Bridget Moynahan
The “small time” Interview
with Kam Williams

Bridget’s Blue Blood!

Kathryn Bridget Moynahan was born in Binghamton, New York on April 28, 1971, though raised in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. The statuesque beauty was signed by the Ford Modeling Agency which led to a successful career as a cover girl on Glamour, Vogue and other leading magazines.

After adding acting to her repertoire, Bridget made a memorable feature film debut as Rachel in "Coyote Ugly." Much more than just a pretty face, the versatile thespian followed that breakout role with a string of powerful performances which established her as one of Hollywood's favorite leading ladies.

She has appeared in blockbusters opposite many of Hollywood's finest leading men, including Nicolas Cage in "Lord of War," Will Smith in "I, Robot," Colin Farrell in "The Recruit," John Cusack in "Serendipity," Greg Kinnear in "Unknown," Tim Robbins in "Noise" and Ben Affleck in "The Sum Of All Fears."

Among her many television roles, Bridget portrayed Carrie's rival and Mr. Big's wife on "Sex and The City." Today, she is best known for playing prosecutor Erin Reagan-Boyle on the nighttime drama Blue Bloods opposite Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg.

Here, she talks about new film, “small time,” a coming-of-age drama co-starring Christopher Meloni, Devon Bostick and Dean Norris.

Kam Williams: Hi Bridget, thanks for the interview.

Bridget Moynahan: Great, Kam. How are you?

KW: Fine, thanks. I’m a big fan of “Blue Bloods.” Congratulations on the success of the series.

BM: Thanks. We’re all excited that it’s going into its fifth season. I, for one, have never worked on a show this long, so it’s kind of exciting.

KW: Despite the presence of so many stars in the cast, I’ve really come to almost believe you’re really one big family. Such great chemistry!

BM: Yeah, and I think that happened for all of us on day one. We were kind of introduced to each other right before a family dinner, and we had to jump right into it, and it all seemed to fall into place. It’s also unique to shoot the show right in the city [New York], since we all live here. It’s so different from being away on location when you’re away from your family and away from home. In that situation, the cast tends to spend more time with each other. Here, we all go home to our families after work every day, but when we come back, it’s almost like it’s an extension of our family life. 

KW: Environmental activist Grace Sinden asks: Did you got to court or have a lawyer as an acting coach in preparation to play a prosecutor?

BM: We do have a couple people we rely on to ensure that it’s as credible as possible. We’ve had two on set over the years that I’m able to consult speak to about how a situation might be handled, because we do want to make the show as honest and as accurate as possible. We do our best and I work with them often. For me, a lot of it is learning the language of lawyers, because they have many words I would not use in my everyday life.   

KW: Well, I’m an attorney, and I’ve always found this show not only more credible but more enjoyable than any of the other nighttime legal dramas.

BM: That’s a good sign. Thank you!

KW: Lisa Loving says: In so many of our local communities, the police are mistrusted and even despised. Yet we LOVE watching TV detectives! Do you ever think about that disconnect?

BM: I do, because I think that many forget that police officers are people with real lives. They struggle with the same things that you and I do. They might be behind on their mortgage. They might have a family member who’s sick. So, they’re dealing with all that stuff, while also putting their lives on the line everyday. For us! Many of us don’t pay attention to them until we get a ticket for speeding, running a light, or letting a parking meter run over. It makes you angry, but they’re just doing their job. I think people love watching our show because you get to see the human side of their lives, their personal struggles, and also how the job and certain cases might affect them. It encourages you to think about what they see on a daily basis and how that might affect them. I’m sure that something most people don’t ordinarily think about when interacting with a police officer.  

KW: I had fun watching “small time.” Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier would like to know what interested you in the film?

BM: I really like to try to do something on my hiatus, and it was really nice to find a script that was so well-written. The characters just popped of the pages, and Joel [director Joel Surnow] did a really fine job of casting those roles. I had been late in getting on the Breaking Bad bandwagon, so I was unaware of Dean Norris’ role in that until literally six months ago. I’m kinda bummed that I didn’t know more about him at the time of the filming, because I’m now such a huge fan of the show. As far as ‘small time,” I was thrilled to be able to do that project. I recently saw it and was pleasantly surprised at how well it came together. So, I’m really excited for Joel, because this is his feature film directorial debut, and he did a great job.

