Kyra Sedgwick closes a chapter

NEW YORK — Two golden statuettes sit atop a small table in Kyra Sedgwick's book-filled, high-ceilinged living room. The first is the Emmy she won last year, after being nominated for the fifth consecutive time, for portraying pugnacious, persistent cop Brenda Johnson on TNT's top-rated drama The Closer.

And the second?

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The mention of it elicits throaty chuckles from Sedgwick. "It's our little mini Oscar in hopes that one of us will maybe bring it home one year," says the actress, 45, who has been married to fellow actor Kevin Bacon for 22 years.

It's safe to say that the future sure looks golden for Sedgwick. The actress is handing in Johnson's badge this season after playing her for seven indefatigable years on the series. And yes, she's a little misty-eyed about leaving the role that made Sedgwick, a career working thespian, a star. But she's also invigorated and energized by almost being a free agent again.

"I just felt like, 'Why not leave when we're on top?'" says Sedgwick, clad in jeans and a loose purple top, and curled up on her comfortable sofa. "Seven years is an incredibly long time. For me, I wanted to do other things creatively."

She's not sure what that is, exactly. Sedgwick is itching to get back into theater. She has two films in the can: the horror flick Dibbuk Box and the thriller Man on a Ledge, out next year. And she's developing a movie based on the National Book Award-winning Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr, with AnnaSophia Robb attached to star.

She'd also like to spend more time with her husband, after being away from their Manhattan home base for at least six months out of every year to shoot The Closer in Los Angeles. Ultimately for Sedgwick, says Closer executive producer James Duff, none of the show's critical accolades, the impressive ratings, the Emmy and Golden Globe nominations and wins could measure up against not seeing her better half every day.

"People can't believe she's leaving the show, but at some point, your personal life has to matter. Doing a show for seven years and being away from your husband for most of that — she's been separated from her family for months at a time, and that's something she takes very much to heart," Duff says. "She and Kevin never seem as happy as when they are together. You can tell when he's around. She's so happy and has more energy and smiles more. She's just more herself."

Sedgwick and Bacon's kids, Travis, 22, and Sosie, 19, are out of the house: He's graduating college this year; she's away at school. So, the first thing Sedgwick will do when she's back home for good and all alone with her hubby?

"I'll probably worry about getting work. Knowing me, I'll be like, 'This is so great, I'll be the lady who lunches and goes to exercise class and reads books.' And then I'll wonder why the phone isn't ringing. There's a lot of fear about stepping into the unknown," she says with that husky laugh.

Intense Brenda leaves her mark

Sedgwick — a respected actress who, over a 26-year career, has appeared in films such as 1992's Singles, 1995's Something to Talk About and 2004's The Woodsman— is the first to acknowledge that being Brenda has been a boon for her career. And for TNT. Last summer, The Closer averaged 7.6 million viewers a week, second only to its TNT Monday schedule-mate, Rizzoli & Isles, both representing the highest-rated scripted cable series. Being on a hit show, Sedgwick says, made her more confident. "I feel like it certainly puts me on the list. I'm in people's minds because I've been around for a long time. That's been a help, for sure."

But playing Brenda, a headstrong, in-your-face detective who specializes in eliciting confessions with whatever means necessary, exacted something of a toll on Sedgwick, who finds the character both fascinating and exhausting.

"She's a bundle of contradictions, and she's dealing with at least 10 very intense emotions in every episode. It's a little hard to shake off. I find myself having darker dreams," Sedgwick says. "I think sometimes when I'm home, I'm not 100% there, maybe, because I'm always thinking about her and the show."

So being Brenda makes Sedgwick more aggressive, hostile, domineering? Sedgwick, all loose curls and wide eyes, shakes her head.

"It does definitely rub off in areas that I probably wish that it wouldn't. I'm a little bossy, a little more controlling than usual — although I'm a controlling person, I know I am. I have these really strong images of terrible things happening to people. I can be walking across the street and imagine myself getting hurt."

Like Brenda, Sedgwick is driven, committed to her work and something of a perfectionist, says Duff, who's developing a spinoff series called Major Crimes.

"She has a drive to excel. But it also exhausts her in some ways. She doesn't put down anything. She has to do everything as well as she can," he says. "She's generous with other actors and with other collaborators, but she expects that drive from other people, as well. She expects people to come and do their best."

A notable difference between Sedgwick and her alter ego: "Kyra is a lot nicer than Brenda," says her co-star Corey Reynolds.

So much so that Sedgwick helps organize themed cast and crew parties on Friday nights. "She's a catalyst for a lot of this celebrating and fun. She sets the tone so people come to work and enjoy themselves. It's very family-oriented. She'll buy costumes and prizes. She's really been a gift," he says.

Has Sedgwick thought about how she'd like Brenda to close out the series?

"I wanted a really dark ending for her, but I don't think James will have it. Go down in a blaze of glory. James loves this character," she says. "The theme of this season is love and loss, which is appropriate. The season centers on her getting her comeuppance in terms of all the morally ambiguous ways she elicits confessions. The (expletive) will hit the fan."

An upside to her absence

For Sedgwick, at least, it's easier to focus on her job now that the kids are out of the house. Neither Travis nor especially Sosie wanted to move to L.A., so Bacon stayed with them in New York while Mom worked on the West Coast for half the year, or more. She flew home during breaks and weekends and was back for good when the show was on hiatus. Being away from them for big chunks of time was "much harder when the kids were younger. That was excruciating. But it worked out. They're intact," Sedgwick says. "It's a little strange to have your heart in two places, but I've grown to like L.A., which is the good news."

Still, she is visibly pleased and relieved when discussing her permanent return home to the Upper West Side apartment she and Bacon bought in 1997. Sedgwick, who in person is vivacious and curious, is also an optimist. Being away from her family was rough, but there was an upside: Travis and Sosie's tighter bond with Bacon, borne out of proximity when Mom was working.

"How lucky is any daughter to feel safe and taken care of by their father? It's a wonderful thing. I'm a very big personality. Certainly having me gone has by necessity created a more intimate relationship with both my kids and him. It's a huge gift."

Her kids don't watch their parents' movies or shows — even Bacon's ultra-cool blockbuster X-Men: First Class. They don't think of them as actors, only as Mom and Dad, who walk the two dogs in Central Park.

As a family, Sedgwick says, "we're pretty boring and normal. While it can never be normal for them because their parents are so much in the public eye, it's all they've ever known. But it's not a normal way to grow up, having people interrupting situations and not being anonymous. They've handled it so beautifully."

Last year, Sedgwick made peace with being an official empty nester. Thankfully, she jokes, she did most of her crying away from Sosie, who was busy finishing high school here.

"The idea of it was so terrifying. The year before last, I was so freaked out. I went through so much — I really processed it, the loss and the grieving over that part of my life. By the time it actually got there, it was OK. This year has been good. I've seen them a lot, the kids. They come home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. And Sosie isn't that far away, which is nice."

Sedgwick isn't just embracing change. She's grabbing it with both hands into a full-body bear hug.

"For seven years, I've known that for six months out of the year, I'd be working incredibly hard. I love that. I'm a workhorse actor. I love that kind of intensity. I think it's going to be a void I won't even know how to fill for a while," she says.

"Hopefully, work will come. But as afraid as I am, I'm excited, too. It's terrifying. But we don't have any control over anything. It's an illusion. I hope that my work continues to fulfill me as much as it did on The Closer."