“Who is Shay in Dear Edward?” In this article, we discuss one of the key characters in the new Apple TV+ series Dear Edward.
Dear Edward is the latest Apple Original series to premiere on the prestigious streaming platform. This heart-breaking adaptation of the best-selling novel by Ann Napolitano tells the story of a young plane crash survivor, Edward Adler, who tries to move forward with his life after this devastating tragedy. The show also focuses on the numerous families and friends of the crash victims as they try to find peace within all this grief. One of the key players in this ensemble cast is Shay, but who exactly is she, and why is she so integral to the narrative?
Who is Shay in Dear Edward?
This brutal plane crash takes the lives of Edward’s parents and brother Jordan, so he is forced to move in with his Aunt Lacey (Taylor Schilling), as he has nowhere else to go. Aunt Lacey is dealing with her own personal issues and heart-wrenching grief at this troubling juncture in her life, but she tries to accommodate the young boy regardless and offers him the help and support he needs. Shay happens to be one of Lacey’s neighbors, a girl around the same age as Edward, who is obsessed with the roller skating contact sport roller derby.
Edward and Shay slowly start to socialize together and become close friends quite quickly. They even attend the same school together, where Shay helps Edward navigate his way through high school etiquette. Shay looks out for Edward, who is in the midst of a possible depression and mental breakdown due to the awful trauma he has endured and this overwhelming grief he is still in the middle of processing.
Who plays Shay in the series Dear Edward?
Shay is played by up-and-coming actress Eva Ariel Binder. The breakout star has been working in Hollywood for many years now, since her first TV appearance all the way back in 2016.
Since then, she has starred in TV shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and Brand New Cherry Flavor, as well as a larger role in Apple’s kids’ animated series Stillwater. However, Dear Edward is her biggest role to date. Two of the major characters in Dear Edward are played by young actors, so it was important that the showrunners cast the right individuals for these key parts. Eva Ariel Binder and Colin O’Brien (Edward Adler) do a great job of portraying these youngsters, who must convey tough emotions in a rather adult, emotional series.
Why is Shay important?
Shay is an important character in Dear Edward, she is Edward’s best friend and confidant. She’s the only one who seems to fully understand what Edward is going through, and she tries her best to help him through these troubling times. Edward is grieving the loss of both parents and his brother, who he was extremely close to. On top of all this, Edward is in a strange new neighborhood, he has become a bit of a celebrity and is forced back into the educational system, which can be a harrowing experience for anyone, even without all the trauma he has endured.
Shay does her best to support Edward through these tough times. She is the only one Edward can truly trust, and she tells him things honestly, just how they are. Shay doesn’t sugarcoat things; high school is tough, and so is the grieving process. Hopefully, these two friends can help one another through adolescence, as they figure out who they are and what they want to be growing up.
