Ayo Edebiri Is a Proud Bostonian

Ayo Edebiri is returning to Boston—but this time, she’s brought an entire cast and crew along with her. For her first campaign as New Balance’s newest ambassador, the Emmy-winning quadruple threat (actress, comedian, writer, and director) revisits Dorchester, the neighborhood where she grew up, along with local landmarks. Yes, that includes her former high school.

“Sometimes if you don’t live in New York or L.A., you can have this perception of ‘my podunk little town,’ Edebiri tells ELLE. “But it was really cool to get to collaborate with an amazing team [and] a lot of people were based in Boston.”

Photographed by Tyler Mitchell and styled by Danielle Goldberg, the campaign follows Edebiri through her hometown in New Balance 574s. The 1988-born shoe is paired with current and vintage pieces from the brand, an era-appropriate choice for Edebiri and Goldberg’s nostalgic vision for the shoot.

The duo took cues from the local 1980s R&B group New Edition, evident in the wardrobe’s bold color-blocking and relaxed, oversized silhouettes. “A lot of my friends who still live in Boston are in the campaign,” the actress says. “It was a really full-circle moment for a lot of reasons.”

Here, Edebiri talks about her affinity for Boston, her evolving relationship with fashion, making her Broadway debut in Proof, and how her latest film, Clarissa, is a homecoming of a different sort.

What does New Balance represent to you?

I grew up in Boston, in Dorchester, so New Balance has always been a brand that I’m aware of. And frankly, the store on Newbury Street is a store that I’ve loitered at and spent a lot of time in. And more recently, with the other brand ambassadors, there’s just something about the authenticity in each person is so unique and true to themselves.

What was it like returning to Boston to shoot the campaign?

Even though Boston is such a major city, there’s a beautiful arts and creative scene there. The campaign was shot by Tyler Mitchell, who is a college friend, and we got to shoot at my old high school.

You worked with Danielle Goldberg on this campaign, and she’s also your longtime stylist. How has your fashion sense evolved through working together?

My fashion sense changes every day and what’s so fun for me personally about that is, obviously, you can lean into more casual streetwear, then sometimes it can go high fashion. Both of those things thread through with how I’m feeling. Danielle has been such an amazing partner with all of this. Her knowledge and articulation of fashion is so deep and so well-versed. And the more we’ve shared each other’s worlds and stories and references, it’s gotten deeper and more fun for both of us.

So also for her to come and dress my friends and be like “Oh, okay, I get her vibe and their vibe, what makes you feel good,” was really cool and fun. Danielle just loves anything that feels really timeless and classic.

The campaign has a distinct 1980s feel, but is also decidedly modern. What references shaped the mood board?

One of the pictures we brought up was this picture of New Edition, an R&B group from Roxbury, where I also have a lot of roots. And it’s this picture of all of them on their street in their neighborhood. And then Danielle brought out the coolest pulls of current and vintage New Balance.

Does your approach to everyday style differ from the red carpet?

My personal style definitely leans more sporty, a little more laid-back. And part of that also is when I’m not working, it’s nice to be in that mode and something easier, more playful. But there’s a genuine amount of fun and satisfaction when it comes to a red carpet because that’s such an active collaboration between Danielle and me. We have a bedrock of shared tastes and things that excite us.

How was it stepping into theater with Proof?

It was a really amazing experience. I really found myself in such a state of awe of everyone who does theater and that is their life—not just the physicality, but the machine of it. There’s something so beautiful about the amount of hard work, dedication, and years of skill that it takes to achieve this contained moment every night.

What drew you to Clarissa?

Clarissa was such a beautiful project to be a part of. I wasn’t able to make it to the Cannes premiere because I was doing Proof, but everybody else has seen it, so I’m very excited. My father is Nigerian, so being able to go where he’s from and make a movie there was really special. And I loved our cast and crew. The Esiri brothers are true marvels and gifts to cinema, in my humble opinion. Their first film Eyimofe is so beautiful. Highly recommend.

They were friends before this, and I remember in one of our first conversations, we were talking about how much we loved Mrs. Dalloway, that era of novels, Virginia Woolf’s work. There’s something spiritual about getting to go to my fatherland and make something there. There are so many beautiful movies in the African diaspora that are coming out. And to be a part of one that people are talking about is pretty cool.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.