Kyra Sedgwick has inhabited the role of Brenda Leigh Johnson for seven years now. She moved her family from New York to L.A. to focus on the show that would give her career a sudden boost; she’s been nominated for four Emmys (and won one), given credit for propelling a “groundbreaking” show into extraordinarily high ratings, and found a tightly-knit group of friends in the cast and crew of “The Closer”. Fans, therefore, might be surprised to know that she almost didn’t take the role.

“My manager told me about it for three months, and I said: “Don’t send it. I’m not going to do it because it’s in L.A.,” she said.

It was her husband, iconic actor Kevin Bacon, who talked her into taking a leap for the show. Also, she says, her children had been her main priority, but they were getting older. It was the perfect time to take a big step in her career. That step would lead to seven years of hard work in a role she felt close to; Brenda is a strong, ballsy woman in her 40’s, much like Kyra herself.

“I admire her a great deal,” Sedgwick says about her character. “I admire her tenacity. I admire her number-one focus being the people that are gone and who can no longer speak for themselves. I’ll miss her complexities and her flaws.”

The past season has been full of surprises and sadness for Brenda and her fans, and Sedgwick says she doubts anyone will be disappointed by the series finale, which airs tonight. The last episode will see her tangle with longtime enemy Philip Stroh, which should be interesting.