How did Mary McDonnell really feel about playing Sharon Raydor for so long?

Staying in the same role for over five years has its ups and downs. The longer you’re on a show, the more you can earn, and you might get more fan recognition or even awards. That all sounds great, but staying in one place too long can hurt your career. You might get typecast or miss out on gaining different experiences, which could hold you back later.

If you’ve ever wondered how Mary McDonnell felt about playing Sharon Raydor for so many years, she was comfortable with it. "I am living, breathing her," she told the Miami Herald during a Q&A.

"There isn't that searching for identity and wondering how it is going to fall together. We're done. Hello! It's now 'Where do we want to take her?' We are truly in some wonderful storytelling mode right now. There are some dangerous moments for sure. I think fans are going to have a ball."

McDonnell first played Sharon Raydor in The Closer, which starred Kyra Sedgwick. In that series, Raydor came across as a bit of a villain. She was tougher than Brenda Leigh Johnson, and they just had different leadership styles. When Raydor got her own spinoff, Major Crimes, the producers and writers needed to make her more of a hero, since most people probably wouldn’t have wanted to watch her take over Johnson’s team otherwise.