Kathryn Bridget Moynahan was born in Binghamton, New York, on April 28, 1971, though raised in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. The statuesque beauty was signed by the Ford Modeling Agency which led to a successful career as a cover girl on Glamour, Vogue, and other leading magazines.
After adding acting to her repertoire, Bridget made a memorable feature film debut as Rachel in Coyote Ugly. Much more than just a pretty face, the versatile thespian followed that breakout role with a string of powerful performances which established her as one ofHollywood’s favorite leading ladies.
She has appeared in blockbusters opposite many of Hollywood’s finest leading men, including Nicolas Cage in Lord Of War, Will Smith in I, Robot, Colin Farrell in The Recruit, John Cusack in Serendipity, Greg Kinnear in Unknown, Tim Robbins in Noise and Ben Affleck in The Sum Of All Fears.
Among her many television roles, Bridget portrayed Carrie’s rival and Mr. Big’s wife on Sex And The City. Today, she is best known for playing prosecutor Erin Reagan-Boyle on the nighttime drama Blue Bloods opposite Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg.
Here, she talks about her new film, Small Time, a coming-of-age drama co-starring Christopher Meloni, Devon Bostick and Dean Norris.
Hi Bridget, thanks for the interview. How are you?
Great, Kam. How are you?
Fine, thanks. I’m a big fan of Blue Bloods. Congratulations on the success of the series.
Thanks. We’re all excited that it’s going into its fifth season. I, for one, have never worked on a show this long, so it’s kind of exciting.
Despite the presence of so many stars in the cast, I’ve really come to almost believe you’re really one big family. Such great chemistry!
Yeah, and I think that happened for all of us on day one. We were kind of introduced to each other right before a family dinner, and we had to jump right into it, and it all seemed to fall into place. It’s also unique to shoot the show right in the city [New York], since we all live here. It’s so different from being away on location when you’re away from your family and away from home. In that situation, the cast tends to spend more time with each other. Here, we all go home to our families after work every day, but when we come back, it’s almost like it’s an extension of our family life.
Did you got to court or have a lawyer as an acting coach in preparation to play a prosecutor?
We do have a couple people we rely on to ensure that it’s as credible as possible. We’ve had two on set over the years that I’m able to consult/speak to about how a situation might be handled, because we do want to make the show as honest and as accurate as possible. We do our best and I work with them often. For me, a lot of it is learning the language of lawyers, because they have many words I would not use in my everyday life.
I’ve always found this show not only more credible but more enjoyable than any of the other nighttime legal dramas.
That’s a good sign. Thank you!
In so many of our local communities, the police are mistrusted and even despised. Yet we LOVE watching TV detectives! Do you ever think about that disconnect?
I do, because I think that many forget that police officers are people with real lives. They struggle with the same things that you and I do. They might be behind on their mortgage. They might have a family member who’s sick. So, they’re dealing with all that stuff, while also putting their lives on the line everyday. For us! Many of us don’t pay attention to them until we get a ticket for speeding, running a light, or letting a parking meter run over. It makes you angry, but they’re just doing their job.
I think people love watching our show because you get to see the human side of their lives, their personal struggles, and also how the job and certain cases might affect them. It encourages you to think about what they see on a daily basis and how that might affect them. I’m sure that’s something most people don’t ordinarily think about when interacting with a police officer.
I had fun watching Small Time. What interested you in the film?
I really like to try to do something on my hiatus, and it was really nice to find a script that was so well written. The characters just popped off the pages, and [director] Joel [Surnow] did a really fine job of casting those roles. I had been late in getting on the Breaking Bad bandwagon, so I was unaware of Dean Norris’ role in that until literally six months ago. I’m kinda bummed that I didn’t know more about him at the time of the filming, because I’m now such a huge fan of the show.
As far as Small Time, I was thrilled to be able to do that project. I recently saw it and was pleasantly surprised at how well it came together. So, I’m really excited for Joel, because this is his feature film directorial debut, and he did a great job.
How did you prepare to play Barbara?
I just thought it was really important to work on the relationship between her and Christopher Meloni’s character [Al], because there was so much history in there, and so much conflict. I think they loved each other, but there were circumstances that she didn’t know, whether it was worth sticking around for the “maybe” or the “what if,” since they might always be living that way. So, I think they really cared for each other, and they shared a son, and did the best they could. It’s just a kind of a nice reflection of life, not so different from many lives today. I think it’s a story that many people could recognize and relate to.
The film was written by Joel, but inspired by a true story. Did you meet any of the people it was based on?
No, I don’t think I met anyone connected to the story.
With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you’d like to star in?
I think a true classic should never be touched, but I think it would be fun to be in a remake of Casablanca, or even of West Side Story.
Who is your favorite clothes designer?
I have such a wide range. I’ve been wearing a lot of Martin Margiela lately. I’m sitting in my dressing room right now, so I’m looking at all my costumes. It’s funny, because we mix a lot so I might end up wearing some designers out of my character’s price range. But we do try to keep her clothes in a bracket of what would be affordable for someone in her type of job. It’s a wide range, but I do try to keep it realistic. Nowadays, you can great knockoffs of the higher-priced designers anyway.
Also, a lot of TV characters in New York live in upscale apartments with expensive furniture they shouldn’t be able to afford, judging by their jobs.
I know. I have a new apartment in my storyline, and looking at it, I asked, “Where did we get this furniture?” But it was actually affordable, even though it looks nicer than my own apartment (laughs). They were very conscious about that.
You said you’re in the dressing room. When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
Right now, I can’t see anything, because it’s covered with my lunch bag, which are meatballs. I have two places I get them from in this neighborhood. These are from The Meatball Shop.
What is your favorite dish to cook?
Swedish meatballs. My son loves them, and that’s what he gets.
What is your earliest childhood memory?
I can’t really say. I’m not one of those people who can’t remember stuff from back when I was three years old. I have friends who can, but I can’t. Sorry.
Thanks again for the time, Bridget, and best of luck with the film and the TV show.
Thank you so much, Kam.
Bridget Moynahan’s latest film, Small Time, is in theaters now.
