Who does Yara Shahidi play in Prime Video's Sitting in Bars with Cake?

Sitting in Bars with Cake, a new Prime Video movie featuring Yara Shahidi as one of the leads, premiered on September 8, 2023, delivering a touching and heartbreaking narrative about friendship inspired by true events. Shahidi plays Jane alongside Odessa A'zion's Corinne, two childhood friends navigating through life in LA in their 20s until a medical diagnosis changes things for good.

Written by Audrey Shulman, Sitting in Bars with Cake is based on her cherished blog and 2015 book of the same name. The movie is helmed by director Trish Sie, best known for her works such as Step Up: All In and Pitch Perfect 3.

Sie previously revealed how Shulman, "the protagonist in real life," has lived a story similar to Jane's and that the original book is based on the latter's pursuit to find love by cakebarring. Shahidi's character, based on the author, is called Jane.

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Yara Shahidi plays Jane in Prime Video's Sitting in Bars with Cake, a character based on author Audrey Shulman

Yara Shahidi's character Jane in Sitting in Bars with Cake, based on the real-life protagonist by author Audrey Shulman, is a shy but exceptionally skilled baker.

Jane's extrovert childhood best friend Corinne (played by Odessa A'zion) convinces her to bake cakes and bring them to bars for a year—something commonly known as cakebarring. Their aim is to help her meet good men and develop confidence.

Jane has always been quite unlucky when it comes to love, and then one day she bakes a cake and takes it to Corinne's birthday celebration at a bar, resulting in all the men around her getting charmed by her baking skills. While the baker is certain it's nothing more than a fluke, her best friend sees an opportunity.

However, during their year of cakebarring, Corinne receives a life-changing medical diagnosis. The duo faces a challenge unlike anything they have experienced before. The synopsis explains how the film "is a moving celebration of female friendship, forging identity, and finding joy in the most unexpected places."

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Casting Yara Shahidi and Odessa A'zion in Sitting in Bars with Cake was a "wonderful bonus," says director Trish Sie

Talking about the inspiration behind Sitting in Bars with Cake, director Trish Sie told People Magazine that Audrey Shulman, who serves as a writer for the latest film based on her 2015 book of the same name, is "the protagonist in real life." Sie reportedly said:

"[Audrey Shulman's] best friend through this whole thing - who kind of masterminded and believed in this whole project - also had this incredible diagnosis in the middle. She insisted that they keep going, and Audrey herself had to step up and really become a whole different version of herself essentially."

The director further explained how casting 23-year-old Yara Shahidi as Jane alongside Odessa A'zion's Corinne was "a wonderful bonus," as "they already had this kind of shorthand and easy affection for each other and trust of each other." The 51-year-old told People:

"Yara was my dream Jane from the beginning because I've known her since she was quite young."

As per The Hollywood Reporter, Shahidi has previously starred in ABC's Black-ish and its spinoff Grown-ish and has featured in films like The Sun is Also a Star. The actress has voiced Kendra in PAW Patrol: The Movie and Darci in Trollhunters and is set to play Tinker Bell in Disney's upcoming live-action Peter Pan & Wendy. She is repped by CAA, Principal Entertainment LA, and The Nord Group.

Besides Shahidi and A'zion, Sitting in Bars with Cake also stars Bette Midler as Ruth, Bette Midler as Benita, Ron Livingston as Fred, Simone Recasner as Nora, Will Ropp as Brock, Adina Porter as Tasha, Navid Negahban as Isaac, Reshma Gajjar as Dr. Mitchell, and Charlie Morgan Patton as Alex.

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Sitting in Bars with Cake is now available to stream on Prime Video.