Angie Harmon loved that Rizzoli & Isles captured women in a fearless way

Angie Harmon started acting in 1995 after being discovered on a plane by Baywatch‘s David Hasselhoff. She was a supermodel at the time, who didn’t know where acting would take her, but she took the risk anyway. And we’re glad she did. Harmon portrayed Jane Rizzoli on the popular TNT crime drama Rizzoli & Isles for seven seasons from 2010-2016.

The show had many perks for the actress, including the opportunity to work with Sasha Alexander. “You know what? I am having the best time,” Harmon told The Columbian in a 2010 interview. “Sasha Alexander is one of the most wonderful women, and I keep thinking, ‘I must have done something right to end up in a situation like this.’ It’s like going to school every day or to work every day with your friends. It’s just so fun.”

The connection between Harmon, Alexander and the rest of the cast and crew could be felt throughout the run of the series. Even viewers felt connected to the series, and Harmon explained why they possibly felt that way.

“If you want a roller coaster ride, watch our show,” she added. “We don’t have to dumb it down for the audience, and we take real pride in that. We have left the adventure and puzzle up to them to figure out; we include the audience as the detective or the enemy or the parents who have lost their child. We don’t just walk in and magically figure out everything.”

She also appreciated that Rizzoli & Isles shared a network with shows like The Closer and Saving Grace — all women-led series that steered away from the stereotypical view of women characters. It showed them in a dimmer yet necessary light that captured both the upside and downside of being a woman with power.

“We get to be darker, we get to be scarier, we get to be sexier. We just get to do more, and I just really love that. As colorful as life is, being on cable allows us to capture that more accurately.”