BE STILL: MISSY PEREGRYM ON FINDING PEACE IN A WORLD THAT NEVER STOPS

INTERVIEW BY IRVIN RIVERA

PHOTOGRAPHER: HANNAH ROZELLE, STYLING: MERSI KASEMI, MAKEUP: JOJO MCCARTHY, HAIR: MICHAEL ZAMBRANO, PRODUCER: PHIL LIMPRASERTWONG, PHOTO ASST: CHLOE COPPS

Dress: BOTTEGA VENETA, Gloves: ARITZIA, Ring: BUKGARI, Earrings: KHAITE, Boots: CHANEL

MISSY PEREGRYM has spent much of her career running toward the storm, navigating chaos, confronting danger, and portraying women who know how to hold their ground when everything around them begins to unravel. But after more than two decades in Hollywood, perhaps her greatest discovery is that strength isn't always about holding on; sometimes, it's about knowing when to let go. On CBS's FBI, the acclaimed crime procedural created by Dick Wolf and Craig Turk, with a pilot directed by Niels Arden Oplev, Peregrym stars as Special Agent Maggie Bell alongside Zeeko Zaki, Jeremy Sisto, Alana de la Garza, and John Boyd. Now in its ninth season, the series continues to challenge its characters, particularly Maggie, whose recent confrontation with devastating loss has pushed Peregrym into unfamiliar emotional territory. Beneath the badge and carefully measured composure is an actress who has learned that vulnerability is not something to manufacture, but something to allow. As she puts it, “I trust myself now.”

Beyond the flashing sirens and high-stakes investigations, Peregrym is navigating a different kind of balancing act: motherhood, marriage, a demanding career, and the quiet realization that life isn't a never-ending audition for everyone's approval. In her conversation with A BOOK OF, she reflects on the emotional cost of portraying grief, the unexpected wisdom found in letting go, and her enduring friendship with costar Zeeko Zaki, whose mischievous humor often provides the perfect antidote to her serious approach to work. There's laughter, hard-earned perspective, and a refreshing honesty about the beautiful messiness of being human. After years of playing women determined to save the world, Peregrym is discovering the importance of making room for herself within it. She calls this chapter of her life “Be still,” a simple but profound invitation to embrace the present rather than constantly chase what's next. And perhaps the most moving revelation comes from a woman who has spent so much of her life giving to others: “I don’t need to be more, I just need to be where I am.”

Dress: BOTTEGA VENETA, Gloves: ARITZIA, Ring: BUKGARI, Earrings: KHAITE, Boots: CHANEL

You've been acting professionally for more than two decades, and you've had the unusual experience of living with characters for years at a time. When you think about the actor who first walked onto a set versus the actor you are today, what do you understand about acting now that you couldn't possibly have understood then?

I tried taking acting lessons one time when I first started and quit after two sessions because I felt the coach made the process unsafe to be vulnerable (for me). All to say, I didn’t have a method, or tricks for work. I just showed up and gave what I could… I learned all the other parts of being an actor by being on set. What I believe now about acting is that you have to bring yourself forward, doesn’t matter what character you are playing. You have to be able to make eye contact, listen, and be flexible in the process. The script might change on set, the director might have a different vision, another scene partner might make a surprising choice; you need to respond in the moment and then you have to let go! Because no one in this form of storytelling gets their perfect final product that was in their head. There are hundreds of creators that make a project happen and there’s an element of faith needed. That takes trust. I trust myself now. If the side direction of a scene says “bawling her eyes out”, I say “maybe”. I don’t know what will happen. I just know that I will make myself available to feel all the things that come up and whatever way my body responds, is the truth. I would have never had the guts to do that earlier on, because I would have wanted to please everyone else. I believe the best acting class is therapy. How can you play someone else when you don’t have a foundation in yourself?

You've played women whose jobs require them to be incredibly capable under pressure, from Rookie Blue to FBI. But Maggie doesn't feel like a revisited Andy McNally. What do you have to find inside a character to make competence interesting rather than simply impressive?

Always be willing to listen and learn. Andy was a rookie, she was constantly out of her depth and learning through mistakes. Maggie is more seasoned, especially now, and the trick to her is not using power to be bigger than someone, to prove herself. She doesn’t need to lie or trick, she can simply listen and make space for someone to eventually open up. Don’t treat people as just “bad” or “good”. Be curious and have empathy. The perps always choose how it ends for them.

Dress: BOTTEGA VENETA, Gloves: ARITZIA, Ring: BUKGARI, Earrings: KHAITE, Boots: CHANEL

When you play someone for this long, I imagine there comes a point where you no longer have to consciously construct her; you know how Maggie walks into a room, where she'll look, what she'll hide. Does that familiarity give you greater freedom as an actor, or do you sometimes have to fight against becoming too comfortable?

Great question. I love that I can walk on set and I feel pretty confident what we need to achieve from a scene and where we need to get to in the story; I know what I can bring to the table. I don’t think I’ve ever felt too comfortable, I care too much to elevate to work. And with our 22-episode seasons, every department moves extremely quickly to put a show together, so it’s never easy. As an actor, I know that Maggie is a person who cares a lot to make things better in the world, to do her part to keep people safe and find understanding; these things lead the scene emotionally/tactically. As a producer, I care to make sure that the story is being told effectively, given the time we have and the obstacles that inevitably get in our way. There is always a problem, which means there is always a solution. And that part keeps things exciting for me.

