Performing with Liza Colon-Zayas and her husband on ‘Napkins’

spoiler ALERT: This interview contains spoilers for “The Bear” Season 3, episode 6, “Napkins.”

Between “Honeydew” and “Forks,” season 2 of “The Bear” was at its peak when it was curious about its supporting characters, Marcus (Lionel Boyce) and Richie (Ebon Moss-Barrach). Was diving into the inner life of. In which the display sector was completely expanded. The same is true of Season 3, which takes the passivity from worrying about keeping the dining area watchable to go back in time to a generation and highlight a founding member of the kitchen staff team: Tina.

Played by Liza Colon-Zayas, Tina comes across as a rigid person at the beginning of Season 1, who is controlling due to Carmy’s (Jeremy Allen White) commitment to her used brother, Mickey (Jon Bernthal). , who had left the restaurant. Carmi died through suicide. But through Season 3, she’s delved deeper into the world of good food thanks to the support and funding she gets from Carmi and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri), who sent her to culinary school and promoted her to sous chef. Season 3’s sixth episode “Napkins” provides context for that trip.

Written by Edebiri in his directorial debut — and by Kathryn Schettina — the episode begins when Tina and her husband (Colon-Zayas’ real-life husband, played by “Dexter” celebrity David Zayas) talk about their financial issues. They do, their fare was just increased. Soon, Tina loses the job she’s devoted 15 years of her life to, and sets out on a desperate journey to explore every available spot in the city of Chicago. Shunned by the millennial hierarchy with faculty status and little empathy, she is pushed to the brink of collapse. Later after abusing a receptionist and missing her bus, Tina wanders into Red Meat for a cup of espresso. Richie gives it to him separately along with a sandwich that another buyer forgot to take.

This is enough to keep her crying together, which prompts Mickey to come back to see her, as Richie is worried she will scare away the other shoppers. Instead of telling her to be quiet when she’s sick, he tells her what’s going on in his personal life. Hearing about Mickey’s concerns – from the broken restaurant bathroom to the fact that he can’t pay attention to the extreme generation of staying in bed – is helping Tina see herself. Noticing how much better he feels after talking to Tina, Mickey assigns her a kind of cooking task. The remains are the historical past.

Colon-Zayas said VarietyAnd what it felt like to dominate your personal episode and discover ways to do business with Tina’s dirty refrigerator.

When did you find out you were getting your own individual episode, and when did you get the script?

I was given this when we were shooting season 3. It wasn’t like we were on hiatus and they were like, “You’re going to get your own episode.” No, I found out when we were shooting season 3, And He was directing once, and then I heard an unpleasant scream. It’s just this kind of extra special script, and Ayo had such an exaggerated, surreal, amazing pastime to direct.

Tina’s love for Mickey has been highlighted since the beginning of Season 1. Did you spend a generation imagining her dating Mickey before this backstory?

The truth is that I did not do that. Because I didn’t want to have anything in my behavior that was a 180. I was just dependent on the writers. I don’t want to enchant perfection. So much can be communicated non-verbally, and I was really proud of our back story. We are a lovelorn, suffering blue collar nation, although there is a batch of affection.

“The Bear” is filled with characters from blue-collar backgrounds who now find themselves serving white-collar clients. How do you integrate the feeling of Tina’s Playground into this?

I believe the back story is helping to provide explanation for some of them. There is a fear of being replaced in Season 1. That’s Gunshi – how difficult would it be to work for someone who has very little knowledge of cooking? And now we’ve been given two of them. To Tina, what it means to me is that we (working class people) are generally thrown out. And that’s the effort that goes into trying to get a job at The Red Meat after discovering an abandoned house and still having to leave Mickey.

Now, Tina is relying a little more on the bonds that were created. The objective is for us all to collectively emerge victorious, even though the demons keep coming back again and again. Locked in the freezer to hear Carmi talking about how it’s all her fault and why she can’t have anything else good, something in Tina’s section reveals that she’s just trying to do the best she can. Used to be. As with the entire generation, Tina is still quite positive and is really trying not to let anyone get sick. Aqua Spread. Defeat will not be accepted now.

How do you think Tina feels about playing on a playground that otherwise her country would never have money to spend?

I don’t think I’ve thought about it from that perspective. At this stage of generation, the primary concern is to make it victorious. Because the truth is, where we were in Season 1, there was a time going to fail. Duration. So now not only can we have a second expectation, but I, Tina, have been given a second expectation.