KW: How did you prepare to play Barbara?

BM: I just thought it was really important to work on the relationship between her and Christopher Meloni’s character [Al], because there was so much history in there, and so much conflict. I think they loved each other, but there were circumstances that she didn’t know whether it was worth sticking around for the “maybe” or the “what if,” since they might always be living that way. So, I think they really cared for each other, and they shared a son, and did the best they could. It’s just a kind of a nice reflection of life, not so different from many lives today. I think it’s a story that many people could recognize and relate to.  

KW: The film was written by Joel, but inspired by a true story. Did you meet any of the people it was based on?

BM: No, I don’t think I met anyone connected to the story.

KW: The Harriet Pakula-Teweles question: With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you'd like to star in?

BM: I think a true classic should never be touched, but I think it would be fun to be in a remake of Casablanca, or even of West Side Story.

KW: The Uduak Oduok question: Who is your favorite clothes designer?

BM: I have such a wide range. I’ve been wearing a lot of Martin Margiela lately. I’m sitting in my dressing room right now, so I’m looking at all my costumes. It’s funny, because we mix a lot so I might end up wearing some designers out of my character’s price range. But we do try to keep her clothes in a bracket of what would be affordable for someone in her type of job. It’s a wide range, but I do try to keep it realistic. Nowadays, you can great knockoffs of the higher-priced designers anyway.  

KW: also, a lot of TV characters in New York live in upscale apartments with expensive furniture they shouldn’t be able to afford, judging by their jobs.  

BM: I know. I have a new apartment in my storyline, and looking at it, I asked, “Where did we get this furniture?” But it was actually affordable, even though it looks nicer than my own apartment. [LOL] They were very conscious about that.

KW: You said you’re in the dressing room. When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

BM: Right now, I can’t see anything, because it’s covered with my lunch bag, which are meatballs. I have two places I get them from in this neighborhood. These are from The Meatball Shop. 

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?

BM: Swedish meatballs. My son loves them, and that’s what he gets.

KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?

BM: I can’t really say. I’m not one of those people who can’t remember stuff from back when I was 3 years-old. I have friends who can, but I can’t. Sorry.

KW: Thanks again for the time, Bridget, and best of luck with the film and the TV show.

BM: Thank you so much, Kam.

To see a trailer for “small time,” visit

The Railway Man
Film Review by Kam Williams

Eric Lomax (Colin Firth) served as a signals officer in the British Army during World War II. His unit was dispatched to the Pacific theater where it was captured by the Japanese when Singapore fell in 1942.

They soon joined the 60,000+ POWs subsequently forced to build the Burma Railway stretching from Bangkok to Rangoon. The Allies came to call the 258-mile construction the Death Railway, because so many soldiers perished along the way, including 6,318 of Lomax’s fellow Brits pressed into slave labor by their barbaric captors.

Their grueling ordeal has been brought to the big screen before, most notably in The Bridge on the River Kwai, the Academy Award-winning classic starring Sir Alec Guinness which swept the Oscars in 1958. That fictional adventure revolved around the daring exploits of some heroic saboteurs in the face of overwhelming odds.

By contrast, The Railway Man is a relatively-introspective affair. This poignant character study is based on Lomax’s moving memoir of the same name. And although he survived the war, he remained mentally scarred long after his physical wounds healed.

For, he had been subjected to unspeakable torture ranging from brutal beatings to waterboarding, especially at the direction of one particularly-sadistic interrogator, Nagase Takeshi (Tanroh Ishida). Eric had aroused the suspicion of the Japanese when he was caught with detailed drawings of sections of the railroad on which he was working.

Truth be told, he’d always been fascinated by trains while growing up in Edinburgh and had sketched such maps throughout childhood. But since the frustrated Nagase still suspected otherwise, the punishment only escalated.

