|
Kyra Sedgwick On Life As A Working Mom
"The Closer" star talks about being a bi-coastal wife and mother.
by Gerri Miller
“The Closer” has been a cable TV ratings hit since its debut in 2005, and its success has a lot to do with its star, Kyra Sedgwick. It’s no surprise that Sedgwick has earned two Emmy and three Golden Globe nominations for her portrayal of deputy police chief Brenda Johnson, as she’s made the quirky character a fascinating figure.
We all know women like Brenda, maybe a little too well: she’s capable, even brilliant at work, but can’t quite get it together personally. She’s a slightly frumpy, somewhat ditzy, sweets-addicted southerner who ruffled feathers when she arrived in Los Angeles from Atlanta to work for her ex-boss—and ex-lover (J.K. Simmons), but earned reluctant respect from the boys’ club because she can solve tough cases like nobody else, earning her the moniker “The Closer.” Off the clock, she doesn’t have it all figured out, though as Season Four begins, things are looking up—she’s finally engaged to her FBI agent boyfriend Fritz (Jon Tenney).
“The deeper I get into the character, the more nuances I find,” says Sedgwick, enthusiastic about playing Brenda for another 15 episodes. “It’s always fresh because it’s always new.” As the season begins, she and Fritz—with the emphasis on Fritz—are planning a wedding, and dealing with where they’ll live, but it won’t all be smooth sailing. Episode Three brings their biggest fight to date. “It’s about her choices around work. There’s a lot of issues there,” Sedgwick points out. “They love each other a lot, but there are a lot of issues.”
Brenda, who is divorced, hesitated to commit to Fritz in the past but accepted his proposal during a medical crisis when she learned she did not have cancer and will be able to have children if she has a procedure to correct an ovarian problem that brought on early menopause. “I think she loves his awareness of who he is, because she’s so unaware of who she is,” Sedgwick analyzes. “That is something that she just wishes she had, but she knows she never can have so she finds it in someone else.”
Sedgwick embraces the character’s contradictions. “The amazing thing about Brenda is she’s so incredibly intuitive about everybody else and hasn’t a clue about herself. Fritz is always telling her to be more aware, be more conscious. She isn’t really interested in having a clue, but she likes that fact that he is. And she thinks he’s hot!”
 (No Ratings Yet) Loading ... |
Email to a Friend
Share on Facebook
Digg It
Delicious
Newsvine
Stumble
Reddit
1 R. Sieberg // Jul 11, 2008 at 9:02 am
I am almost 65 years old which only indicates that my parents were or tried to be like the Cleaver couple of “Leave It To Beaver.” My parents were children of the depression and the warriors of WWII. This is OK I guess except that when my dad’s profession in construction went slack in the winter (even here in sunny 24/7 southern California) he expected my mother to stay at home minding the four of us and keeping house. The fact is that my mother had other very good skills in typing, bookkeeping, and shorthand which she could have put to use that she learned in high school. There was no reason that my mother could not have gone back to work, at least part time, to help with the family finances. So we all suffered. Understand that my siblings and I already helped heavily with the major chores on the weekends, my sister and I knew how to help with the cooking. We all did morning chores and after dinner cleanup and homework as a matter of course. My mother was a great organizer so her going back to work would not have been a big deal around our family life. It was just that my dad’s pride was involved and a notion at that time that women “belonged” at home. Stupid concept considering how hard the women of America worked outside the home during WWII. So when I married 45 years ago, I worked until our family started coming. We then made the joint decision that I would be a full time mom and we adjusted our budget to fall within the perameters of our one income. We just lived more frugally and watched our pennies. When the our children began to graduate from high school I went back to college and earned my degree. I taught for a while and am now a happy gardener, grandmother, and homemaker for two. The point is, if people really put some thought into both members of the marriage working most things will work out. Amongst our friends, almost all had good family lives and successful professions. The kind of life that Kevin and Kyra have takes daily “tending to” not unlike a happy garden. They have worked very hard to do the right thing for their family and for their professions. The “good life” doesn’t just fall from the sky like rain. We each have to work hard at the life we want for our kids and for ourselves…the joys come like unexpected floral deliveries.
Just my thoughts…
2 R. Sieberg // Jul 10, 2008 at 7:44 am
I love Bones second best too. I watch the earlier episodes on TNT and the newer ones on Fox. The plots, characters, and the show in general gets better as it ages. It reminds me of that saying that goes “…a work in progress.” I dearly love Kevin’s work too. It is a testimony to the inner strength of both Kyra and Kevin that they have such a good, stable, and loving family life outside Hollywood.
Very, very, special people here!
3 Mary-Frances Bache // Jul 9, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Absolutely agree that it is one of the two best–Bones being the other.
But, Kevin and Yyra are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year–not their 10th. Their older son is in his second year of college.
4 R. Sieberg // Jul 9, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I have been a Closer fan since the first episode. I believe that Brenda Leigh Johnson comes close to being a “savant” when it comes to working crime cases. She needs Fritz, parents, and her crew to stay balanced as a human being. All of us out here love loving her. Does she drive us crazy sometimes - yes! But loving her is the thing. Kyra Sedgwick is an excellent actor of the highest caliber. Those of us who are loyal fans (check TNT’s Support forum) love each and every member of The Closer cast. Watching season 4 with marriage, new home, and meeting her and his families in the mix, plus solving some delicious crimes is going to be the biggest hoot yet.
This is the best program on television today!