Maura Tierney Reveals the Law & Order Prop That Makes Playing Brady So Fun (EXCLUSIVE)
Ever since her Season 24 debut on Law & Order, Maura Tierney has stolen the show as Lieutenant Jessica Brady, the steadfast commanding officer of the 27th Precinct.
Whether it’s a political assassination or a gruesome string of murders, Lt. Brady approaches each case with expert finesse, spotting the smallest of clues and exhibiting preternatural investigative instinct with each mind-boggling case that lands on her desk. But what’s Tierney’s favorite part of the police beat, you ask? Brady’s shiny NYPD police badge, which grants her access to every corner of the Big Apple.
Tierney chatted with NBC Insider about some of her favorite perks of playing Brady on Law & Order, and she couldn’t help but boast about the power of the badge.
“I like it when I throw my badge around,” Tierney said with a laugh. “It’s fun … They wrote a line for [Brady’s debut season], that’s something like, ‘I’ve got something that lets me in every door of everything in the entire city,’ and I show my badge. It’s really fun, the cop stuff is fun.”
Maura Tierney and Reid Scott have been having a blast on Law & Order Season 25
Following the exit of Mehcad Brooks’ Detective Jalen Shaw, Brady has been teaming up with Detective Vincent Riley (Reid Scott) on cases, heading out into the field with her investigator to ensure justice is still served despite the 2-7 being shorthanded. Scott tells NBC Insider that a highlight from Season 25 of Law & Order has been the dynamic between Brady and Scott, as well as the hysterical moments he shares with Tierney behind the scenes of the NBC nail-biter.
“We have a lot of fun, and we crack each other up,” Scott told NBC Insider.
While Brady loves flaunting the Lieutenant’s badge any chance she gets, Scott revealed that shooting the crime scene sequences is one of his favorite parts of playing Detective Riley.
“I still love our actual crime scene,” Scott said, dishing the behind-the-scenes scoop about how Law & Order brings those gripping murder scenes to life.
“Usually we shoot those at night, which tend to be on a Friday, generally, ’cause we’re sort of shooting later and later as the week goes by,” Scott explained. “There’s a certain energy. And especially this time of year, in the city, when the weather’s great and you could be outside in the elements. You’re so happy to be shooting in New York in the fall … I get a huge charge out of those.”
New York City has remained an unspoken character within the Law & Order franchise for 35 years, and the cast members relish getting to film on location in such a an iconic landscape. Brady has been in the field more than ever this season, and as the Lieutenant and Detective continue to team up on cases, Tierney reveals that Season 25 feels like a bit of a formulaic remix.
“[Season 25] is different in a couple of ways,” Tierney told NBC Insider. “One, Brady’s out in the field a lot more in the beginning of the season. So we work sort of more as partners at the beginning of the season, as opposed to the structure that had been in place before. Which has been really fun and I think interesting and I think will be entertaining to watch. And I think both of our character’s personal lives will be examined a little bit more.”