Be it the embroidered certainties of historical drama or the controlled panic of post-apocalyptic sci-fi, we are living through a moment that makes escapism feel especially potent. Of late, Nicole Brydon Bloom has become a compelling presence in both genres. On HBO's The Gilded Age and Hulu's Paradise, she plays women who arrive as polished surfaces that hide ill intentions beneath—duplicitous characters who themselves are playing well-choreographed roles. Offscreen, Bloom comes across as markedly more grounded: a New York actor whose life, even as it has grown more public, seems oriented toward privacy, and the ordinary rituals that keep a person sane.
Jacob Mendel Brown: I did a double take when I realized Maude from The Gilded Age and Jane from Paradise are the same actor, you!
Nicole Brydon Bloom: I’ll give credit to The Gilded Age’s costume, hair, and makeup departments. But I take it as such a compliment. I think it’s good not to be so recognizable, to disappear a little bit into a role. Even the casting team for Paradise had that reaction. I had done a show with Hulu maybe six months earlier, We Were the Lucky Ones. They didn’t realize it was me for a while. At first I thought, Should I take offense to that? But then I realized, No, that’s a huge compliment.
JMB: Jane and Maud both change before our eyes.
NBB: It is funny, they do share that throughline of presenting one way and then turning out to be the opposite, or performing some sort of deceit. But they’re also very distinct. And I draw on that a lot. Even just the severity of Jane’s look creates a different energy. The costumes and the suiting give her a different posture. With Gilded, you have corsets and these big dresses, which create a different kind of posture too—maybe more traditionally feminine. So it’s been really fun to have a foot in both worlds.
JMB: Both shows live in these big escapist genres. Why do you think Paradise has connected with such a broad audience?
NBB: I think part of what makes it relatable is that it’s one of the more grounded post-apocalyptic shows. It really feels like something that could happen tomorrow, or in five years. Dan Fogelman is so good at writing people’s vulnerabilities and weaving that into the story. A character you think is all bad, like Sinatra, suddenly gets an episode that taps into her grief and her loss. So yes, there’s sci-fi and action, which obviously appeals to a lot of viewers. But there’s also this deep emotional core. I’ve had friends who say it stresses them out too much. They’re like, “We support you, we love you, but we aren’t watching.” And then I’ve been surprised by friends who I didn’t think it would be their genre at all, and they love it. And of course it doesn’t hurt to have Sterling K. Brown, James Marsden, and Julianne Nicholson leading the show. They’re beautiful, talented, fantastic actors. But really it’s Dan’s heart that he keeps present in the writing that pulls people in.
JMB: Did you know how dark the character was going to get?
NBB: The early episodes were actually the simplest for me, because no one is supposed to catch on. So I could just play it straight. But playing the shift was much more interesting as an actor, and also more challenging. You don’t want to twirl a mustache. You want it to feel grounded. This is her job, and she knows what to do. The switch flips, and now someone has to die. There was something powerful about finding her stillness rather than playing it like, “Here I am, I’m so crazy.” Ultimately you just play the truth. Even though she’s operating on a different level, there’s still something that keeps her grounded.
JMB: You’ve chosen to build your life in New York rather than Los Angeles. Has that shaped your career, or the kind of life you’re able to lead as an actor?
NBB: I spent a little time in LA during college, just to see what it would feel like to live there. But I always felt more comfortable in New York. I grew up outside the city, my family was closer, my friends were here, and since COVID, everything shifted to Zoom anyway, so the city you live in matters less. One of my managers gave me good advice. He said: go where you know you’ll be happy, where you feel supported and where you can be yourself. There’s so much rejection and so much downtime in this industry. If your family or close friends are nearby and you have other things going on, it makes the whole experience more fulfilling.
JMB: Has success felt sudden? Or was it a struggle?
NBB: Right before 2020 I got very close to a few projects, including the first season of The Gilded Age. And that was devastating. The closer you get to something, the more you want it. Then I got the call that The Gilded Age wanted me to read again. I knew the team, and I sort of tossed it out to the universe. I said, okay—God, Dad, whoever’s out there—if I’m meant to do this, let me get this role. I felt incredibly free in that callback. Suddenly it didn’t matter. Either they would want me, and I’d be thrilled to be part of it, or I’d feel peace knowing it wasn’t the path for me anymore. Of course, it would have been very hard to walk away. It’s what I’ve wanted to do since I was little. But booking The Gilded Age was a really special moment.
JMB: Your life has also changed quickly in other ways—your relationship with Justin Theroux, and now preparing to become a mother.
NBB: It has been a big change across the board. From the acting side, it actually doesn’t feel like people know me. I’m thrilled people love the projects, but I still feel a fair amount of anonymity within that, which is nice. That’s something Justin and I have tried to maintain as well. We’re expecting our first baby, and that’s been a big topic of conversation. How do we keep kids safe and living as normal a life as possible? Justin’s career has been more in the spotlight, so he’s more familiar with navigating that. Whenever I start to feel overwhelmed by it, it helps a lot to have him there.
JMB: The whole world’s tuned in to Paradise every week. Any new projects on the horizon?
NBB: Paradise is definitely the thing right now. And then, well, the next big project is becoming a mom