CRIMINAL MINDS: AJ COOK
By: Michaela Hapgood
The first thing I think about when I hear the name AJ Cook is beauty. I don’t mean the kind of outside beauty that most people would associate with her. Yes, while she is a beautiful woman, she is also strong, intelligent, faithful, loyal, talented and so much more. Even without thinking AJ has dedicated more time to her fans then needed – and she has never asked for anything in return. Even when she had her young son at home, AJ spent the time making sure each and every one of her fans felt special. Even when I am sure she would have rather been at home with her son, she turned up to set to do her job. Not to make money. Not to make herself famous, but to make a show for the fans, for the simple love of doing it. AJ seems to have this beautiful sense of humanity and although I have never been lucky enough to meet her, it is clear that she treats everyone with love and respect, and if that doesn’t show a beautiful person, I don’t know what does.
The first time I ever saw AJ on screen was in The Virgin Suicides, I was 10 years old and I wasn’t supposed to watch the movie, but something about AJ just drew me in. I didn’t care if I got in trouble for being up past my bed time or for watching a movie I knew that was too old for me. From that instant I knew that she was an incredible special person and I knew to expect great things from her. I have follow AJ’s career since then, in each of her movies and shows leading to Criminal Minds, and it makes me so happy to say that it doesn’t seem as though the success she has had has changed her. She is a down to earth girl who acts for the love of acting. She isn’t trying to make a name for herself in the heart of Hollywood, and for me that shows a real actress.
Over the past few months especially, watching AJ on Criminal Minds has been a sort of release for me, I don’t care how stupid or silly it sounds. Life has been hard and I have been looking forward to that hour a week when she was on my screen. Her portray of JJ has also reinforced my passion to fight for my goals. Having AJ and the character she plays on Criminal Minds as a role model, I don’t think it would actually be possibly for me to fail. AJ is what drew me to Criminal Minds five years ago. Before I fell in love with the show, she was the one that drew me in every week. Her character brings an empathy and lightness to the show which it would otherwise be lacking and without her there every week, I would find it too hard to watch.
I will continue to support AJ in whatever path life may take her down, I just hope that I am able to continue to show my support for her as the character of Jennifer Jareau, because the idea of not being able too, is just too painful to comprehend.
I could sit here for hours and write about the beautiful person she is, never doing her justice, I just hope that the powers that be see how amazing she is before it is too late, but whatever happens, I just hope that AJ knows that we will always be here for her, to love and support her in whatever she does next.
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Now, to stop crying.
