Growing up in San Jose, California, Bridget Moynahan was not dreaming of a future as a cover girl and actress.
“I wanted to play sports,” Moynahan, 53, exclusively shares in the latest issue of Us Weekly. With two brothers and four male cousins, she was all about soccer, basketball, softball, swim team and more. “I think I went to one ballet class and didn’t like what I was seeing,” she says with a laugh.
Then, as a high school grad, she drove a friend to a modeling agency appointment — and got signed herself. “It was all quite accidental,” she shares, adding that it “absolutely opened doors for me.” Commercials were her gateway into acting and memorable projects from Sex and the City and Blue Bloods to the John Wick franchise: “The growth is there.”
After wrapping up nearly a decade and a half on CBS (the Blue Bloods series finale airs Friday, December 13, at 10 p.m. ET), “I’ve consciously taken some time to settle back into life — motherhood, wife-hood, friend,” she says. “The new year will be a fresh start of seeing what’s out there.”
But first, Moynahan looks back for Us:
‘Self’ (1992)
After high school, Moynahan skipped college for “a completely different education,” modeling for magazine covers (French Vogue, Glamour), in ad campaigns (Cover Girl, Ann Taylor) and on the runway (Gucci, Ralph Lauren). “I was living in Paris, London and Milan and met incredible people,” she recalls of that decade. Of this Self shoot, she quips, “It reminds me never to cut my hair short [again].”
‘Sex and the City’ (1999-2000)
To audition for Big’s (Chris Noth) wife, Natasha, she delivered one line — “It’s nice to meet you” — but teases, “I put a lot of work into that!” The character appeared in only seven episodes (“The idea of her is so much bigger than what the role was”) yet returned for And Just Like That: “It ignited a gem of joy in my heart.”
‘The Recruit’ (2003)
Sharing the screen with “fun human” Colin Farrell and “moviemaking legend” Al Pacino was “a special moment in my career,” says Moynahan of playing CIA trainee Layla Moore in the thriller. After an interrogation scene with Farrell, “Al Pacino tapped my knee [to say], ‘You did good.’ I was like, ‘Oh, my God! Al Pacino touched my knee!’ [Laughs] I have not washed my knee since.”
‘Blue Bloods’ (2010-2024)
For 14 years and nearly 300 episodes, this drama about a family of NYC cops was “more than a job. It [was] a massive part of all of our lives,” says Moynahan, a.k.a. senior ADA Erin Reagan. Speaking of massive: At one point, shooting every Friday’s multigenerational dinner scene took six hours!
Sitting in the Director’s Chair (2022-2024)
Moynahan directed three episodes of Blue Bloods in seasons 12, 13, and 14. “I had incredible support from Donnie [Wahlberg] and especially [costar] Steve Schirripa,” she says. “Steve was just pushing me and encouraging me to try directing. I was nervous only because sometimes I feel like I’m shy. I don’t necessarily need to be the one talking in the room. But I like being part of the conversation and I like collaborating with people.”
She adds: “That’s what I enjoyed the most — that you’re not just showing up and doing your scene, you’re actually participating with a whole group of people to make it all happen. I’m hoping that I can continue [directing] with some shows here in [New York City] and maybe find a small project that I can direct as a film.”
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp (2012)