Upon the cessation of hostilities, Lomax returned home a broken man unable to readjust to civilian life. Sure, he could commiserate with former platoon mates at the veterans club, yet the memories of Burma nevertheless continued to haunt him.

Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky (Better than Sex), The Railway Man is a heartrending, flashback flick set both during World War II and in 1980 which is when Lomax’s loyal wife, Patti (Nicole Kidman), urges him to track down Nagase. Her hope is that a meeting might help her traumatized husband exorcise his demons and thereby recover from his severe psychological afflictions.

Eric’s ensuing sojourn back to the Orient inexorably leads to a confrontation with the tormentor whose face he’s never been able to erase from his mind over the intervening decades. But the question is whether he’ll be able to resist the desire for revenge in favor of reconciliation.

A remarkable illustration of the human capacity to find peace through forgiveness.

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for disturbing violence

Running time: 116 minutes

Distributor: The Weinstein Company

To see a trailer for The Railway Man, visit

The Retrieval
Film Review by Kam Williams

It is 1864, and the bloody conflict between the Union and the Confederacy is raging. Against the ominous backdrop of battle and cannon fire in the distance, we are introduced to Will (Ashton Sanders), a 13 year-old orphan ostensibly wrapped up in his own struggle to survive near the front lines.

Separated at birth from the mother he’s never known, the vulnerable black boy is trying to save enough money to track down his long-lost dad. He works as the assistant to Burrell (Bill Oberst, Jr.), a bounty hunter in the fugitive slave business. Will does the white Southerner’s bidding by first ingratiating himself with unsuspecting escapees, and then betraying them once they confess to being runaways.

Today, we find him on a mission in search of an ex-slave named Nate (Tishuan Scott). Will gains his confidence by offering to escort him back below the Mason-Dixon Line for a deathbed visit with a dying brother.

That establishes the absorbing premise of The Retrieval, a riveting road saga with escalating tension. Will Nate catch on before he’s turned over to Burrell? Or might the kid have second thoughts about striking a bargain with the devil?

Written and directed by Chris Eska, The Retrieval made a splash on the festival circuit including at South by Southwest last year where Tishuan Scott won the Special jury Prize in the Breakthrough Performance category. Besides being blessed with great acting, this atmospheric mood piece features eerie cinematography that manages to transport you back to the Civil War era more convincingly than either 12 Years a Slave or Django Unchained.

Slavery revisited as a sick institution making for strange bedfellows.

Excellent (4 stars)

Rated R for violence and ethnic slurs.

Running time: 94 minutes

Distributor: Variance Films

To see a trailer for The Retrieval, visit

Tishuan Scott
“The Retrieval” Interview
with Kam Williams

Great Scott!

Tishuan Scott was born on October 27, 1979 in Shreveport, Louisiana. He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia as an Oprah Scholar, where he matriculated towards earning his Bachelor of Arts in Drama and Psychology in 2002. He then attended the University of California at Los Angeles’ School of Theater, Film & Television as a Lloyd Bridges MGM/Outer Limits Fellow, where he received his Master of Fine Arts in Acting in 2006.

Tishuan was recently seen as “Kenieloe,” a Ghanian guru, in Andrew Bujalski's 2013 Alfred P. Sloan Sundance Award-winning film ”Computer Chess” and as “Moses Washington” in the Lifetime Network TV movie “Deliverance Creek.” Here, he talks playing “Nate,” a freedman gravedigger for the Federal Union Army, in “The Retrieval.” He landed the South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) 2013 Special Jury Prize for Acting ­ Breakthrough Performance in that Civil War Era adventure.

Kam Williams: Hi Tishuan, thanks for the interview.

Tishuan Scott: It’s my pleasure. Thank You, Kam, for the interview.

KW: Congratulations on winning the Breakthrough Performance at the South by Southwest Festival.

TS: Thank You! I love SXSW! I love Austin!

KW: What interested you in The Retrieval?

TS: The story, writing, characters, and relationships. It’s history.

KW: It explores the themes of trust and betrayal during slavery, just as 12 Years a Slave. How would you compare the two pictures?

