Actress, Nicole Brydon Bloom
Michael Simon/Getty Images for Decoy Wines
Nicole Brydon Bloom is entering a new chapter—one defined by career expansion, motherhood, and a growing confidence in her ability to decide what comes next. The actress, whose career has gained momentum through roles in HBO’s The Gilded Age and Hulu’s Paradise, is also navigating a deeply personal new chapter: motherhood. After welcoming her first child earlier this year, Bloom says she’s reached a place in her life where she feels more grounded, less rushed, and increasingly intentional about what comes next.
“I honestly probably feel like the most grounded that I’ve ever been in my life, which is really refreshing,” Bloom tells me. “I think maybe it’s becoming a mom or just kind of reaching this point in my career, but things don’t feel as overwhelming or as urgent as they used to.”
I spoke with Bloom on September 2 at Decoy Wines’ intimate Pour to What’s Possible dinner at Wally’s Beverly Hills, where she served as the evening’s host ahead of the Creative Arts Emmys. The gathering brought together actors, writers, directors, producers, editors, composers, executives, and media for conversations around storytelling, creative ambition, career momentum, and future opportunities.
Bloom was a natural fit for the evening’s theme. She is experiencing a moment when professional and personal milestones are happening simultaneously, while her career has been shaped by taking chances, seeking mentorship, and advocating for opportunities she wanted.
Decoy’s evening also marked the launch of its inaugural Pour to What’s Possible Grant, which will award $10,000 to one emerging creative professional pursuing a future project, career opportunity, or professional milestone. For Bloom, the initiative resonated personally. “I’ve only had the success that I’ve had in this life because of mentors and because of people who I met along the way,” she says.
As she looks toward what comes next, however, Bloom isn’t approaching her career with the same urgency she once did. “I just feel like I trust myself more, and that feels wonderful,” she says.
Motherhood Has Changed How She Thinks About Time
Becoming a mother has given Bloom a different perspective on time—and on the opportunities she chooses to pursue. “An hour that used to mean nothing, or a day of work, or watching TV or reading something—now I have so much joy with my son,” she says.
That has made her more selective about the projects she wants to take on next. “It’s led me to being a little bit more selective about what I want to work on next and what I want to say yes to,” Bloom says.
Her ambition hasn’t diminished. If anything, she has a clearer understanding of why the work matters to her. “As important as this job is to me, and I hope I get to do it forever, I love that my life right now feels so much fuller,” she says. “My personal life is equally important, if not more important—definitely more important.”
For Bloom, the challenge is figuring out how to allow both parts of her life to thrive. “Finding a way to balance work and family is going to be a challenge forever,” she says. One person who has helped her think through that challenge is her The Gilded Age co-star Carrie Coon, whom Bloom considers a mentor. Coon is a mother of two and was pregnant with her second child while filming the series. Bloom remembers asking Coon how she managed the demands of a career that can require long hours and extensive travel while also being a parent.
“She was like, ‘You just take it one day at a time, and you can do both,’” Bloom recalls. Coon also emphasized the importance of having a team behind you, whether that means childcare, a supportive partner, or mentors who can provide guidance.
For Bloom, that support has been critical. “My husband has been able to stay home while I’ve been working, and mentors like her who help me with work and with life questions—like that’s just been so, so important,” she says.
Creating Opportunities Instead Of Waiting For Them
Bloom’s own career trajectory has also been shaped by a willingness to pursue opportunities before they were guaranteed. She credits mentors and relationships with helping her get to where she is today, but she also understands the importance of being proactive.
Her path to The Gilded Age offers a particularly telling example. A longtime fan of Downton Abbey, Bloom learned years before The Gilded Age premiered that creator Julian Fellowes was developing a series set in New York.
Instead of waiting to see whether an opportunity might eventually come her way, she started figuring out how she could make herself part of it. “I was like, ‘I have to be a part of that. How do I make that happen?’” she recalls. She reached out to her agents and managers, told them how passionate she was about the project and asked what she could do to prepare.
That experience connects directly to the philosophy behind Decoy’s new grant. Bloom says some of the best advice she received early in her career was to create work when opportunities weren’t readily available.
“A lot of what I was told when I was younger is, if the work isn’t there, if it’s not showing up, or you don’t have access to it yet, create your own work,” she says. That advice remains relevant for emerging artists navigating an entertainment industry where access to financing, relationships, and mentorship can determine whether an idea moves forward.
Why Decoy’s Grant Matters To Her
That is part of what made Bloom excited to host Decoy’s Pour to What’s Possible dinner. The brand’s inaugural grant will give one emerging creative professional $10,000 toward a project, career opportunity, or professional goal. Bloom believes creating opportunities for people who may not yet have extensive career resources can be transformative.
“I think it’s so important,” she says. She describes the entertainment industry as a vulnerable place to build a career because creatives often have to believe in an idea before anyone else will.
“You kind of have to take a leap of faith and say, ‘Okay, I believe in myself. I think I can do this, and I want to make it happen. And how do I do that?’” A financial investment can give someone the extra push needed to turn that belief into action.
“With this grant, just giving someone that extra step is going to be so, so impactful,” Bloom says. The dinner itself was designed around that same concept of creating connections. As host, Bloom encouraged guests to move around the table, meet people outside their immediate circles, and engage in conversations that went beyond traditional industry small talk.
For Bloom, who says relationships have been foundational to her career, those connections are invaluable. “I love that tonight is such an intimate evening,” she says. “Meeting new people can lead to something new and exciting.”
A Career That Doesn’t Have To Follow A Straight Line
Bloom is also embracing the idea that success doesn’t have to look the same at every stage of life. Several years ago, she wasn’t married, didn’t have a child, and wasn’t working on the television shows she is working on now.
“I was hoping to one day,” she says. “And I’m so happy to be here now.” That realization has helped her become more comfortable saying yes and no. “I feel a little bit more okay going along for the ride, and saying yes to certain things, but also no to other things,” she says. “Just building a life and a career that can go together in tandem.”
For women watching her navigate professional growth alongside motherhood, Bloom believes there is too much pressure to have every stage of life figured out by a predetermined timeline. “I think there’s so much pressure on women, in particular, to have everything figured out and to have things done by a certain time,” she says.
Her own experience has taught her something different. “Life isn’t linear, and career definitely isn’t linear,” Bloom says. “Sometimes an opportunity looks like saying yes to your dream role, and other times it just means taking a deep breath and focusing on yourself, or your family, or your personal life, and just trusting the process.”
For Bloom, trusting that process has meant allowing her priorities to change without interpreting that change as a loss of ambition. “I’ve always been so passionate about being an actress and telling these stories, and that hasn’t changed,” she says. “But sometimes my priority shifts because my family needs me more.”
The lesson she wants other women to take from her experience is that they don’t have to choose one identity at the expense of another. “You don’t have to be tethered to one thing or the other,” Bloom says. “You can kind of do it all. You just have to find a balance, which is hard, and I don’t know that I do it correctly, but it is possible.”
For Bloom, what’s possible looks different today than it did five or 10 years ago. It looks like a growing acting career, new motherhood, meaningful mentorship, and the confidence to decide where—and with whom—she wants to spend her time. And as she enters her next chapter, she isn’t trying to have all the answers.
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