Bridget Regan Explains Her Shocking Exit (Exclusive)

The clock is ticking for Monica (Bridget Regan), and he or she is aware of it within the Monday, April 27, episode of The Rookie.

The corrupt lawyer tries to play either side as she strikes items into place for her ticket out of Los Angeles and away from the Feds to someplace that isn’t witness safety in a land-locked state. But that’s simpler stated than carried out, with the individuals she’s crossing. TV Insider spoke with Bridget Regan about Monica’s decisions and that surprising ending. Warning: Spoilers for The Rookie Season 8 Episode 17 forward!

Monica turns to Malcolm (Sean Patrick Thomas), Liam Glasser’s (Seth Gabel) lawyer, who has confirmed to be soiled identical to she is, to assist her outsmart the FBI job drive. She does have the wheels in movement for an exit package deal by way of Aiden (Tim Griffin), however to make that occur, she has to promote out Cooper Johnson, who just isn’t somebody anybody desires to cross. It’s primarily signing her personal (ugly) dying certificates if something goes sideways, however she feels she has no alternative together with her immunity deal. The solely downside? Going after Cooper is one thing that can take the duty drive months, they usually’ll should prosecute the worldwide weapons seller for monetary crimes to make a case.

But when Aiden offers her 24 hours to make it occur, or he’ll inform Cooper she bought him out to the FBI. Then, she realizes that the Feds have discovered the information she had been holding as leverage and are deleting them. Monica realizes she has to run earlier than she’s arrested. After swatting Cooper, she calls Aiden for her exit package deal, and he tells her a non-public aircraft can be at LAX that night.

Before she goes, nonetheless, she stops to see her ex, Wesley (Shawn Ashmore), taking off the wig she donned whereas working from the LAPD. She must be herself for his or her dialog. By the top of the evening, she’ll be gone or lifeless, she tells him, and together with her final hour in L.A., he’s the one particular person she wished to say goodbye to. He tries to supply to assist her, however she is aware of she’s taking a look at life in jail if she doesn’t run. She remembers considered one of their professors who stated regulation was by human motion, not design. She is aware of she did what she wished and owns each alternative she made, however she nonetheless doesn’t know the way she received right here. He suggests it’s not too late to make one other alternative, however she is aware of it’s. She asks if he ever actually liked the particular person she was earlier than she modified, and he says he did, calling that model terrifying, radiant, and razor-sharp. With a goodbye and a kiss to his cheek, she leaves.

Monica then will get in a rideshare, just for the driving force to move the LAX exit. When she parks, Monica simply has one request: “not in the face.” She’s shot twice within the chest, and her physique is left on the facet of the street. Tim (Eric Winter), Nolan (Nathan Fillion), Nyla (Mekia Cox), Angela (Alyssa Diaz), Grey (Richard T. Jones), and Garza (Felix Solis) are on the scene when Wesley joins them.

Disney/Mike Taing

Elsewhere within the episode, Aaron (Tru Valentino) returns and introduces Tim to his jeweler, Pierre, performed by Michael Nouri, to pick a hoop for Lucy (Melissa O’Neil). (Because everybody’s discovering out about his plans to suggest, he pulls a Chandler Bing transfer and makes her assume that he hates love and marriage.) Pierre has Tim discuss Lucy, and he sweetly rambles a bit about how she loves serving to individuals and listening to their tales, how she’s sort and fierce. She makes him really feel liked in a manner he by no means felt like he deserved, he admits. And so when Pierre comes again with extra choices for Tim, together with his mother Joy (Sela Ward) there as properly, he has classic rings, every with a narrative to inform. The one which Tim picks up belonged to some who have been buddies for years earlier than realizing they have been in love and overcame obstacles earlier than being collectively for over 50 years. That says ceaselessly to Tim.

Below, Bridget Regan opens up about Monica’s dying, why she liked her final scene with Shawn Ashmore, and rather more.

I’m unhappy to see Monica go.

Bridget Regan: You and me each. You and me each. But you realize what? When Alexi [Hawley] known as me — I imply, properly, to start with, each time a showrunner calls you, you must be fearful that it’s the decision of dying. But actually, I used to be not stunned. I used to be thrilled that she lasted so long as she did. If you play with hearth, so long as she has, finally you’re going to get burned. And as I stated to Alexi and all people, I used to be like, she’s not on her ninth life. She’s on her thirty seventh. She’s escaped a number of assassinations and jail time and being thrown in a wooden chipper. When her quantity was lastly up, I wasn’t stunned. I believed, honest sufficient. She’s had a tremendous run, 4 years on this present. I’m solely full of gratitude.

