Peregrym learns a lesson from Dick Wolf
LOS ANGELES — Missy Peregrym didn’t need any basic training before starting work on the new CBS series FBI, where she plays Maggie Bell, a special agent who commits deeply to the people she works with as well as those she protects. The Canadian’s most recent role was starring as a rookie police officer for six seasons in Rookie Blue.
“I kind of felt like I came into the series ready to go, but it would have been nice to be able to talk to a few more FBI agents and get a better idea of what they do. But, at the end of the day, when you are doing a show where there is a reality to the situation, it is up to the writers to put in what they want for the character and how much they will take from real life,” Peregrym says. “I just had to trust the fact I would be able to adapt.
“The police stuff definitely helped because I feel super comfortable with firearms and doing all of those things. The difference from Rookie Blue is that my character was on the street and she was running and tackling people all the time. That was fun but I’m 36 now. I don’t need to be doing that.”
After her long run as Andy McNally on Rookie Blue, Peregrym was not interested in doing another procedural. She was worried too much of McNally would pop up in a similar series, plus she was nervous about moving to New York. She turned down the role in FBI twice, but executive producer Dick Wolf wanted to cast Peregrym since she made a guest appearance on his Law & Order: SVU.
Wolf told Peregrym no one tells him no. The executive producer’s record remains perfect, as Peregrym agreed to be in the series. Saying yes didn’t mean Peregrym felt comfortable with the work and was convinced on several occasions she was going to be fired. The way she handled the stress was to remember shows such as FBI aren’t built around just one actor but the combined efforts of cast and crew to make the best product possible.
The only hurdle left was getting accustomed to living in New York. She was a nervous wreck while filming the pilot and only got through it by meditation and some crying.
“The city doesn’t sleep. They’re throwing crap out at 3 in the morning by the hotel. I’m like: ‘Go to bed. I need to go to bed. I don’t understand this place.’ But what I do love about New York City, again, is the people,” Peregrym says. “I actually find them very fascinating. You can look at anybody and have no idea what they do. It’s very interesting to me. I actually find them very kind.
“I like the fact that they’ll swear at us if we’re in their way. I love it. It’s grounded there. And, surprisingly, being there for three weeks, I’m really settled and excited to be there, which is a relief. I am more comfortable in New York than I ever was in L.A.”
Peregrym has worked on numerous projects before her latest job. Along with a role in the TV series Dark Angel, she’s worked on Van Helsing, Reaper, Heroes, Ten Days in the Valley, The Night Shift and Life as We Know it. Her feature film credits include Back Country and Cybergeddon.
Working on FBI has been a very different experience for Peregrym, because the show is filmed on the streets of New York. On one day of filming, she saw an extra dressed in a police uniform who was crying. When Peregrym asked the woman what was wrong, she said the scene being shot reminded her of the Sept. 11 attacks.
“It was just a really jarring moment for me when life really meets the entertaining part of what we’re doing. I feel like that’s why I’m also very excited to do this show. We have a responsibility to be very careful with how we’re portraying these things because all of the country knows about that,” Peregrym says. “We’re picking topics that anybody can turn on the TV and see some of the scariest things happen.”