Niki Cruz
Liza Colón-Zayas has been a working actress in the NYC theater scene and on screen for years, but her first big breakout role was in 2022 as Tina Marrero in the FX hit The Bear. Colón-Zayas, the first Latina to win Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy, embodies the no-nonsense cook at The Original Beef restaurant. When we first meet her in season 1, she gives new owner Carmy a hard time, but as the seasons go on, she warms up to him and becomes an integral part of the new restaurant “The Bear.”
Although we didn’t see much of Tina in season 1, from the beginning, Colón-Zayas‘ engaging performance made viewers root for Tina and want more of the character’s backstory. While season 2’s episode “Forks” focuses on Cousin Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Colón-Zayas had her moment to shine in “Napkins,” which is arguably the best episode of season 3 and one that elevated the viewing experience for that season. It’s a phenomenal episode directed by co-star Ayo Edibiri and an award-winning performance by the actress.
Of Emmy night experience, she said:
“I still can’t believe it. I have the award there, and I look at it, but I still can’t believe it happened. I’m always happy to just be there. I’m in these rooms looking nice staring crazy eyes at people I’ve watched my whole life and admire. I had given up on ever being a part of that. So just to have that for me, is everything. When I heard my name, I look calm, but I wasn’t. Then, I wasn’t expecting to see Meryl Streep directly in front of me, and Carol Burnett. I just had to be honest and cop to the fact that, who thinks that they could win an award over any of those women?”
“Napkins” lets viewers into Tina’s world through a series of flashbacks that establish her history in the world of The Bear and contextualizes her journey. We see Tina and her husband (played by real-life husband David Zayas) struggle to make ends meet, and then she unexpectedly loses her job after 15 years of devoting her life to her place of employment. From there, viewers experience Tina’s devastating reality of joining the job search. She experiences a job that looks promising but turns out to be an MLM, she’s overlooked by people younger than her because of her lack of college background, and so on, until she walks into The Original Beef and experiences a life-changing beef sandwich and a vulnerable exchange with then owner Mikey.
Throughout the episode, you get a sense the actress knows this character and her struggle in her bones. She powerfully portrays devastating setback after setback all through her wide, expressive eyes, and it’s a performance that packs a punch to the gut.
On hearing directly from viewers about that episode, Liza Colón-Zayas said:
“I get a lot of messages on social media from people who this just happened to who are struggling, who are depressed, but [the feedback is] “I feel seen. I feel like somebody understands me.” or “My mother went through this.” They seem quite moved and often grateful and like they know me like I’m one of their relatives. And for me, along with feedback from any kitchen worker, is one of the highest compliments.”
You can watch my interview with Liza Colón-Zayas below. The new season of FX’s The Bear drops on June 25th.
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