But what I used to be stunned by was simply how extremely unhappy I used to be for her. Not that she died, however that she by no means actually flipped, that she really succumbed to the darkish facet and couldn’t discover her manner again. And I felt like there was this model of Monica that would have been one thing else, however she simply may by no means get there. So to me, that was the actual heartbreak of all of it.

Oh, I agree. When Alexi known as, did he let you know how she’d be dying and all of that, or simply that she’d be dying?

All he advised me was, “I promise a Viking death.” And I used to be like, “Well, it’s The Rookie. No one’s going to go out quietly.” And each time I’d get a script, I believed, oh, she’s going to get … I used to be all the time like, you hear about all these well-known exhibits the place everybody’s dying on a regular basis, like The Sopranos, et cetera. Everyone’s studying the script, going, “Do I die? Do I die? Do I die? Do I die?” I all the time had that behind my thoughts as a result of I felt prefer it was inevitable. Either sooner or later, she was going to go to jail, or she was going to die.

But what I used to be most moved and grateful for was this simply unbelievable scene that Alexi and Brynn Malone wrote for Monica and Wesley when she went to say goodbye to him. And I imply, the scene was so fantastically written. I used to be like, “OK, well, it’s almost worth dying to get to do this stunning scene with Shawn.” And she articulates it. She says, “I always did exactly what I wanted. I own every choice that I made, and yet I still don’t quite know how I got here.” And I simply thought it was so profound and so lovely. And then Wesley says again to her, he’s making an attempt to be like, “No, it’s not too late. You can make another choice.” And then she says, “Oh no, no, no. It’s far too late for me.” It’s like she is aware of. She is aware of she’s in manner too deep. She’s previous redemption at this level. She has precise blood on her arms. She is aware of how responsible she is.

And that scene to me was the Everest of my expertise on that present. I’m simply so grateful for it. And additionally, Shawn Ashmore is simply probably the most unbelievable actor. Oh my God. How fortunate am I?

Disney/Mike Taing

That scene was so good as a result of additionally this season, Monica had two very actual, very sincere conversations with Wesley — when Elijah claimed they had the affair after which right here when she goes to say goodbye. Why is she capable of be sincere and actual with him in that manner and let him see that susceptible facet of her? Is it the historical past and simply who she was with him and form of lacking that a part of herself?

Yeah, I feel that’s precisely it. I additionally assume she’s really a extremely lonely character, particularly in Season 8. We received to see by this large guard that she has up, and we received to glimpse by these home windows to her humanity, to her true self. And I feel plenty of her persona is simply that. It’s a persona. It’s an act of confidence and bravado. It’s a efficiency of who she desires to be. Plenty of it’s like, “Make it so, make it so. If I’m going to present this way, I’m going to make myself be this way.” And Wesley is that window to her previous earlier than she broke unhealthy, earlier than she crossed over and began injecting assassins with — killing individuals and doing all types of unhealthy habits. I feel it’s heartbreaking to see, however I used to be so grateful for it as an actor that I received to point out that facet of Monica.

And she wanted to listen to that he did love her sooner or later.

I feel so. I imply, it’s the query, “Am I worthy of love? Was I worthy of love?” Because I feel at this level, she doesn’t assume she is. I imply, I feel that the second she noticed the title Cooper Johnson, she is aware of, she begins to really feel dying creeping near her. But you must give it up for her. I like her for this. She’s scrappy AF. She’s all the time considering on her toes. She’s all the time pivoting, all the time searching for the again door, all the time discovering a laundry cart to cover in.

But all of it caught up together with her. Her future was written. I imply, she stated it herself after the FBI found her leverage, “I’m just a paper tiger now.” But but she doesn’t succumb. She retains working. She has go baggage and wigs and clear passport. But I really feel like from that second on, it’s just like the clock has began ticking, and he or she is aware of she’s on this suicide mission, however she goes down combating. And actually, that’s probably the most Monica factor she may have carried out. And I like her for it. I like her. I like her a lot. That’s what I’m most unhappy about. I simply love her. I’m going to overlook her.

How was filming that final scene with Shawn, understanding it was the final one you guys would have?

