Jenna Dewan has been an actress for more than two decades — and it’s her children who have been the best medicine for shaking off her darker roles.
“Over the years, I’ve learned once I walk off the set, I sort of leave it on set,” Dewan, 44, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting season 7 of The Rookie. “Mentally, it’s kind of [like] as soon as I’m done, I’m done.”
The actress, who plays firefighter Bailey Nune on The Rookie, noted that “sometimes it lingers” which is when she turns to her family to get her out of the funk.
“Having children is like maybe the greatest antidote to this because you come home and they don’t really care,” Dewan explained. “They’re like, ‘What am I having for dinner? And give me a bath and come read five books to me.’ And so you naturally have to switch your brain.”
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Dewan shares daughter Everly, 11, with ex-husband Channing Tatum. She also shares son Callum, 4, and daughter Rhiannon, 8 months, with fiancé Steve Kazee.
During season 7 of The Rookie, Dewan faced one of her darkest story lines after her character, Bailey, was kidnapped by her ex-husband, Jason, played by Kazee, 49. After years of domestic violence against Bailey, Jason was killed, but he still haunted her — especially in the Tuesday, February 18, episode of the ABC series.
The latest episode revealed Bailey coming face-to-face with another domestic violence survivor who helped her understand that she was in fact a victim. While Bailey has learned to lean on her husband, Officer John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), Dewan told Us it’s not always easy to leave those stories at the office.
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Dewan has implemented a series of self-help tactics to better help her pivot from character back to herself quicker.
“I can either reach out to somebody and talk to somebody and call somebody on the phone or take a bath, take a long hot shower and [start] visualizing and sort of draining off me into the drain and down with the water,” she told Us. “There’s some visualization techniques that I’ve done with certain more intense days on set.”
The Step Up actress noted that she has a “toolbox of how to play intense roles and not let it linger.”
Although Dewan can step back into her home life after a long day on set, she knows that isn’t the case for many domestic violence victims. Dewan appreciates The Rookie shining a light on the truths that come with this type of situation.
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“I felt like I gained a lot more insight and empathy into domestic violence victims just in the reading of the scenes and researching it,” she shared, adding, “I do hope that there are people, women and men that are watching this, that feel seen in some way and maybe even unlocks something they didn’t think of before and helps them in their own life.”
Dewan said that she has gotten a “couple messages” from people who have connected with the Jason and Bailey story line. Fans who have told her, “’I’ve been in a situation like this. I’ve had a [man] that’s really hunted me down and never let go. And you’re giving me hope that I can move on and find a relationship that’s healthy and that gets me and sees me.’”
While Dewan has been grateful that fans have reached out, she told Us, “It’s heartbreaking to think how many people are living with this kind of control and psychological [and] physical abuse in their [homes].”
The Rookie airs on ABC Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
