5-Minute Time Out: Jeri Ryan
The Star Trek actress on juggling a TV career, a toddler and a teenager.
by Jennifer V. Hughes
April 9, 2009
Jeri Ryan was a teacher-turned-lawyer on TV's Boston Public, a DA on Shark, and of course, the hottie ex-Borg Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Voyager.
But her other role is mom to fourteen-year-old Alex (with ex-husband, politician Jack Ryan) and one-year-old Gisele with her husband, Christoph Eme, chef at the chi-chi L.A. eatery Ortolan. Ryan is coming off maternity leave this month, and will be a series regular as defense attorney Patrice LaRue on Law and Order: SVU.
Ryan talked to Babble about how she's just like the rest of us (screaming baby, hormones, work-family stress), whether her daughter will follow in her acting footsteps, and what it was really like inside that silver Seven of Nine catsuit. — Jennifer V. Hughes
So you took some time off after your daughter Gisele was born — what made you decide to go back to work now?
[Laughing.] My bank account. I took a year off, which was phenomenal and idyllic, being at home with her. But it's time.
What did you enjoy most about being home, and what was the hardest part?
Oh gosh, the first three months were the hardest part — she was a tough baby. She screamed non-stop like she was being stabbed. [Laughs.] I will say that it's physically it's a lot harder to have a baby at forty than at twenty-six. It's a lot harder. It took me ten months before my hormones felt like normal.
It was a tough recovery, but it's been amazing to watch her blossom into this amazing, funny, little sparkly person. She's so much fun. I appreciate so much more how fast it goes by now. With my son I was working so much I missed so much of his early childhood. I know how quickly that goes by — you blink your eyes and they're fourteen. I don't want to miss that part, because now I know how precious it is.
What is it like having kids spaced so far apart?
"Going back to work is a big deal as a mom."
It's really strange, but he is a wonderful big brother and she idolizes him. She absolutely adores him. He's so patient and lets her tear apart his video games. He's always wanted a little brother or sister and now I tell him, "You're lucky. You have one but you won't be fighting all the time."
I read that you are going to split your time between L.A. and New York — how do you handle that with a little one and a teenager?
I'm not sure. The first episode was quick — I was only gone three days. Going back to work is a big enough deal as a mom but to have to leave for three whole days was rough. I'm hoping that for the next episodes it will be a week at a stretch so I can take her with me as opposed to just flying in and out.
This role is yet another legal one. Why do you think you get pegged as an attorney so much?
I don't know! I'm comfortable with it now. That legal jargon just trips off my tongue. It beats the techno-babble of Star Trek.
Being a reporter I think gives me certain skills that help me as a parent — I'm hyper-organized, I'm an excellent multi-tasker. Are there things you've learned over the years as an actress that help you as a mom?
[Laughs.] Coercion is always a little easier when you have an acting background. Maybe not so much being an actor as being an Army brat growing up — I'm more adaptable to the whims of a little one. My daughter, on the other hand, she is definitely an actress. Oh my goodness.
©2009 Jennifer V. Hughes and Babble
About the Author
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Jennifer V. Hughes is a writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Mothering magazine and the Columbia Law School Report. She also makes a killer sangria. |
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