
Mon Jun 30 01:30:00 UTC 2025: Here are two versions: a brief summary followed by a rewritten news article.
**Summary:**
Jamie Lee Curtis, in an interview with TIME, discusses her role as Donna Berzatto, the troubled mother in “The Bear,” and her connection to the character’s struggles with addiction and family relationships. She reveals how she “manifested” the role after watching the first episode, how Donna’s character has evolved from a source of anxiety to a figure seeking redemption, and how her own experiences with sobriety and family challenges informed her performance. Curtis emphasizes the importance of healing and reconciliation in the show’s latest season, highlighting a pivotal scene where Donna and Carmy confront their past and find a path toward understanding.
**News Article:**
**Jamie Lee Curtis Reveals Personal Connection to “The Bear” Role, Highlights Healing in Season 4**
LOS ANGELES – Jamie Lee Curtis, known for her iconic roles across various genres, recently opened up about her Emmy-winning portrayal of Donna Berzatto in the hit series “The Bear,” revealing a deeply personal connection to the character’s struggles with addiction and family dynamics in an interview with TIME.
Curtis shared that she felt compelled to play Donna after watching the show’s first episode. “Oh, I think I’m going to be her,” she recalled thinking, envisioning the complex and troubled matriarch. She noted that she was impressed by how much anxiety the character caused Carmy, long before her debut.
In Season 4, Donna gets a chance to make amends, which is explored in the ninth episode, “Tonnato.” About five years after the disastrous holiday, she spends the majority of the episode sharing her regrets with Carmy inside her home. While looking at old family photos together, Donna admits she’s been sober a year and then reads an apology letter, acknowledging the pain she’s caused and explaining the reasons for her poor choices. Carmy eventually reciprocates, sharing his guilt for leaving the family and expressing his love for her. As an act of reconciliation, Carmy prepares for his mother a chicken dinner that he learned to make while training as a chef at The French Laundry.
Curtis, who is a sober alcoholic and the child of alcoholics, emphasized the significance of Donna’s journey toward sobriety and reconciliation with her son, Carmy. She explained how her own experiences with addiction and raising a child with special needs informed her performance, particularly in a poignant scene where Donna expresses her guilt and powerlessness regarding her son Mikey.
“I learned that having a kid who you don’t know how to help is one of the most powerless experiences as a parent,” Curtis said in the interview.
Curtis praised show creator Chris Storer for the “gorgeous work” in this season. And when talking about her co-star, Jeremy Allen White, “He’s just a beautiful performer. We use the term scene partner a lot in actor talk, but he’s a scene partner.”
“It’s pretty powerful to end a series on a full-circle moment,” she said, reflecting on the redemptive themes of the latest season.
Curtis, known for her authenticity and openness, hopes that Donna’s journey resonates with audiences and highlights the possibility of healing and reconciliation, even in the face of profound challenges.