Who plays Monica on The Rookie? Actress's career and notable projects, explored

On The Rookie, Bridget Regan steps into the role of Monica Stevens, first seen in Season 5. Introduced as a defense attorney with criminal connections, she doesn’t stay confined to the courtroom for long.

By the following The Rookie seasons, her character pushes past legal maneuvering and becomes a full-fledged antagonist, openly battling the LAPD and directing her own schemes. The shift from Elijah Stone’s representative to a self-driven mastermind marks one of the sharpest turns in the series.

Regan’s career before The Rookie helps explain the strength she brings to Monica. She carried Legend of the Seeker as Kahlan Amnell, a part that ran across 44 episodes and built her a strong fan base.

Later, she joined The Last Ship in its final three seasons, playing Sasha Cooper, a diplomat with ties to military intelligence. Both roles were very different, but each showed she could ground a character in authority and intensity, qualities that make her version of Monica stand out on screen.

Bridget Regan’s road to playing Monica Stevens on The Rookie

Bridget Regan has built a career on variety, and her role as Monica Stevens on The Rookie is just the latest proof of that. After finishing her drama degree at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, she chased acting in New York before moving into television and film.

Her first real breakthrough came with Legend of the Seeker (2008–2010), where she played Kahlan Amnell across 44 episodes. That role earned her a loyal following and showed she could anchor a fantasy series with ease. From there, she moved into a mix of projects that stretched her range.

On White Collar, she played Rebecca Lowe, who at first looked like a romantic partner for Neal Caffrey but revealed herself to be a con artist. That shift helped her land more layered work, including her long-running arc in Jane the Virgin. As Rose, or Sin Rostro, she turned into one of the show’s central villains, driving storylines for years. Around the same time, she joined Agent Carter as Dottie Underwood, a ruthless assassin who could stand toe-to-toe with Peggy Carter.

She went in a different direction on TNT’s The Last Ship, joining in the final three seasons as Sasha Cooper, a diplomat with military ties, which let her lean into action storytelling. Then came another big-name role when she played Pamela Isley, better known as Poison Ivy, on Batwoman. That performance tapped into a comic book icon while fitting the show’s darker style.

Regan’s work hasn’t been limited to TV. She appeared in John Wick (2014) as Addy and led Devil’s Gate (2017) as Maria Pritchard. She has also taken the stage, from Broadway’s Is He Dead? to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in Los Angeles. More recently, she popped up in 9-1-1 (2025) as Moira Blake, once again proving she can adapt to different formats without missing a beat.

Looking across her career, Regan has avoided being boxed into one type, moving easily between fantasy, superhero roles, legal dramas, and thrillers. That flexibility is exactly why Monica Stevens works so well, she brings pieces of all that experience into a character built to push The Rookie in new directions.

Bridget Regan as Monica Stevens on The Rookie

Monica Stevens quickly became one of The Rookie’s most unpredictable characters, and Bridget Regan gave her scenes an edge that made them hard to ignore. Introduced in Season 5 as Elijah Stone’s defense attorney, Monica immediately set herself apart by weaponizing her legal skills against the LAPD.

One early standout moment came when she confronted Wesley Evers, her ex-fiancé, in court. The personal history between them gave their exchanges extra bite, especially when Monica used that tension to gain leverage.

Her darker turn came in The Rookie Season 6’s Punch Card, when she survived a home invasion and later killed her attacker in his hospital bed. Rather than play the victim, Monica coldly poisoned him and whispered she’d see him in hell. It showed just how far she had crossed from lawyer to ruthless operator. Another defining moment arrived in Escape Plan, where she kidnapped Blair London and tried to trade her to a trafficker in Argentina.

The Rookie Season 7 raised the stakes even higher. In Speed, Monica orchestrated a bus hijacking to steal a government key card, using Denise Summers as a pawn and even threatening Denise’s child to keep her quiet. It was a clear demonstration of her manipulative streak, showing she had no limits when it came to control.

Finally, her appearance in The Rookie Season 7 finale, The Good, the Bad, and the Oscar, was perhaps her boldest moment yet. Walking into Homeland Security with immunity, Monica smirked at Nolan and asked, "Miss me?” It was a perfect reminder of who she is: a lawyer-turned-criminal mastermind who always finds a way to stay one step ahead.

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