Jamie Lee Curtis didn’t expect to reprise her role as the matriarch of the Berzatto family in season three of The Bear. “I thought when Donna walked away outside of the restaurant, that was it,” she says of the season two finale, when Pete (Chris Witaske) accidentally reveals he and Donna’s daughter, Natalie (Abby Elliott), are expecting. “I felt like her story was fully told.”
Show creator Christopher Storer had other plans, bringing Donna back for Natalie’s birthing episode, season three’s “Ice Chips,” a bear of an undertaking in itself that’s likely to garner a second guest acting in a comedy nomination for Curtis after she won the award last year.
The episode was filmed in less than two hours, with just two takes, Curtis and Elliott fitting in 25 pages of dialogue about motherhood, Natalie’s fears around it and Donna’s understanding of her past mistakes in between mimicking contractions and deep breathing. “I imagined a full 12-hour marathon emotional day,” Curtis admits. “I remember going to Chris like, ‘OK, what are we doing?’ and him saying, ‘I’ve got three cameras and we’re going to do it all.’ And I remember saying, ‘Like, all of it.’ He said, ‘Yeah, the whole episode.’ And I really looked at him, and I was like, ‘Baller!’ “
Storer’s decision speaks to his trust in the actors and vice versa. “The whole idea of this art form is you prepare a lot to let go of it, and let it rip, to use the cornerstone of the whole show,” adds Curtis. “That’s why this show is magic. The whole show lets it rip. Chris Storer let us let it rip.”
Donna’s return has already been teased in the season four trailer for the FX series, but, again, it’s how she concludes her appearance in season three — when Pete arrives at the hospital to be with Natalie — that’s a standout moment to Curtis. “Donna’s ability to leave the room and not make it about her is, to me, the real hope for the future of that family. That she has enough self-knowledge to know, ‘This isn’t about me. I don’t need to get any attention from anybody. I came to be of service to my daughter.’ To me, that whole episode hinges on Donna’s leaving, and the way Donna leaves is beautiful,” Curtis explains, adding a tease of her own. “In season four, there’s more of that.”
Despite the heaviness of the episode — and many others — Curtis stands by The Bear‘s place in the Emmy comedy category. “[The phrase] ‘Walk like a G’ makes me pee my pants,” says Curtis in reference to Teddy Fak’s (Ricky Staffieri) instruction to his brother, Neil (Matty Matheson), at the end of the season four trailer. “It’s observational comedy — my sweet spot.”
This story appeared in the June 4 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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