{"id":315402,"date":"2026-02-24T21:48:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T21:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/315402\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T21:48:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T21:48:12","slug":"nicole-brydon-bloom-on-people-hating-jane-justin-theroux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/315402\/","title":{"rendered":"Nicole Brydon Bloom on People Hating Jane, Justin Theroux"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t[This story contains spoilers from the first three episodes of Paradise<\/a> season two.]<\/p>\n

\n\tNicole Brydon Bloom<\/a> understands if you don\u2019t like her character in Paradise \u2014 but she\u2019s actually loving every minute of playing a psychopath.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 31-year-old who found performing and telling someone else\u2019s story on stage \u201cvery freeing\u201d from a young age, followed her passion into college, deciding to study acting. After grinding for several years in Hollywood, she eventually landed one of her more well-known roles as Maud Beaton on The Gilded Age<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut it was her role as Secret Service agent Jane Driscoll in Hulu\u2019s post-apocalyptic political thriller <\/a>that really captured audiences\u2019 attention. Especially after it was revealed that her seemingly innocent character was actually a cold-blooded, psychopathic assassin in season one<\/a>, and is already looking quite unpredictable in season two, which released the first three episodes of the new season on Monday.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIf she truly is a psychopath, I don\u2019t think I would play it very differently than if she\u2019s playing a part right now. She\u2019s studied people and she knows how to behave,\u201d Bloom recalls telling creator Dan Fogelman<\/a> early on about how she would play the two sides of her character.<\/p>\n

\n\tBelow, Bloom opens up to The Hollywood Reporter about getting into Jane\u2019s headspace and what fans can expect from the rest of the eight-episode second season, while also sharing industry advice she gets from husband Justin Theroux<\/a>, talking motherhood and more.<\/p>\n

\n\tGoing back to the beginning, what made you want to pursue a career as an actor?<\/p>\n

\n\tMy parents put me and my twin sister in community theater as an extracurricular when we were little, and soccer wasn\u2019t really my thing. I played tennis, but I tried violin for one summer and that didn\u2019t go well. Then suddenly theater was perfect. I got to dance and sing. You still feel like you\u2019re part of a team and a community working toward a common goal. I was 7 and I just fell in love. I loved being on stage. I was more confident in that space than I maybe was in my own life.<\/p>\n

\n\tI lost my dad when I was little, and even at that young age, I very quickly recognized the themes of grief and loss and healing that\u2019s present in music and plays. That was very healing for me and cathartic. Everything from Annie to August: Osage County sort of captures those themes. Being able to step into a character and tell someone else\u2019s story felt very freeing and healing and exciting. I just continued to love it as I grew up.<\/p>\n

\n\tFollowing all the praise <\/a>that season\u00a0one of\u00a0Paradise received, how excited were you to return for another season?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIt feels amazing. I\u2019m incredibly proud of the show. We have such a fantastic team of writers and directors and our showrunner, Dan [Fogelman] is so brilliant and warm. It felt great to have the first season be so warmly accepted, and it was really fun stepping back into Jane\u2019s shoes for season two. It is kind of funny, though, because I\u2019m not met with a super warm reception. A lot of people like to joke when they see me. They\u2019re like, \u201cOh, watch out. What\u2019s she going to do?\u201d But I think it\u2019s a character people love to hate, and that\u2019s so much more enjoyable.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe way she presents in the beginning, I was like, Oh, OK, I don\u2019t really have to stretch for this. It\u2019s kind of a comfortable, playful spot. She\u2019s smart and admiring of her coworkers, and then suddenly you realize she\u2019s a psychopath. It made it a lot more interesting to work on that arc, and we certainly dive into that this season.<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tNicole Brydon Bloom in Paradise season two.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDisney\/Ser Baffo<\/p>\n

\n\tThe second season doesn\u2019t pick up where the first season left off until episode three, \u201cAnother Day in Paradise,\u201d when viewers return to the bunker and finally start to see Jane\u2019s crazy gameplay again. How does that episode set up the rest of the season?<\/p>\n

