Maura Tierney

Actors

Apr 7

Maura Tierney has played quite a few steely and complex characters during her stellar acting career. Consider the tough yet ultimately compassionate matriarch in the heartbreaking film TheIron Claw, the jilted wife Helen Solloway on The Affair (for which she won a Golden Globe), and Lieutenant Jessica Brady on NBC’s Law and Order. (season 25 finale airs May 14th on NBC with streaming available the next day on Peacock.) Like some of the strong women she’s portrayed, Maura is smart as hell and totally no bullshit. She’s also super stylish, funny, and was game for some glam at our Bare photo shoot. Writer Gina Way caught up with Maura for a rapid fire round of questions about ‘70s movies, one of her favorite NYC spots, and (of course) her five Bare Essentials.

knit sweater: maria pavan cream jeans: pier antonio gaspari

Gina Way: You grabbed a lot of great 1970s films when you were in the Criterion Closet. Which ‘70s directors do you wish you could have had the chance to work with?

Maura Tierney: There are a bunch of directors I deeply admire from that time. Alan J. Pakula, Bob Fosse, John Cassavetes, Sidney Lumet, Sydney Pollack, Robert Redford.

GW: On a recent L&O /SVU crossover episode, Jessica Brady came close to out badass-ing Olivia Benson. Did you and Mariska have fun doing those scenes together?

MT: I’m not sure it’s possible to out-badass Benson. But Mariska is an incredibly sweet and generous person. I love working with her. She’s also got a great sense of humor. I think we have similar approaches to the work.

GW: Are you wanting to get back on stage soon? Maybe in a comedy?

MT: Yes, I am. I’ll be traveling to London to perform with The Wooster Group right after we wrap the season in May. The play is not exactly a “comedy” but it’s incredibly fun and challenging.

GW: What are a couple things that would surprise people about you IRL?

MT: Hmmm. I don’t know. I’m pretty shy IRL. And not bossy at all. The character I play on L&O is bossy as fuck, so sometimes that’s a challenge.

GW: You look so chic in glasses. We need to know, who makes those frames?

MT: Jacques Marie Mage. They are pretty chic, aren’t they? They’re a bit of an indulgence-and I have three pairs. But in my defense, I need them to see.

fedora: bailey

GW: How do you typically start your day?

MT: It really depends on if I’m working or not. There’s a radical difference between starting your day at 5am and starting it at 9.

ring: erickson beaman turtleneck: dries van noten

GW: What are a couple of your favorite NYC spots?

MT: I love Hudson River Park. I’m lucky to be able to walk to it from my place and I never get tired of it. No matter what the season. I walked over the night of the blizzard we just had here. It was beautiful.

GW: Describe your favorite fragrance (it doesn’t have to be a perfume).

MT: I love the smell of lilacs. They’re my favorite flower. They only bloom once a year for a few weeks so it’s not something I get to enjoy all the time.