Over the last couple of years, I’ve become addicted to the TNT program The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgewick. Kyra has been a favorite of mine for many years. I’ve seen her in many shows, and especially liked her performance in the movie Phenomenon. She’s smart and interesting and very self-assured, and it is communicated well in the many characters she has created.
Brenda Leigh Johnson is a wonderful character, and is well portrayed by Ms. Sedgewick. Her intelligence and training show through in her ability to carry off the technical portions of the role, and her experience as a mother probably contributes to her ability to portray a kind of caring authority over the rest of the staff in her fictional portrayal of a deputy chief in the LA police department. Kyra is one of those well-educated actors that I like best of all. She has
My husband Steve and I often mimic Brenda Leigh’s ‘Thank You!’ comments when she gives orders to her team. I love the juxtaposition of southern charm and police authority in the show. I think it is a unique role, and imagine that it was created specifically with Ms. Sedgewick in mind.
From what I’ve read in other sources, Kyra herself loves chocolate and has the ability to eat only small amounts at a time, just like her character. I’ve often envied that ability to restrict the pleasure of candy, and in Kyra it shows in the way she seems never to have a single ounce of unwanted fat on her body.
This is the third Emmy nomination for Ms. Sedgewick for her role in The Closer. She has also been nominated three times for a Golden Globe, and won the Golden Globe in 2007 for her role.