\n\tThe first two episodes introduce us to Shailene [Woodley] and Thomas [Doherty\u2019s] storyline, which is so fantastic. We see Sterling [K. Brown] on his journey out in the real world, which everyone\u2019s clamoring to get a glimpse at. But episode three, the return to the bunker, is very interesting. It does pick up where we left off, and things are kind of in chaos. A big question at the end of season one was, where does Jane go from here? Is this dynamic with Sinatra a power play? What motivates her? We don\u2019t get that answer right away, but we definitely explore it more in the second season.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat have you enjoyed most\u00a0about\u00a0taking on such an unpredictable and complex role, and how do you get\u00a0into her mindset?<\/p>\n

\n\tOne of the directors at one point was like, \u201cCan you do sweet Jane [in] this scene?\u201d And it was harder to go back to Jane pretending because now everyone knows. The other characters haven\u2019t picked up on it, but knowing that the audience knows sort of got in my head more than it did in the first season.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s a childlike quality to Jane, even when she\u2019s completely herself and maybe cold and hard. She loves the Wii and she likes pretty dresses. She\u2019s sort of stuck at a certain age, but then is also very intelligent and is studying the people around her and sees a lot more that\u2019s happening than even some of the smartest people in the room. So playing Jane was a lot of studying other characters and watching Sinatra giving a speech, how\u2019s this person reacting and what did that facial twitch mean? That helped me get into the focus and stoicism of Jane in those moments where it leans crazy. If I just tried to play crazy, I don\u2019t think that would be successful.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt the end of season one, Jane tells Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson<\/a>) that\u00a0she\u2019s\u00a0no use to her dead, which is why she\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0kill her<\/a>.\u00a0In that moment, it seemed like Jane went rogue, but then in season two, it\u00a0seems\u00a0like\u00a0she\u2019s\u00a0somewhat protecting Sinatra. Can you unpack that?<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat we see with a lot of these characters, particularly the ones who are sort of in control \u2014 Sinatra, potentially Jane, even Dr. Gabriela (Sarah Shahi) \u2014 is that there\u2019s often a larger plan and a larger goal. Jane looks up to Sinatra and is sort of admiring of her, maybe wants to be her, wants to get her approval. And the reason for that becomes a little more apparent [later this season]. The female characters are strong this season, and I\u2019m really proud to be one of them. I think we\u2019re going to see a lot of different colors in Jane and Sinatra and Gabriela.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tJulianne Nicholson and Nicole Brydon Bloom in Paradise season two.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDisney\/Ser Baffo<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat have you enjoyed most about working with such an incredible ensemble on the show?<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s such a dream come true. I\u2019ve always loved this genre, so it\u2019s cool to be a part of it for that reason. Sterling\u2019s hilarious. He\u2019s such a great guy, such a good person and he sets a wonderful tone. So does Dan. They\u2019re so open to collaboration and questions, and I\u2019ve been able to ask Julianne Nicholson a million questions and watch her work, which is an incredible thing to see. I feel like I become a better actor when I\u2019m working with her. Thomas and I were on set at the same time a lot, and he\u2019s so funny. There\u2019s something that happens especially on night shoots where I get slap happy when we\u2019re shooting something super, super serious and we were just laughing the entire night which made it so fun.<\/p>\n

\n\tWith your character staying under the radar for\u00a0most of\u00a0season one, can fans expect to get more backstory on Jane this season?<\/p>\n

\n\tThere is going to be an episode that centers<\/a> on a little bit more of her backstory. So Jane is an enigma and we definitely get some answers and then a lot of things remain unanswered.<\/p>\n

\n\tCan you\u00a0tease what\u00a0fans can\u00a0expect for the rest of\u00a0season\u00a0two?<\/p>\n

