Bridget Moynahan on Finding Love in her 40s and Turning 50 With Confidence

Your phone must have been blowing up that day, because those pictures of you and Sarah Jessica Parker on set were all over.

Yeah. I couldn’t believe it. I’ve been doing Blue Bloods for 12 seasons now, and we just don’t get that kind of crowd. The Sex and the City fan base is huge, and they all show up to support that show. It’s amazing. I was overwhelmed that day. I was like, “Wow, this is what you guys are looking at every single day when you’re going to work on the streets of New York.” It’s really quite impressive.

Well, granted, I don’t know how many people would want to show up at a crime scene for Blue Bloods outside an abandoned warehouse, but so many of your scenes are indoors anyway. 

True. And to be fair, I mean the fashion that everyone’s wearing on Sex and the City and And Just Like That…, you just want to take it all in and try to re-create it. 

Did you give Natasha any sort of backstory when you got the role? She was so interesting, but there was a lot we didn’t—and still don’t—know about her. 

Because originally it was one line, I think at the time I really created a backstory for myself. Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, John F. Kennedy Jr.’s wife, was kind of my image of who Natasha was. I went in with that energy in my mind.

Wow. That’s such a great person to base her on. So, tell me, now that you’re going into the 12th season of Blue Bloods, how does playing Erin Reagan still fulfill you?

It all has to do with the writing and new, more complicated story lines. We also have a team of actors who really appreciate the job and each other. We know how lucky we are to be on this show—and such a long-running show at that. It doesn’t come around that often, so when you’re working with people who express gratitude, it just fuels the show. Everybody wants to show up and do their best work.

Where does that loyalty and work ethic come from?

I think it comes from family. It’s easy to think, Oh, I’ve done this, so let me go do that, where the grass is greener, but I think all of us understand what a good thing we have here. I know Donnie [Wahlberg] and Tom [Selleck] feel the same way. We are grateful. When I went to And Just Like That… and started filming, everybody was so grateful and gracious, from the writers, creators, and producers to every actress I worked with on that show. Sarah Jessica Parker is such a kind, welcoming human being. I was taken aback that they were so thankful that Natasha was back. Meanwhile, I was just like, thank you. Really, thank you. It was just nice to be around that energy.

On Sex and the City, Natasha was married to Big (Chris Noth), and on Blue Bloods, Peter Hermann (Younger) plays your ex-husband Jack. But what’s so interesting—and refreshing—is that on Blue Bloods, the writers have never tied Erin’s worth or storylines to her love life. Sometimes it’s explored, but mainly everything is about her work and family. 

The producers would bring some characters in every once in a while to play that romantic interest, and to me it always felt so forced. I didn’t see the need for it. But I don’t know if it was ever a specific conversation of, “Let’s just leave Erin single, as a single mother.” She was introduced on the show as a single, newly divorced, single parent. And I felt like there’s some strength and relatability in that for a lot of people.