‘Army Wives’ Star Brigid Brannagh Talks About the Strength of Military Families
Interviewed by Andrea Downing Peck
Brigid Brannagh currently plays the role of Pamela Moran and starring alongside Catherine Bell, Kim Delaney, Sally Pressmen, and Wendy Davis in the Lifetime TV series “Army Wives,” which airs at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) Sundays. The series, now in its third season, is based on the book Under the Sabers: The Unwritten Code of Army Wives by Tanya Biank.
Brannagh brings to the role a deep-felt appreciation and growing empathy for the nation’s military members and their families. Military Spouse writer, Andrea Downing Peck caught up with Brannagh and picked her brain about what it’s like to play a military spouse.
When you were offered the role of Pamela Moran on “Army Wives,” did you have any concerns about playing the role of an ex-Boston cop who gave up her career to become a fulltime mom and Army wife?
“I was really excited more than anything. The role of playing an Army wife is inherently interesting. It’s not something that I have experienced or a lot of people have experienced so there is some much depth. Some of the ladies you play are silly. Being an Army wife is not at all silly so I was very excited about that. Also being an ex-cop, I thought that is different because in my life I hadn’t always been hired as the cop type. Having big red hair and being shapely, it just hasn’t come up much before. And Pamela was pregnant in the pilot. I am one of nine kids myself and I have five younger siblings and with my sisters I have nine nieces and nephews, so I have seen so much pregnancy that I thought I can really do that. I felt a sense of responsibility rather than concern. Being aware not to screw up.”
How do you keep her authentic?
“Every actress is different, but one of the ways I research things in general is I pay a lot of attention to the people around me. I grew up with a lot of tough women. My mother is a tough cookie. I understand how as a woman you can have respect for your husband and sometimes take the back seat and at the same time be someone who can really assert themselves. Ultimately, I think that is what really strong women do. They have both sides.
There’s this one gal I know who I consider a prototype for Pamela. I met her before I started playing Pamela but as I got to know her better, I realized she was so similar to Pamela that it made me feel good. She’s an ex-cop and ex-Army herself and is married now and only works part-time now. She handles her kids with gusto. She’s this tough woman who is this really great mom. She’s sort of a tomboy who is also still feminine. It’s hilarious. She’s so much like Pamela.
Page 1 2 3 4 5