TS: The films’ singular comparison is that Solomon Northup is a free man who is enslaved for profit through the brutal trade and oppression of the system of slavery, and my character, Nate, a freedman, is sought after to make a profit, a bounty, by the patty-rollers who seek to re-enslave him. Both films share an insight to the great capitalization of the African-American male life, to be debased as worthless, yet so extraordinarily invaluable. There are also grander contrasts between the two films, however: 12 Years: 1841; The Retrieval: 1864. 12 Years: Pre-Emancipation Proclamation; The Retrieval: Post-Emancipation Proclamation. 12 Years: Brutality; The Retrieval: Humanity.

KW: 2013 was a banner year film for black film: 12 Years a Slave, 42, Fruitvale Station, The Butler, etcetera. What effect do you think that will have on Hollywood in terms of opportunities for African­Americans in front of and behind the camera?

TS: I believe it transcends Hollywood. It’s bigger than that! Our film has played in Toronto-Ontario, Calgary, Montreal-Quebec, Brazil, Australia, France-Deauville, Serbia, Greece, Germany, London, Istanbul-Turkey, Belgium-Ghent, Egypt-Luxor, and all over the U.S. in a myriad of film festivals, clearly displaying that there is an international and national interest and demand to see dark chocolate-skinned folks on the silver screen to observe and immerse an audience in the forgotten histories of who we are as a people and what we were as a nation. This canon of films will inspire many indie filmmakers and, hopefully, Hollywood to realize that our wealth is in our history, that we have so very many stories yet to be told. All five films have African-American male leads. You left out Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom – that makes six! That is exemplary and thrilling, but there are also stories with African-American women that must be told. We need African-American female lead actresses in films, in tandem with African-American male leading actors.

KW: How do you pick a role?

TS: I don’t believe I pick them. I think the universe sends me what’s for me. What attracts me specifically to roles is the heart of the character. How does the story move me? What is the character’s journey or driving force? Where is the character headed? Why is the character headed there? There absolutely and unequivocally has to be depth.

KW: You got both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in theater before starting your career. Do you recommend that route to aspiring actors?

TS: Yes. I met Samuel Jackson at our 2001 Morehouse College Gala: Candle in the Dark. I tell people what he told me. “Take your time. Get your education.”

KW: Are you also interested in writing and directing?

TS: Yes.

KW: The Harriet Pakula­Teweles question: With so many classic films being redone, is there a remake you'd like to star in?

TS: I don’t care for remakes. There’s soooo much undiscovered material out there; old and new. I want to be original. August Wilson’s “Fences,” Gloria Naylor’s “The Men of Brewster Place,” Richard Wright’s “The Outsider,” “Black Theater USA – Plays from 1847-1938” has a myriad of material yearning to be on the stage and screen! Those are classics to me.

KW: Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone would?

TS: Would you like a free home renovation and free lawn landscaping?

KW: Would you mind saying something controversial that would get this interview tweeted?

TS: Legalize marijuana President Obama! Think of how many African-American males who would have to be freed from prison and how many it will save from ever being incarcerated!

KW: Have you ever had a near­death experience?

TS: Yes. I’m thankful for 9 Lives!

KW: Have you ever accidentally uncovered a deep secret?

TS: Yes. The United States of America: 1863­1963.

KW: The Teri Emerson question: When was the last time you had a good laugh?

TS: Today. It’s the kind of laugh where you throw your head back and laugh to the sky.

KW: What is your guiltiest pleasure?

TS: Jolly Ranchers, watermelon and apple-flavored.

KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?

TS: Essays actually. W.E.B. DuBois’ “Criteria for Negro Art,” “The Guiding Hundredth,” “On the Wings of Atlanta,” and “On Our Spiritual Strivings.” Nietzsche’s “On the Pale Criminal” and “On the Three Metamorphoses.” Solomon Northup’s 12 YEARS A SLAVE was the last novel that I read. But it was in August before I reread the aforementioned essays.

KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?

TS: Italian.

KW: The Sanaa Lathan question: What excites you?