\n\tDan\u2019s shows, as we\u2019ve seen in season one<\/a>, always takes a left turn when you think he\u2019s going right. So I would say that no one should get too comfortable, but that the season continues to explore [what was revealed in] episode seven from season one, \u201cThe Day.\u201d I actually haven\u2019t been able to bring myself to watch it all the way through. When I read it, it made me so sad. [Dan] explores grief so beautifully, which, kind of full circle, really spoke to me when I read the whole season, but particularly that episode. He weaves so much more of that into season two. We did a lot of fight training. There\u2019s a lot of action, but there\u2019s also a lot of heart, and I think that\u2019s what he does so beautifully and delicately in this season.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou also starred in The Gilded Age, which is a\u00a0period\u00a0drama\u00a0and completely opposite from\u00a0Paradise. What do you love most about getting to take on\u00a0such different genres?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s what I\u2019ve always wanted to do. How fun to get to dress up, particularly in The Gilded Age, and wear the corsets even though they\u2019re uncomfortable; they give you that posture. And you get to study history and kind of understand how people spoke and walked and moved through life back then.<\/p>\n

\n\tGilded is so different. In some ways, my characters had a theme of presenting one way and then revealing that they\u2019re not that person. I was nervous I wouldn\u2019t get the role in Paradise because of that precedent from Gilded Age, but there\u2019s not a lot of crossover (laughs). Gilded was so much fun. I made some really, really wonderful friends in that process, and I think that\u2019s part of what makes our job such an incredible thing. This pocket in time, playing these very specific characters, but you\u2019re living your life, and it\u2019s like a little time capsule of those moments.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tNicole Brydon Bloom in The Gilded Age season three.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKarolina Wojtasik\/HBO<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen it comes to preparing for a role or running lines, do you ever lean on your husband, Justin Theroux, for\u00a0advice\u00a0or support?\u00a0Or do you\u00a0try and keep your work and personal life quite\u00a0separate?<\/p>\n

\n\tHe\u2019s so helpful with advice and he\u2019ll help me run lines in terms of memorization. Every once in a while, he\u2019ll have a thought if I have a question, which I always welcome. He\u2019s been really encouraging. I think in life and in this industry, men have an easier time speaking up for themselves and advocating for themselves or their character. Sometimes when women do it, they\u2019re seen as abrasive or difficult. I\u2019ve been working on finding my voice in that space, and Paradise and Gilded Age have been so encouraging of that. We have really wonderful paths of communication, but anytime I\u2019ve felt like, Oh, I want to say something, but I dunno if I should, [and] I run it by Justin, he\u2019s like, \u201cAbsolutely say something.\u201d You don\u2019t have to be demanding, but you can have a voice, especially if you\u2019re standing up for something with your character or anything in that vein; it is a collaboration. And just having someone who is so experienced and encouraging in that way in the household is incredibly helpful.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlso, huge\u00a0congratulations\u00a0on your\u00a0pregnancy! What are you looking forward to most about motherhood?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019ve always wanted to be a mom. I love kids. I\u2019ve always been looking forward to this chapter in my life, and certainly Justin has been, too. So I think becoming parents together will just open us up in a completely new way, and it\u2019ll have its challenges with going back to work and everything, but I\u2019m just thrilled, very happy.<\/p>\n

\n\tIf you had to describe\u00a0what makes\u00a0Nicole Brydon Bloom,\u00a0Nicole Brydon Bloom, what would you say?<\/p>\n

\n\tOh my gosh. I feel like just a slightly awkward sense of humor and being probably too optimistic, but I choose to see that as a strength instead of a weakness. And a lot of sweets! I have a sweet tooth, and I think that makes me me, and I\u2019m not ashamed to say it (laughs).<\/p>\n

\n\t***<\/p>\n

\n\tParadise is now streaming the first three episodes of season two on Hulu, releasing new episodes on Mondays.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[This story contains spoilers from the first three episodes of Paradise season two.] Nicole Brydon Bloom understands if…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":315403,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[321,147268,93,61,60,30286,99621,147269,99622,97252,97355,147270],"class_list":{"0":"post-315402","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-dan-fogelman","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-julianne-nicholson","14":"tag-justin-theroux","15":"tag-next-big-thing","16":"tag-nicole-brydon-bloom","17":"tag-paradise","18":"tag-sterling-k-brown","19":"tag-the-gilded-age"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=315402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/315403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=315402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=315402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=315402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}