Living the Blue Bloods Life: A Conversation with Bridget Moynahan

Bridget Moynahan calls me during a break in the action from the set of CBS's long-running drama series Blue Bloods, on which she's played assistant district attorney Erin Reagan since the show first premiered, in September 2010.

She's just finished filming one of the fan-favorite Reagan family dinner scenes with onscreen dad Tom Selleck, onscreen brothers Donnie Wahlberg and Will Estes, and at least five or six additional Reagans—but the only "fun" part was just being with one another. Due to the large cast, they require endless hours of attempting to eat Thanksgiving-like meals without feeling sick as they shoot from every possible angle.

A Taste of Set Life: Chili for Four Hours

On the menu today? "Chili," Moynahan says.

"Chili for four hours." But chili with a choice, as Moynahan had the option to go vegan or regular. "I went with the vegan," she says, before adding, "I wouldn't say I would reorder it."

But don't for a second think that Moynahan, 50, isn't grateful to be there eating a meat alternative for hours on end. With Blue Bloods's 12th season premiering in October, she is in rarefied company alongside Ellen Pompeo on Grey's Anatomy and Mariska Hargitay on Law & Order: SVU as one of only a few women actors to have stayed on a drama series in a leading role for more than a decade.

Stability in the Big Apple: Finding Home in New York

"We know how lucky we are to be on this show," she tells me of the job security that Blue Bloods has provided. "It doesn't come around that often." But it's more than that: After years of modeling (including for Glamour) and traveling the world, New York is home. "My family is here," she says. "I saw a few people—friends of mine—who had gone to L.A. and were just kind of chasing the next job for a while. I didn't want to get lost in L.A. I had New York, and I knew New York.

I had that comfort."

From Coyote Ugly to Blue Bloods: A Journey in Hollywood

Moynahan—whose full name is Kathryn Bridget Moynahan—became a household name almost overnight. Hollywood took notice of her striking looks and talent, casting her in several high-profile films opposite actors John Cusack, Ben Affleck, Al Pacino, Will Smith, and more. In those days, men were the marquee headliners for blockbuster films, with usually only one woman cast in the supporting role. It's changing, but it's been slow.

A Career on and off the Screen: Books and Beyond

Interest in the law aside, Moynahan has worked on two books during her time on the series. First there was the 2015 Blue Bloods Cookbook, and then in 2019, Our Shoes, Our Selves: 40 Women, 40 Stories, 40 Pairs of Shoes, a collection of stories from prominent women. "That was such a rewarding experience to put it together and help produce," she says. "I got to work a different part of my brain."

As for what's next: Whenever Blue Bloods does conclude, Moynahan isn't exactly sure.

What she does know is that something great will come. In the meantime, she can't wait for Sex and the City fans to see her reprise her role as Natasha in the revival, And Just Like That…, coming to HBO Max later this year, as well as what's in store for Erin this season on Blue Bloods.