Jordan Bridges – Rizzoli and Isles

By: Kelly Kearney

Q) The show has been a ratings giant, we’re you surprised by the cancelation?

A) I wasn’t exactly surprised because it has been a wonderful run, but it seems like the network is starting to go a different direction with some of the new shows coming in. There’s also a new administration over at TNT and we were a product of the people who came before. I feel like the show had a really great run and sometimes it’s better to go out on top than to try and keep extending it beyond its natural life.

Q) What’s next for you after “Rizzoli and Isles” wraps?

A) There’s nothing in the tank right now, but I have a few irons on the fire. There is nothing I can really talk about because you know I don’t want to ruin it before its fully realized. I’m going to be moving to New York, which I’m really excited about. I sort of started my career there and so I’m looking forward to getting back into some more theater, that’s always been a big part of what I love to do. I’m also developing a number of projects that I’m going to be creating and writing and I’m hoping will be made.

Q) Last week we saw some sparks between Frankie and Nina. Now that they seem to be starting a relationship has Frankie gotten over his crush on Maura?

A) [laughs] Yeah, well, Frankie’s crush on Maura (Sasha Alexander) got squashed kind of quickly when it was clear it wasn’t reciprocated. You know, Frankie’s a practical guy. When something is clearly not going to go his way, has going to move on. He has a lot of genuine affection for Maura, but he’s moved on from his infatuation.

Q) If Maura and Frankie were to ever work out do you think Jane would be an obstacle in that relationship?

A) Interesting…I think if there had been something genuine there and it was real and it was clear that neither of them was going to hurt the other one, I think Jane would’ve been ok with it. But that’s not something we’ll ever find out. That’s definitely not in the cards.

Q) One of the best things about “Rizzoli and Isles” is the Rizzoli clan and how tight they are, but we haven’t seen their brother Tommy or their father Frank in a long time. Will we see either of them before the finale?

A) I think I can tease that we will see Tommy (Colin Egglesfield) come out of the woodwork. We’re going to learn where has been. That’s coming up. We haven’t actually shot that yet, but I think I can tease that. We’re going to see T.J., too

Q) What’s been your favorite part of the last six plus years playing Frankie?

A) One of the great gifts of my job is that I get to learn something new every time. I get to throw myself into a life I wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to do in the normal course of events. On this job learning a resect for law enforcement has been huge for me, personally. I have a real newfound respect for the tough job that they do. I just have a huge amount of respect for what they do so that’s been a great gift and really fun and exciting to see what that work is like. Then, another thing on a personal level, the people who I have the opportunity to work with are just some of the best in the business. They’re just all incredibly talented. The cast, which goes without saying, are all amazing. All through the crew and the writers and everyone on board, they just bring a great wealth of experience and creativity to the work they do. They also really care about it, so that’s been a wonderful thing to be involved and be a part of that.

Q) When the show started under Janet Tamaro, it really focused on the friendship between Jane and Maura, but that changed when Jan Nash took over. Her focus has been more of an ensemble crime procedural. The fans are still tuning in and are as fervent as ever, but will we perhaps see a little of both this final season? The crime procedural as well as the family time and the strong female friendship?

A) I think that Jan has worked really hard to ride that line between offering really engaging cases that the team is working on. She brought a lot of that sensibility, excitement and fun for the investigations. She’s also done a good job with maintaining the identity of the show while going deeper into some of the other characters lives. We got to see Korsak’s (Bruce McGill) life, with him getting married and buying this bar and you kind of get a sense of where he’s going to go next. Then, with Frankie, he’s been developing this relationship with Nina (Idara Victor) and he’s starting to come into his own as a man. We’ll also see a lot more from Angela, Lorraine’s [Bracco] character, and see that she has a life away from her kids; that she’s a whole person and that she’s a rounded woman. So, I feel like it’s been expanded, but not only in the cases and procedural work. I think she’s expanded it into the lives of all the characters. So, the short answer is you’ll definitely see Jane (Angie Harmon) and Maura interacting. There’s some good storylines between the two of them, but I think that Jan has kind of continued on the same projection where she really loves the interesting and intriguing investigations and she’s also given all the characters an opportunity to shine – a peak into their lives away from the crime work.

Q) What’s the one thing you’d love to take from the set when the show wraps?

A) There’s so many things! I wish I could take the Dirty Robber and set that up in my kitchen because I really love that bar. There’s an old upright piano in the bar where in between takes or when we’re setting up I like to sit down and play a few bars. I’d love to have that piano. I hope that I take away friendships. That’s what I hope. I hope that I can maintain contact with all these wonderful people that I’ve had the fortune of working with because they’re all really wonderful people.

Q) Were you surprised by the popularity of the show and its massive ratings?

A) I knew when I read the pilot. I’ve been in the business a little over a decade and I’ve had my share of pilots that didn’t make it. A lot of times it might be because they are a little too high concept or just didn’t quite hit the zeitgeist or whatever. With this show, when I read it, the characters were so clear and the story really kind of grabbed you. I had a guess that it would have legs, that it would go for a while. It felt like a show that could run. I was surprised with how well the public received it. I think none of us were expecting that reception and the fact the fans stayed with us and how much they love the show have been great. I think we all knew there was great potential, definitely. I just think we’re all happily surprised with how well it was received.

Q) It’s a feat to get to seven seasons on a television show, but seven seasons with such high ratings is very rare. What’s the secret to the show’s success?

A) I think the show really lives in the characters. I think the particular kind of chemistry that exists between Sasha and Angie really fuels a lot of it. I think that’s the beating heart of the show. The fact that both of those two characters and all the characters are kind of interesting and well-rounded people. I think it’s a mixture of having great characters and then really fun and intriguing cases that they’re working on. That’s kind of the secret mix. If you just have the cases, but you don’t have interesting people working on them then the fans wouldn’t come along and vice versa. If it’s all character, but you don’t have the fun plots to work through people wouldn’t have been as entertained. So, that kind of combination of those two elements is what makes it work.

Q) Any memorable moments of playing Frankie that stick out for you, that might put a smile on your face when you look back at seven seasons of the show and the work that you’ve done?

A) I remember my first day of work, which was like the first scene on the show when Frankie and Jane were playing basketball and he breaks Jane’s nose. He threw an elbow. It was a wonderful way to start because I had never met Angie [Harmon] and she didn’t have experience playing basketball. I’m a huge basketball fan and it was a great way to get to know each other. We instantly connected. For her, it was really exciting because she never had a brother so it’s been my wonderful joy to be her brother through these years. That memory really sticks. It was a great way to launch the relationship. It been a wonderful thing to develop because I think Jane is so strong and she’s also such a good cop. She’s rarely challenged so I’ve taken great joy in being able to kind of needle her once in a while and roll my eyes and that’s been fun to see that develop.