Straight from Hollywood
Mom, model and Blue Bloods star Bridget Moynahan gives us a taste of her A-list life.
As Blue Bloods’ (2010-current) only adult female in the core Reagan family of New York crime-fighters, Bridget Moynahan certainly sticks out. And not just because the former model and mom-of-one boasts easy-on-the-eyes beauty, but also because her lawyer character Erin is often the moral compass on a show where the muddy waters of crime are in hot debate at those family get-togethers…
Which Blue Bloods episode has made an impact on you? The material gets better as the seasons go on. Recently I had a scene with Tom Selleck, who portrays my father and the police commissioner on the show, and Erin has to stand her ground and not give in to what the police commissioner is saying, but also her father. I find those scenes interesting as it’s playing against Tom, who’s a great actor, but also the challenge of standing up to your father. No matter how old you are, that’s as uncomfortable as it was when you were 16. What’s it like working with Tom and Donnie Wahlberg (Erin’s brother Danny)? Tom has always been like an uncle. He’s iconic in the industry. He’s supportive, generous with advice but never pushes it on you. He’s a strong leader. Donnie is the same way, but more in a playful way. He’s an incredible leader and a dear friend and someone I know always has my back. So are you anything like Erin? There are a lot of similarities. I grew up in an Irish-Catholic family, we’d always have family dinners, we were both single, working moms. Erin likes to follow rules and has a high bar of morals and a clear idea of right and wrong. I was raised that way and still follow it. It’s boring at times but that’s the way it is. You co-wrote the official Blue Bloods cookbook. How is your cooking? I think that I’m pretty good. I try to cook every night if I can, but some nights you can’t because it gets too late. I don’t hear a lot of complaints at the table. I’ve been cooking all my life – my mother had us in the kitchen at a very early age.
And do you have a favourite recipe? I made meatballs the other day and it’s so different with your own sauce rather than a store-bought sauce. You always know what you’re putting in your food, which you don’t if you go to a restaurant or buy it. Swedish meatballs is my favourite recipe from the book because it’s one of my mother’s and a favourite dish that we’ve eaten all our lives.
How do you juggle it all? Right now I’m sitting under a bridge at a soccer practice [she has an 8-year-old son with exboyfriend and NFL star Tom Brady], trying to learn my lines and talking to you [on the phone]. I feel like it’s a constant struggle trying to fit everything in, but I have an incredible support system. Nannies, family and friends who help me out. Prioritising! You recently married businessman Andrew Frankel. Are there pluses to being with someone outside of showbiz? In the industry, they understand the business and what you’re up against or doing. But it’s more pleasant to be with someone outside of the business. He’s incredibly supportive but it’s different. He’s not competing with what I do, although he’s very interested in what I do. How did you write a book, shoot a TV series and plan a wedding at the same time? Most of us can only do one well… [Laughs] I don’t know how I pulled that off!
Was it a surprise wedding? It was planned but a surprise to everyone else. You’ve been in big movies, like 2005 sci-fi I, Robot, as well as modelled for Vogue and Elle. Which was easier: modelling or acting? What frustrated me about modelling, even though it was an incredible career and I feel fortunate that I had that success and opportunity, there was a lack of input or creative participation. You have no voice in that career. I feel more fulfilled in acting and I’ve thankfully had success in this field as well.