Zeeko: Full look: SANDRO, Ring: ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, Watch: GRAND SEIKO, Missy: Dress: BOTTEGA VENETA, Gloves: ARITZIA, Ring: BUKGARI, Earrings: KHAITE, Boots: CHANEL

Then you get an episode like “Forgiven,” which strips away almost everything Maggie normally uses to maintain control. After eight seasons of knowing this woman so intimately, was there something about Maggie that surprised you when you finally had to take her that far emotionally?

Yes. Honestly, I was nervous. One, for me personally, I knew that I was going to be wrecked physically from putting myself through that. I knew that the depth of that episode was going to cost me. Two, I wasn’t sure how it was going to affect Maggie moving forward because you can’t be the same after that, a shift must occur… but we are a procedural and don’t have time to unpack the reality of it. So, I surrendered. I enjoyed playing the beats where I wasn’t in control, as painful as it was. I loved the contrast that the situation put my character in. I was challenged. And now I am here for the journey.

What interested me almost as much as the loss itself was watching Maggie return to work. Grief doesn't necessarily announce itself every minute; sometimes it sits underneath everything you're doing. As an actor, how do you play what someone refuses or can't express?

This is where I put my trust in the writers. I can’t play grief out of nowhere, because it won’t track. I also didn’t want to play someone who was talking about being so sad all the time. I had a big conversation with Aaron Ginsberg and Mike Weiss and they really cared to have my character choose to get back up after having her world shattered. Which I loved. I don’t know how how this will play out further, but I know that experiences shape us and it all can be used for connection. So, that’s what I play. And that’s who I am.

Trench Coat: BALENCIAGA, Earrings: KHAITE, Shoes: DIOR

When you and Zeeko started the show, he was stepping into his first major series lead, and you've talked before about wanting to support him without depriving him of the experience of figuring things out for himself. Now you're entering your ninth season together. At what point did that dynamic stop being the more experienced actor and the newer actor and simply become two peers who know each other extraordinarily well?

It was September 23rd, 2022. Hahaha I don’t really know when it shifted but what we have now is exceptional. I think we have sat with each other in real life over incredibly difficult personal moments and had each other’s backs. When you work so much together, you become friends, and that changes the working relationship in a great way.

After this many years, there must be things you know about Zeeko as a scene partner that you don't even have to discuss anymore. What can he communicate to you in a scene now, sometimes without saying anything, that you couldn't have read in season one?

We know what each other care about. We know that we need connect in a scene, we know how to elevate the moments. We also know how to move around each other. In season one, we literally would bump into each other, now we don’t really even have to look and I know what he’s doing. Well, that’s not true, sometimes he’s being a moron behind me to make the crew laugh.

Missy: Trench Coat: BALENCIAGA, Earrings: KHAITE, Shoes: DIOR, Zeeko: Jacket: SANDRO, Turtleneck: HUGO BOSS, Pants: GSTAR, Jewelry and Scarf: ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, Shoes: THE ROW

You've watched him grow from his first series lead into an actor who has carried this character for almost a decade. What has Zeeko taught you about acting, about partnership, or even about yourself that you didn't expect to learn from him?

Zeeko is an extremely funny human. He’s turned out to be a perfect match for me because I take work seriously and can get overwhelmed with all the moving parts… and he’s able to sense that and take the edge off. We laugh constantly. He has taught me how to let go. I’ve watched him enjoy his life, not worry so much and his perspective has been beneficial to how I approach my own. He is a vibe halachaa really good one.

As an actor, Zeeko is dependable. He knows his lines, he knows what he wants out of a scene and he’s really grown into himself personally and as OA. I’m extremely proud of him, he had a lot to step into, and he did the work to show up and learn. He’s a great partner because of that.

There's something unusual about Maggie and OA. Television often feels compelled to turn intimacy between a man and a woman into romance, but you've both defended this relationship as a profound kind of love that doesn't need to become sexual. What have you been able to explore about love, loyalty, and partnership precisely because Maggie and OA have never crossed that line?

It’s so much deeper. We trust each other with our lives. I think it’s extremely rare to have a friendship like this, and it’s not something I want to risk by making it romantic. OA is family… he’s the most important person in Maggie’s life.

Zeeko: Full look: SANDRO, Ring: ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, Watch: GRAND SEIKO, Missy: Black Dress and Leather Jacket: ALAIA, Earrings: BURBERY, Shoes: WHITE HOUS EBLACK MARKET

After all these years of playing Maggie and all the people and experiences you've accumulated before and around her, if you had to give the chapter of your life you're living right now a title, what would you call it?

“Be still”. I have been extremely busy with work, raising two young kids and building a marriage. It’s been demanding, relentless and years of giving… and this chapter is about slowing down and receiving. Being quiet. Trying not to rush. Counting myself as a person to live for.

Dress: BOTTEGA VENETA, Gloves: ARITZIA, Ring: BUKGARI, Earrings: KHAITE, Boots: CHANEL

And lastly, If you were a book, what book would you be, and why?

“Enough”. I am in a phase of my life where I am activity choosing not to strive anymore. I don’t need to be more, I just need to be where I am. Grateful for both sides of the coin; hardship creates endurance and pushes me to love deeper and joy comes from being present. This is not easy at all, but it’s creating a more meaningful life.