2 days ago
Liza Colón-Zayas reveals she used Samantha's vibrator as a juicer in cut 'Sex and the City' scene
Liza Colón-Zayas has done a lot of work outside her comfort zone since becoming the breakout star of FX's The Bear, but there hasn't been a scene that can compare to her uncredited role on Sex and the City.
While Colón-Zayas' scene in an iconic episode of the HBO series ended up on the cutting room floor, she still vividly remembers her role in the episode's mini-plot focusing on Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall).
"I was on Sex and the City playing a housekeeper and Samantha couldn't find her vibrator," Colón-Zayas tells Entertainment Weekly during our Awardist Comedy Actors Roundtable hosted by EW Editorial Director Gerrad Hall, which also includes fellow Emmy contenders Uzo Aduba (The Residence), David Alan Grier (St. Denis Medical), Nathan Lane (Mid-Century Modern), Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary), and Michael Urie (Shrinking).
"And it's because I had it in the kitchen and I was making juice," the Emmy-winning actress continues, miming the action for her peers to properly paint a picture. "And yes, it was outside of my comfort zone."
Although Colón-Zayas' scene never made into season 6, episode 18 (aptly titled "Splat" after Kristen Johnston famously falls out a window to her death), fans will surely remember Samantha explaining the sex toy situation to her friends Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) during a dinner party to acclimate the girls to Carrie's paramour Aleksandr Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikov).
"I think my maid is using my vibrator," Samantha announces at the table. "I'm telling you. I went into the kitchen to get it. But yesterday, the batteries were dead. They were new the last time I used it and I haven't used it since Smith came back."
While the girls coo at Samantha being "faithful" to her beau by ignoring her toys for him, the publicist is more concerned with the mystery of her drained vibrator. "Now maybe in the Dominican Republic people like to share vibrators but this is America, land of plenty," she quips.
Clearly, there was some miscommunication on the proper definition of kitchen appliances.
Colón-Zayas' tenure as chef Tina on Hulu's award-winning dramedy is ironically still focused on the kitchen, albeit sans vibrators as culinary tools.
Her character's journey began as stubbornly resistant to Carmy's (Jeremy Allen White) vision for Chicagoland food spot The Beef, but the Latina line cook soon gains respect for him and his plans to revamp the restaurant into fine-dining establishment The Bear in season 2.
The show's third season pays off for Tina fans waiting to delve deeper into the character's psyche and see her blossom as she steps into her role as Sydney's (Ayo Edebiri) sous chef.
It all culminates in season 3's episode 5, "Pop," where her hard work pays off. Tina excels in class, earning the praise of her teacher and fellow students who invite her out for celebratory drinks. Where season 1 Tina would never have accepted their invitation, this new and improved sous chef swallows her fear and anxiety, and stuns the entire bar with her moving karaoke performance of Freddy Fender's "Before the Next Teardrop Falls." But Tina's moment of triumph was actually terrifying for Colón-Zayas to film.
Colón-Zayas previously explained to EW that while she was "freaked out" about having to sing, it was also the knowledge that this was the moment she had been building toward that had her feeling the pressure.
"As an actor, as a human being, I tend to be suspicious, like, 'Really? Am I getting set up?'" Colón-Zayas said. "When you're struggling long enough, you always think that, or that you're always waiting for the other shoe to drop. And this is what makes Tina tick, what keeps her up at night. Somebody may have a really crusty, unpleasant exterior, but can we take a moment, see what's really happening deeper? I hope that's what audiences walk away with, because it's vulnerability, right? And as we get older it's harder to show that."
Watching how chef de cuisine Sydney "won over" Tina throughout season 1 and 2 was a joy for Colón-Zayas, because it showed a real empathy that she wishes was more prominent in onscreen stories.
First Mikey (Jon Bernthal), then Carmy, and then Sydney "created this space for all of us broken toys, and was able to recognize, through all the mess, who deserves a second chance," Colón-Zayas said. "I so completely relate to that, as a woman of color of a certain age in this industry, to be experiencing what I'm experiencing now with [this show]. I fully get it. And all of those things, all of those twists and turns, are central to leading to me having the courage to step up on that stage [to sing]." She paused before adding, "I hope we can normalize these kinds of storylines so that this is just the beginning."There's more to come for Tina and the rest of The Bear gang as the series returns for its fourth season this summer. Which means more chances for Tina to show viewers how much further she can go now that she sees her own potential.
Watch the full conversation with Colón-Zayas and other Emmys contenders in EW's Awardist Comedy Actors Roundtable above.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