So she is more curious about what is directly in front of her.

Sure. Is it scary that most of these parks are shooting up all over the place? Gentleness, and families who hold an unquestioning point of view and who do not have credentials are easily thrown out? Yes.

However that is no longer where he is these days. And there is authentic love. We’re all just trying to do the best job we can. If it was about getting the cream of the compress, I probably would have missed a gift in the past.

Since everyone spends so many generations thinking about and talking about Mickey, how does it feel when Jon Bernthal finally gets curious? What message did exploding your scene with him convey to you?

He is a darling. Before this, we hadn’t really had scenes together, but having encountered each opportunity a couple of times, it just oozed out of her pores: She’s kind. He is charitable. So it took me a batch to prep it all and get it ready. That’s what I’m really curious about: “Let me really get it into my bones so I can play out the nuances of the scene.” And not to be too apprehensive — like, “Oh my God, Jon Bernthal!”

Can Tina tell you anything more about the way you play the game now and her history at the restaurant?

His trajectory overall presents that he is much greater than what we see in the beginning. I don’t think it’s changed how I play the game with him – I think it’s based on how I’ve always played him, i.e. someone who is combative, strong and passionate. She is mother. And that backstory provides additional belief that she’s not just sour. It’s almost never about ego and competition. We see him working in the most efficient manner and trying to be there for everyone else.

And I really like that it explains why (Mickey) was loved in this country. Yes, there is dependency and hurt, although perhaps with Tina and Mickey we can remind families to take a deeper look at those families that are doing well and have a little empathy. Please reconsider. We don’t know what this person is going through.

You mentioned that Ayo Edebiri was very convincing as a first-time director. Can you tell me more about what she brought to “Napkins”?

Cleverly, Ayo is always confident. From the first opportunity, my lady is convinced. Because she’s goofy and she’s curious and she prepares. And it’s been two years since we’ve been working collectively, so there’s already a bond and recognition. It was really easy once. I knew she was in position, but it seemed like she was always doing it. It was once very gentle, really easy.

What was it really like being directed by showrunners Christopher Storer and Joanna Callow, who directed most of the episodes?

I’ll tell you how it was before: They let you do your thing. They let you be you and that’s it too. The truth is assumed there.

There was only one past that I had a deep reaction to, and that was when I saw how dirty Tina’s refrigerator was. My mom and dad are total freaks, and I’m pretty much the same way, so I started taking stuff out and wiping it down. Ayo said, “No,” and she gently put everything back. The whole mess. I didn’t understand why until I stared at it, and I said, “Hey, he’s smart.” As a result Tina is a busy girl. In many ways, that’s traditional, and in many ways, that’s not at all anymore. Although if my mother came to my house and saw the refrigerator she would be favorable, it is true. She is a hard-working, busy girl. She wakes up very early to ensure that when she comes home after a long time of delivery, there will be a hot meal ready for her country. So you probably won’t get a luxuriously equipped kitchen. Don’t pass judgment on me! Don’t judge yourself.

How did it happen that your real-life husband plays your on-screen husband?

He came to me in Chicago (during last season), and I introduced him to him once out of curiosity, and he became enthusiastic. Chris mentioned, “Do you think he’d want to come on the show?” And I mentioned, “I think so.” I didn’t know in what capacity – I think someone said, “Your ex,” and then I was allowed to think, but I didn’t want to get too deep into it. It ends up being written as this grand, meaningful, loving thing. Excellent Man, that made me really happy to see.

To be honest, I did not expect this. This explains how I too have been programmed to look down on my nation. Like, why can’t I get that? Why can’t that be ideal? There is effort and there is mess, yet there is love, and from my personal perspective, there is stability.

What was it like to love working opposite him?

He was very satisfied to be there, and everyone got along well. He’s played a lot of villains, and to get to be a really, really excellent guy – he was very excited. And we have worked collectively for the last 28 years. I really like working with him. Like Tina and her personality, she grounds me.

How has it felt to see the reaction to this season and your episodes?

The response has been tremendous. overwhelming. There are some families who give up the hustle and bustle. However I believe that allowing yourself to find additional inner and peace is wonderful, and I just find it irresistible. Overall, the feedback I’m getting is that there’s still an extremely popular love affair with the show, and they really like and appreciate Tina’s foundation.

This interview has been edited and condensed.