TS: A hummingbird. Monarch butterflies. Seeing my garden growing. Good food and family dinners.

KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

TS: My reflection. And I love it!

KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?

TS: I wish for recycling to become a major industrial agriculture.

KW: The Jamie Foxx question: If you only had 24 hours to live, how would you spend the time?

TS: Surrounded by my family and the best of my friends on a tropical island with exotic palms, our skins glistening in the sun, feet promenading through the hot sand, eating mangos and strawberries and dark chocolate and sushi, drinking mango and rum, listening to music inspired by drums, and dancing and laughing.

KW: The Kerry Washington question: If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

TS: A peacock!

KW: The Ling­Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?

TS: Playing with my Superman and performing sermons for my mother, granny and auntie with my Little Golden Book, a small glass of orange juice and a napkin to wipe the sweat from my unwrinkled brow. My most memorable lines they say were, “Just like Jeremiah said, ‘It was like fire, shot up in his bones’!” and “Lawd, thank you for the washing powder!”

KW: The Melissa Harris­Perry question: How did your first big heartbreak impact who you are as a person?

TS: I discovered that the heart is a breakable thing, but also discovered my capacity to love another person.

KW: The Anthony Anderson question: If you could have a superpower, which one would you choose?

TS: Flying.

KW: The Judyth Piazza question: What key quality do you believe all successful people share?

TS: A passion for what they do, an undying zeal and fervor to never give up and accept and embrace failures as the building blocks to the pyramids of success.

KW: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps? TS: Join SAG-AFTRA! And keep your head to the sky, for it is the stars, the ancient and everlasting stars that will guide you.

KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?

TS: Zarathustra, Ubermensch and Herald of the Lightning!

KW: Thanks again for the time, Tishuan, and best of luck with The Retrieval.

TS: I think I heard someone before say, “Luck is for the godless.” Wish me Godspeed! Amen Ra.

KW: Godspeed it is then, bro!

TS: Thanks, Kam.

To see a trailer for The Retrieval, visit

Thomas Keating: A Rising Tide of Silence
Film Review by Kam Williams

Father Thomas Keating is a very influential theologian despite the fact that his is not as much of a household name as some of his contemporaries like the Dalai Lama and Deepak Chopra. That’s because the 91 year-old cleric got a late start after having spent the bulk of his life under the radar as a Trappist Monk withdrawn from the world and operating under a vow of silence.

How exactly did he land on that Spartan path? Well, as a sickly 5 year-old, Thomas had promised God to enter the priesthood if he were allowed to survive a life-threatening childhood disease. So, upon completing his studies at Yale University, he kept his word by joining an ascetic order located in rural Rhode Island.

However, he would resign in 1981 and start talking again in order to be able to share his unique brand of Eastern-influenced Catholicism with the masses. He subsequently moved to an abbey in Colorado where he founded the Contemplative Outreach program.

Over the intervening years he also wrote 30+ books about his meditative approach to spirituality. His Earth-friendly philosophy basically suggests that “The more we know about nature, the more we know about God.” In that regard, it reminded this critic of a passage from Shakespeare’s As You Like It which reads “And this our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.”

Co-directed by Peter Jones and Elena Mannes, Thomas Keating: A Rising Tide of Silence is an endearing biopic whose only flaw is a slight tendency at times towards hero worship. For, although the endearing documentary’s humble subject obviously has little interest in such glorification, the filmmakers can’t help but gush, cinematically, in the process of placing him atop a virtual pedestal he probably wants no part of.

The picture is at its best during relatively-introspective interviews conducted with Thomas which intermittently arrive between glowing accolades from colleagues and distracting reminders that, as an Ivy League grad, he could’ve written his own ticket had he gone the conventional materialistic route.

But it was apparently hard for the directors to leave well enough alone and just let Thomas speak for himself. A poignant portrait of a transcendent figure for the ages with a simple message that ”Forgiveness is at the very center of Christianity.”

Excellent (3.5 stars)

Unrated

Running time: 75 minutes

Distributor: Temple Rock

To see a trailer for Thomas Keating, visit