Ayo Edebiri, the Golden Globe and Emmy-winning star of The Bear, has spoken about the emotional and physical strain of making her Broadway debut in a revival of David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Proof. In an interview with People, she described suffering daily pounding headaches and unexpected weight loss while performing the drama eight times a week following 10-hour rehearsals, illustrating the demanding nature of live stage acting for screen performers.

Edebiri plays Catherine, the restless daughter of a renowned mathematics professor, Robert, played by Don Cheadle, who is also making his Broadway debut. The Thomas Kail-helmed production at the Booth Theater, which takes its final bow on 19 July, follows a dispute over the authorship of a mathematical proof found after the professor's death. Both leads reflected on the "athleticism" of stage acting, with Cheadle likening the experience to nightly "pretend torture" that physically affected his body. Proof first debuted on Broadway in 2000 and was later adapted into a film starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins.