Clear As Krysten

Why actress Krysten Ritter is turning to her most famous role as inspirational for the journey of motherhood.

s someone who trod the path of a somewhat unconventional superhero (as Marvel’s Jessica Jones), and has segued her way between roles that invariably balance controversial with conflict, you might imagine that actress Krysten Ritter’s approach to motherhood takes a similarly unconventional path.

And yet, despite the strength of her roles as enlightened feminist Dee-Ann in Big Eyes; in portraying Gia Goodman, daughter of Woody, in Veronica Mars; and her acclaimed stint as tattoo artist Jane Margolis in season two of Breaking Bad, the 37-year-old’s approach to parenting is every bit as considered, collected and calm as you might expect of an actress who has spent her career skirting sedate costume dramas.

“I’m finding the experience completely peaceful,” she says, of raising her son Bruce, born on July 29 to partner Adam Granduciel, frontman and songwriter for indie rock band The War on Drugs.

Bruce Julian Knight Granofsky, to give him his full name, has been well protected from the public gaze by the couple, who have only recently emerged back into focus themselves after taking some well-earned time away from two busy, intensely creative lives.

“It has been a breathless time and I’m starting to look at new projects now,” says Krysten, “but with the focus remaining on this incredible new thing I own. I feel that will always now come first… how can it not?”

Ritter’s ability to own an audience certainly came to the fore in 2015 when she landed one of the most intriguing and arresting roles on the television landscape. As Jessica Jones, she played a private investigator suffering from PTSD following a violent end to an abusive relationship, and the Netflix series catapulted an already-established star into the realm of superhero stardom.

For someone who had seemingly landed a golden route to the very top layer of big-screen blockbusters, was the decision to take time away a difficult one to come to terms with?

“I’ve worked a good few years and I felt I was ready for a break,” she says. “I’m never the sort of person to hold on to something out of fear, so really it has been quite easy for me and I’ve been very calm.

“I think, in terms of parenting, Jessica gave me the confidence to be myself and not subscribe to the stereotype of how a mother should be or the rules she should follow.

“Jessica’s a total misfit as far as her place in the Marvel universe is concerned, and that’s what makes her so interesting. She’s a badass when she needs to be but she’s also extremely sensitive and vulnerable, and I think that describes not just a lot of mothers out there, but a lot of people. We all have our moments of power and determination, but then again we all reserve the right to be affected by the very smallest of things, and it’s important we recognise both. “From right at the start I did suppose Jessica Jones was really more a of a female character study, at heart.”

The tall (5’9”), lithe Ritter grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania before moving to New York City after being signed by Elite Model Management. She always longed to become an actress and began doing commercials and working in theatre before landing parts in a variety of TV series. Dividing her time between homes in Los Angeles and New York (where Jessica Jones was shot), Krysten’s relationship with The War On Drugs rocker Adam Granduciel began in 2014. Things began to escalate relatively quickly, and there was little surprise then when the pregnancy was announced at the start of 2018.

As for the type of mother Ritter aims to be, she admits she came from a home where her own mother forced her to confront and try new things, and that she almost certainly wouldn’t be where she is today were it not for that drive. “It was my mother actually who heard that Elite were holding a contest at the local mall,” she says referencing how she took her first steps into modelling as a 15-year-old.

“I’d been arguing all day with her and I didn’t want to go because I thought I’d just make a fool of myself. But my mother finally got me to come with her and when we arrived the contest was already over!

“Then we started to argue in the middle of the mall and it was then that someone from Elite came up to me and said, ‘Hello, have you ever thought about becoming a model?’ That was how it all started.

“I’m not sure I’d want to be quite that forceful with my own children, but certainly it’s right to open them up to as much as possible, and it’s surely a parent’s job to give their children the belief that they can aspire to be something that, at first glance, might seem unachievable.

Since Krysten and Adam welcomed baby Bruce, they’ve maintained a level of privacy that is to be expected for a couple embarking on the adventure of family. Back in the spotlight in October for the El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie premiere, the actress looked confident, even if her emotions were perhaps less bullish. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to the attention, and I won’t be one of those people who show off their child. Going out without Bruce for the first time was a really difficult thing to do but I know it’ll get easier and it’s just one of those things you have to get past as a parent.

“The truth is I don’t like going to red-carpet events and getting all glammed up anyway – my usual look is flat shoes and some 90s-style dress; so if I can’t do it for promotional events I’m not going to be doing it with a family in tow when I’m heading out to buy the weekly shop! That’s my way and I know it’s the right way.”