The Rookie star Bridget Regan is one of the most amazing acting talents working today. However, in many of her roles in the last decade, she frequently portrays the villain. It started with White Collar Season 5, where she appeared as the antagonist, Rachel Turner. In Agent Carter, she was the Red Room assassin, Dottie Underwood. Regan also appeared in Jane the Virgin as the notorious drug lord, Rose Solano. In the comic book superhero series Batwoman, she portrayed the iconic DC Comics supervillain, Poison Ivy. Later, Regan starred as the nefarious lawyer Monica Stevens in The Rookie, who later becomes an underworld crime boss and fugitive at large. She even guest starred in 9-1-1‘s most recent arc, where she played a researcher in an infectious disease lab whose actions inadvertently led to Bobby’s (Peter Krause) death. Well, it’s time for a change for one of the show’s most notable villains to land a more heroic lead in her career.
Monica Stevens Took a More Villainous Turn in Season 6 of ‘The Rookie’
For some background, Monica Stevens didn’t start as an outright villain when she debuted in Season 5 of The Rookie. During the character’s debut episode, “The Reckoning,” she was introduced as the Machiavellian lawyer of the gangster, Elijah Stone (Brandon Jay McLaren). She’s also the ex-fiancée of series regular, Wesley Evers (Shawn Ashmore). Ultimately, she betrayed Stone in “The Enemy Within,” acting in her own self-interest and safety, aiding the authorities in Stone’s arrest.
Monica made the transition into a full-blown villain in Season 6. During a multi-episode arc, it’s revealed that LAPD psychiatrist Dr. Blair London (Danielle Campbell) was feeding Monica intel from her patient sessions. Monica then sold that information to the criminal underworld, disrupting LAPD operations, and she also bribed and blackmailed LAPD officers into working for her. Regan is great no matter the role, but Monica worked better as a character before becoming the show’s central villain. Beforehand, Monica often came off as an unscrupulous lawyer and antihero, but it appeared there would be lines she would not cross. However, any preconceived notions regarding Monica were abandoned in Season 6, when she began building her own criminal empire. Monica’s transformation into a diabolical crime boss came off as a more predictable outcome for the character based on Bridger Regan’s previous roles.
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Bridget Regan Portraying Villains So Often Risks Potential Typecasting
A potential problem with Regan often portraying villainous or antagonistic characters concerns the risk of typecasting for her career. A byproduct of the typecasting makes any hidden secrets or plot twists for her characters more predictable. The plot twist with Monica Stevens resembles another defense attorney, Regan, portrayed in another popular drama series, Jane the Virgin, where she portrayed the defense attorney Rose Solano. At first, Rose appeared to be a benevolent character in the hit series. However, it was later revealed that her character, Rose Solano, was the secret crime lord Sin Rostro. As a result, The Rookie Season 6 reveal of Monica’s burgeoning criminal enterprise came off as less of a shock. The main difference is that Monica showed more of a ruthless, cunning edge in her earlier appearances, although it wasn’t clear she would take such a dark path later on.
On multiple occasions, Regan has now played characters who are later revealed as central villains of their respective series. Regan’s frequent typecasting suggests her future casting could prematurely give away any potential villainous plot twists for any upcoming acting roles. If Regan’s character does not initially appear as the villain, her presence likely means she’s secretly an antagonist, which is becoming rather predictable. Regan is a highly underrated and dynamic acting talent, with an impressive range beyond portraying the bad guys. Although she’s often typecast as villainous characters, she has experience playing heroic leads in the past, as she did in her first major leading role.
Bridget Regan’s Breakout Role Was a Heroic Lead Character
Regan’s breakout role was actually in the 2008 fantasy series, Legend of the Seeker, based on Terry Goodkind‘s classic fantasy book series The Sword of Truth. Regan portrayed the show’s female lead, Kahlan Amnell. The actress showed amazing heroism and compassion as the iconic Mother Confessor throughout the series. Sadly, the show was canceled after only two seasons, and the series never completed its story and Kahlan’s ongoing romance with the show’s protagonist, Richard Cypher (Craig Horner). Additionally, Regan portrayed a more heroic and benevolent character for several seasons of The Last Ship as Sasha Cooper, a Navy Intelligence officer. Regan’s character was the love interest of the show’s main hero, Tom Chandler (Eric Dane), and they became the endgame couple for the series. Although Regan often portrays the villain in multiple shows, she has more than proven her ability to play the good guy.
Bridget Regan Needs More Heroic Leading Roles
The sinister Monica Stevens recently resurfaced in The Rookie Season 7, and she’s due back later this season as well. Although it’s great to see Regan back in the fold as Monica Stevens in The Rookie, it would be interesting to see the actor branch out in future roles. Regan is remarkable at playing diabolical, cunning villains, but she possesses the versatility to portray diverse roles. She paid her dues, and she should be leading or headlining shows. It would be exciting to see Regan get the chance to step up as the series lead, portraying a more heroic leading role.
Whenever Regan steps onto the screen, her incredible screen presence demands attention. Case in point, Regan displays amazing chemistry in her short scene with Keanu Reeves in the 2014 action-thriller John Wick, where she plays the Continental Hotel bartender, Addy. Regan’s brief interaction with Reeves suggests a long, pre-established history between the two characters. The short scene exemplifies how Regan always produces impressive results with her material. The fact that she can so easily slip into portraying either a hero or a villain proves her versatility. Casting her as the hero for a change will at least throw off the scent if her future roles include antagonistic characters. It’s been terrific to see Regan as part of the cast of The Rookie, but it would be even better to see her portray the hero in a series where the stories and action center around her character.
New episodes of The Rookie premiere on Tuesday on ABC in the U.S.
The Rookie
- Release Date
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October 16, 2018
- Network
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ABC
- Showrunner
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Alexi Hawley
