.
We also spoke about shorter guys, like yourself, having issues with jeans. The jeans in the new campaign look made to measure. Are these your new go-tos?
Yeah, man. And I’ll wear the same jeans month after month; I definitely had my cycle with those. Denim is about comfort and durability. So, if you can wear jeans over and over and over again – wash them a bunch when you first get them and then try not to wash them – they’ll just get prettier and prettier and they fit you better and better. And, yeah man, that’s been the case with these jeans I used in the shoot – I just wore them over and over.
They look really great with boots, which was nice as it was whilst I was filming in Chicago. There’s just something very timeless and classic [about them]. Our pants are either getting really, really wide and baggy, or we’re in a period of really tight and skinny jeans, and I find that Calvin’s straight-leg standards are timeless: they’ll always be in fashion, never out of style. They never look off or odd. They’re just classic.
Calvin Klein 90’s Straight Jeans
Calvin Klein Denim Shirt
Calvin Klein Monogram T-Shirt
Calvin Klein Boxer Briefs
How was shooting the campaign in California?
It was really nice, man. For this one, we were in this beautiful house in Beverly Hills and you could see the entire Los Angeles skyline – you could see all the way to the ocean. It was so welcoming and wonderful. I had been filming The Bear in Chicago since February and finished filming on a Friday in 30°F weather and then I got on a plane to California and then I was jumping around a pool in a fancy home. It felt fresh and different to our previous campaign where you’re looking over Manhattan but also shared a similarity through an iconic skyline, just on the other coast.
Probably easier to be in your underwear in a house in Los Angeles than in a rooftop in New York City, right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah [Laughs].
When are you back shooting The Bear?
I’m not sure exactly when. I know it’s not going to be until next year. I imagine sometime early next year, a similar start date to the last couple of years: February/March time.
Guest stars on the show have become a bit of a thing. Who would you love to see appear in The Bear S4?
We’ve been so lucky. I feel so greedy…
Sam Rockwell is one of my favourites – I would love to have him on the show in some way.
But through Matty’s [Matheson] relationships and Chris’s [Storer] relationships, we’ve had really fine actors, but also Davide [Baroncini] came on the show, and also Paulie [James]. The set is just so fun. I almost feel like if you hang around long enough, you’ll end up on the show in a really beautiful way.
And that’s one of the joys of being on the show – Chris loves to have people around who are inspirations to him outside of Hollywood and acting, and sometimes they walk in front of the camera and it always works. Always. It’s incredible. I think Chris has a sixth sense about these kind of things – he knows exactly who to put on the show. We’ve been so lucky so far, and I’m hopeful we will have some more familiar faces in the next season.
Who is the most unexpected person that’s appeared on the show so far?
There’s this guy who I’ve known since filming Shameless in Chicago. He helps with everybody shooting on the L [local lingo for the elevated trains] in the city. He does a safety check with everybody; he’s always on his walkie [talkie] speaking to the conductor, and he helps us film. He’s a real character: he’s got a beautiful voice and a beautiful look. We always talk about how wonderful he is. And I remember I was shooting some stuff on the L and then Matty and Chris were like, “Maybe he should be on the show”. And then a week later, he’s on set and on the show! It’s so fun, man – I just feel like nothing’s off limits. It’s a really nice way to work.
The costumes in The Bear S3 were stronger than ever. Do you have a favourite look from the season?
It was interesting to see Carm [Allen White’s character] before the death of Mikey [his brother]. He’s in this period of falling in love with restaurants, and food. It allowed our costumer, Courtney, and myself to have a little bit more fun because I really do think Carmy loves clothes, but in the period of life we meet Carmy, he doesn’t have room to express himself through his clothes due to being pinned down by the pressures of running a restaurant. And that’s fine as I think Carmy is happy to put on his utilitarian clothes, his Carhartts and his t-shirts.
But Ayo [Edebiri] has the most fun. Especially the outfit she wears to a meeting with another chef – a meeting that Carmy isn’t aware of but he clocks how nice she looks when she comes into work. I thought that was cool… Syd [Edebiri’s character] always looks so cool.
What clothes do you feel the most yourself in?
It’s jeans and a t-shirt, or a vest. For me, comfort is paramount.
Have you updated your sneaker collection since we last spoke?
I’ve been given some really nice sneakers that are really nice to look at, but they all just kinda sit in the closet. I always slip into my Nike Cortezs.
I just love them; it just feels right to me.
Before I wrap things up, I just want to say congratulations on your Emmy and Golden Globe wins earlier in the year.
Appreciate you. Thank you so much, man. It’s been nice talking to you again.
Calvin Klein Jeans Fall 2024 is available now on the Calvin Klein webstore, as well as in CK stores and retailers.