Kyra Sedgwick: 'People in NY and LA Have Narrower View' of Race, Abortion and Women's Rights

Actress Krya Sedgwick said Friday that "people who live in New York and Los Angeles, they have a narrower view of the way people behave, of what’s important to people."

After telling PBS's Tavis Smiley, "I hope I don’t get in trouble for saying this," Sedgwick said this included race, abortion, and women's rights (video follows with transcript and commentary):

KYRA SEDGWICK: The other interesting phenomenon about my show, and I can say this now that it’s done, is that we were a phenomenal hit in the red states, not so much in New York and Los Angeles. And that probably is a good thing for me ultimately. And I think that when I was doing it, I was frustrated because, you know, it wasn’t like Madmen. You know, it wasn’t like, you know, all those shows that the Hollywood people watch. I mean, I literally can remember my agent saying to me, “Nobody in Hollywood watches your show." And I was insulted initially, but now I think of it as actually kind of a good thing.

TAVIS SMILEY: I think I get it, but why stronger in red and not so strong in blue? I think I understand it.

SEDGWICK: I think because we were just never thought of as a cool, hip show, and I also think that people underestimated the greatness of the show because it was a procedural, and I think that TNT is just more popular in the red states. I don’t really know why, but I love that. That makes me so happy. I mean, that just makes me so happy. They are so middle of the country that I feel like New York and Los Angeles, like, we ignore it. But, they are…

SMILEY: I’m glad you said that because I wanted to ask, and I will, what you think that says about the industry.

SEDGWICK: I think that, you know, we have a narrow view, I really do. I think that people who live in New York and Los Angeles they have a narrower view of the way people behave, of what’s important to people - I hope I don’t get in trouble for saying this, but what the hell – of, you know, of the, of race, of acceptance of, you know, of, you know, abortion and women's rights. I mean,

I think that there’s a swath, there’s a giant, you know, there’s a huge difference between what people politically believe and what interests people in Los Angeles and what interests people in New York, and what they believe politically. It’s just very different, and I think to ignore that is really cutting yourself out of a huge part of your population that I feel, I don’t know, I feel they’re under-represented, and I think that was the great thing about [her Closer character] Brenda Lee.

Sedgwick might indeed regret making these comments because history has shown actors telling such inconvenient truths can get penalized for it.

Just last month, Kelsey Grammer said he was snubbed by the Emmys for having come out of the closet as a conservative.

Of course, Sedgwick is certainly no right-winger having very outspoken liberal views on the environment.

Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see how folks in Hollywood react to her comments Friday.

Stay tuned.