"I don't always have to be right": Liza Colón-Zayas unpacks Tina's personal growth in The Bear Season 4

FX on Hulu's dramedy series The Bear Season 4 dropped on June 25, 2025, and has already garnered positive reviews on social media.

In an interview with Variety, just days after the release, Liza Colón-Zayas opened up on her character's evolution in the series. Colón-Zayas portrays Tina Marrero, a chef at The Bear, in the dramedy series.

Colón-Zayas revealed that in the series, Tina is trying her best to manage both her demanding job and chaotic personal life. She shared that there's a drastic difference between season 1 Tina and now. For instance, in season 4, she talks about a fight with her husband and how she apologized to him, not because she is wrong, but because someone has to back down.

Speaking of Tina's personal growth over the seasons, Liza Colón-Zayas said,

"I gotta compartmentalize. I don’t always have to be right. I don’t think it’s about feeling beaten down. It’s personal growth."

Liza Colón-Zayas on Tina's personal growth in The Bear Season 4

Tina Marrero was introduced in The Bear Season 1 as the hot-headed and no-nonsense chef. However, in season 3 episode 6 titled Napkins, the viewers were able to finally see Tina's backstory via a flashback.

In the episode, we saw how Tina lost her job (as a clerk at a candy manufacturing company) and was thus searching for a new one in Chicago. After days of unsuccessful job hunting, she was hired by Mikey as a cook at The Beef's. And who could forget her heartbreaking monologue,

"I don't need to be inspired, I don't need to be impassioned. I don't need to make magic. I don't need to save the world, you know? I just wanna feed my kid."

Tina begins as a hot-headed, defensive chef, skeptical of new ideas and afraid of change. Over the season, she transforms into a collaborative and supportive leader who's not ashamed to learn from the younger chefs. Quite a change...isn't it?

In The Bear Season 4, we saw a mature, understanding, and calm side of Tina. By the end of season 3, the viewers were aware that the restaurant was struggling financially, and after a negative review from the Chicago Tribune, the business was on the verge of shutting down. Hence, the chefs, including Tina, had to increase their efficiency.

In The Bear Season 4, we saw Tina struggling with her three-minute pasta dish. She eventually reached out to several co-workers for tips and advice- a sign that she's not ashamed to ask for help. Liza Colón-Zayas further shared about Tina's personal growth that,

"We see this giant shift of me accepting that. It’s not about ego; it’s not about being pushed out; they actually believe that I have what it takes to do this. That I’m part of the team that can get a Michelin star. That’s hopeful. I’m trying to do my best to not be the weak link. And in the way that they’ve had my back, I’m gonna have their back now"

When Liza Colón-Zayas was asked whether this was the final season of The Bear or not, she revealed that she's not aware of it, especially with the unexpected cliffhanger at the end of the season.

Also read: The Bear Season 4 left us with these unanswered questions that Season 5 can address

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