Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘The Bear’ Season 4Season 4 of The Bear featured a new crop of guest stars, but nothing was more shocking than Brie Larson, who played Francie Fak, after her character was mentioned a handful of times in previous seasons. While her imminent appearance was something fans highly anticipated, Larson shares how she was able to keep it under wraps.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actress says that her work with Marvel made it easier for her to keep this role a secret. However, keeping it from the people she knew was still difficult, as she needed to find another reason to go to the show’s filming location in Chicago. According to Larson, she kept this role secret for a year and is now happy that she can finally talk about it.
“I’m pretty used to keeping secrets now because of the many years working with Marvel. But it doesn’t make it any easier. I needed to go to Chicago for a week, and I didn’t know how to explain to anybody why I was going to Chicago. So I just tried my best to avoid that question. If anybody was like, “Do you want to grab lunch?” “I’m in Chicago.” “Why?” “Seeing art.”
The Bear Season 4 was released with all 10 episodes on June 25, 2025. It received a Certified Fresh critics’ score of 84% and a 67% average audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is reportedly the lowest score in the show’s history. But despite the drop in score, it was announced that this comedy-drama series will resume, confirming its 5th season.
Who Is Francie Fak in ‘The Bear,’ and Why Does Natalie Hate Her?
Francie Fak is the sister of Neil (Matty Matheson), Ted (Ricky Staffieri), and Sammy (John Cena) and was first mentioned in Season 2. While she is a close family member, she never made an appearance until Season 4 due to an ambiguous feud between her and Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto (Abby Elliott), which led to fans wondering what happened that made Natalie resent her. Additionally, while she does have a good relationship with her brothers, they don’t like introducing their girlfriends to her, accusing Francie of “being mean” to them.
The buildup to Francie’s appearance was prominent in the latest season, as the characters told Natalie that she’s in town and Neil revealed that she was invited to Tiff’s wedding. She finally made her debut in the seventh episode of Season 4, “Bears,” and was portrayed by Larson. When Francie finally made her appearance, it was met with hostility by Natalie, who claimed that she had “betrayed” her. While viewers still don’t know the full extent of their feud, what has been revealed is that the two hooked up at one point. Both Natalie and Francie were able to apologize in the end, admitting that they still thought of each other and hoped they found happiness.
The Bear is available to stream on Hulu.
Source: Vanity Fair