The Bear star Ayo Edebiri who grew up going to Pentecostal church in the United States has said university made her question her faith. 

Speaking to Vanity Fair magazine, the 28-year-old actress said she began doubting some of the beliefs from her upbringing whilst she was an undergraduate at New York University. 

The comedian, whose mother is originally from Barbados and was a regular churchgoer, but whose Nigerian father was not, said she attended church as much as twice a week. She sang in the choir group which she enjoyed but also found she became increasingly worried and sometimes even had panic attacks. 

“It was horrible for my anxiety. I was petrified of death. I was petrified of the rapture.”

At university, Edebiri told the fashion magazine, she began to focus on her own wellbeing as well as being morally conflicted about having gay and Muslim friends who weren't going to heaven. 

“It was genuinely breaking my brain and giving me so much stress and sadness. I was just like: ‘I need a break,” she said.

The American actress, who is also a writer, grew up in Boston and played chef Sydney Adamu in the comedy-drama series The Bear from 2022. She has won a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award for her performance. 

However, speaking to The New Yorker last year she said church gave her a purpose and a way to care about people around her. She also credited the Bible with giving her an initial interest in storytelling. 

(Picture credit: Reuters)