Oh, I used to be a large number. I used to be an absolute mess. I walked on set, and I noticed Bill Roe, and I used to be like, “Oh God, how am I going to get through this?” Because Monica wouldn’t cry as a lot as Bridget is. So I actually needed to maintain it again and hold it collectively. But it was additionally simply the fantastic thing about the writing. I’ve to present it as much as Brynn and Alexi. It was simply such a shocking scene. And it was additionally actually particular. The episode was directed by Ryan Krayser, who’s a longtime first AD of the present and likewise directs. And so it’s like, The Rookie is such a household, they’re of their eighth season now. And that’s the arduous half. It’s actually saying goodbye to the individuals as a result of for the final 4 years, Rookie has been my … It’s been the 4 hardest years our business has gone by — COVID, the strikes, and all the things. And Rookie has meant a lot to me and my household. I’m simply actually full of nothing however gratitude.

How was filming Monica’s final scene and dying? Because I like when she says “not in the face.” Then we get that actually lengthy shot of her lifeless physique, and also you don’t actually get that on exhibits.

I do know. It’s so wild. I feel additionally, Alexi wished to be like, “She’s dead, dead. She’s dead. Dead, capital D, Dead, period.”

I imply, what’s so enjoyable about her is she is who she is. The “not in the face,” she’s all the time going to be her useless, fabulous, grasping self. That’s simply who she is. She could be terribly smug. And for the final 4 years, I used to be consistently checking in with our administrators and myself being like, “How’s the smug level? Am I too smug? Is this too much?” Because typically it felt it. But with Monica, you’re all the time strolling that line. She must be assured sufficient that you just consider she will be able to maintain her personal on this prison world, however I all the time wished her to be plausible, however there’s additionally one thing deliciously excessive about who she is. She’s so enjoyable, and he or she refuses to be something however herself. And so yeah, we have been all the time calibrating.

But the dying, I used to be notably … I imply, as a result of it felt very symbiotic as a result of Bridget knew the clock was ticking on Monica’s life, and I feel Monica knew the clock was ticking on her life. She may really feel it. So it was emotional. It was heavy. I used to be bummed. I used to be like, oh man, that is such an unbelievable present to be part of. But I did really feel like, creatively, it was time for her to go. Because if we’re going to say that she’s messing with all these harmful criminals from Elijah to Aiden to Cooper Johnson, it might be unbelievable if it didn’t meet up with her sooner or later.

You stated she knew the clock was ticking, she by no means flipped, and he or she succumbed to the darkish facet. And we all know how she felt about WitSec and going to Kansas. She was very a lot in opposition to that.

Oh my God, I like that line. “You got to give me a coast.” She’s so, so good. I can really feel the writers love writing for her. I’m like, “Y’all are going to miss me. Y’all are going to miss Monica.”

With that in thoughts, as that clock was ticking, did she ever remorse not taking that possibility?

I feel so. I feel it goes again to what I stated earlier than about her being who she is, which is likely one of the issues that I discover her actually admirable for a personality. In the script, it’ll say, Monica’s sporting flats, so she will be able to run shortly. And then I’ll go to my becoming, and I’m like, “Flats?” And they’re like, “Let’s do more like a three-inch wedge.” [Laughs] Because she is who she is. She’s simply not going to be sensible and transfer to Kansas and work at a strip mall. She can’t do it, and he or she is aware of she will be able to’t. And I’ve to respect that. Know thyself, proper?

There are all the time flashbacks. So is there an opportunity of seeing you once more?

Well, I imply, that’s lower than me. You know who that’s as much as, Mr. Hawley. But at this level, I’m solely grateful for what it has been. She grew from a one-off visitor star to 4 years of not simply employment, not simply having a tremendous job to go to work to drive on the Paramount lot and work with Nathan, who’s the most effective king, quantity considered one of actors, so gifted, so sort, so good, and the remainder of the beautiful solid and crew, and Alexi is the last word chief. It’s all these issues.

But for me, it’s additionally like Monica received to vary and typically in TV, you don’t have a personality that — Sometimes the characters you play are form of who they’re from the start to finish. Monica had a terrific arc of adjusting, and it was so enjoyable to have her go from prison protection legal professional to mastermind crime lord. I imply, it’s simply too enjoyable. It’s like when you can’t have enjoyable taking part in Monica, it’s best to retire, proper?

The Rookie, Season 8 Finale, Monday, May 4, 10/9c, ABC