Growing up in San Jose, California, 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 () 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.”
‘Coyote Ugly’ (2000)
Early in this cult classic — her first big film — Moynahan shakes it on a bar top, then torches a trail of liquor at her feet! “Every actress in that age group from New York to L.A. was auditioning,” she says. “I’m very lucky I got that role.” To dispense drinks and get rowdy alongside and , she went to bartending school and trained in dance. “It was strenuous!”
‘The Sum of All Fears’ (2002)
“I love this photo. I was working with the best voice of God, right?” she says of starring alongside in the 2002 spy thriller. “Shawshank Redemption is one of those films that if it’s ever on TV, I will never change the channel. That is one of my favorite films ever made and I got to work with Morgan Freeman, which is one of those legendary moments. [He’s] another man that holds a little sweet space in my heart.”
‘The Recruit’ (2003)
Sharing the screen with “fun human” and “moviemaking legend” 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!
‘John Wick’ (2014-2024)
“He was incredibly nice, he is funny, he’s quiet, he is a gentleman. I have to say, I was only on set [for] one and a half days. And I’m in all of the movies! It’s that good gift that keeps on giving,” Moynahan says of playing the late wife of ’ titular assassin in the John Wick film franchise. “When I saw him at the premiere of the last film [2023’s John Wick: Chapter 4], he said, ‘Can you believe we’ve been doing this for 10 years?’ I’m like, ‘No!’ I could not believe we first shot the film 10 years ago. I would love to do something with [Keanu] that I actually have more time [working with him].”
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 and especially [costar] ,” 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)
This “joyous, carefree” Ashford, Connecticut summer getaway is “a beautiful experience for kids with rare diseases,” she says. “They get treatment but also forget they’re sick.” She’s loved her nearly two decades with the nonprofit, even taking her first ride on a zipline at camp: “The kids were cheering me on.”
Her Wedding (2015)
“I loved that dress! I wasn’t wearing high heels,” she tells Us of her nuptials with husband . “For most of my wedding I had Chuck Taylors on that I customized with a saying that my husband and I had on them because it was just so much better to dance in sneakers. It was at Wölffer Estate, a winery in the Hamptons, and it was just a good time.”
She continues: “My only focus was to make sure that the food and the music were really good. And I didn’t want any speeches. I didn’t want to stop the fun for speeches. I wish I invited more people, but we just kind of kept it nice and small. I have four boys now and my son was playing the DJ. And all the boys get along, all the cousins get along. Everybody was just dancing. It was just such a special night.”
Quality Time with Son Jack (2024)
“We’re always laughing,” she says of her son, 17. “What I love about this picture is that it captures how I feel.” Though Jack’s parents are both public figures (dad is Moynahan’s ex ), Moynahan notes, “We’ve done a really good job of making him a typical teenager in extraordinary circumstances.”
With reporting by Andrea Simpson
