Kerris Dorsey grew up on “Ray Donovan.” As Bridget Donovan, the eldest child of the LA fixer (Liev Schreiber) and his wife Abby (Paula Malcomson), the 21-year-old actress was a teenager when she started on the show, in 2013. It’s been quite an education, kind of like high school and college combined. Dorsey has seen Bridget evolve into the kind of kid who wanted nothing to do with her criminal family and then devolve, in true Donovan fashion, from idealistic college student to murder witness and kidnapping victim to butcher — in Season 6, she unblinkingly picked up a buzzsaw and severed the limbs of one of her kidnappers. She has also mourned the loss of her mother, who died of cancer in Season 5, and married Smitty (Graham Rogers), a cancer survivor, on the rebound.
It’s been a lot of living, a lot of crying and some dying for the young actress, who learned to cry on camera during an especially gory murder scene.
Dorsey spoke to The Post about her TV education by phone from her home in Los Angeles.
How much does Bridget miss her mother?
So much of her behavior stems from the loss of her mother. She was the real anchor of the family. That drives so much of her decision-making.
How did Bridget fall in love with her husband?
He had cancer, just like her mom. Her world was crumbling and she met another person who related to that part of her life. It felt right at the time. He understood what she’d been through and understood what that trauma was like. And he was blond. He represented a lot of things for her. Now she’s married to him.
This season, Bridget has strayed from her marriage to Smitty with this musician who has the improbable name of Adam Rain (Michael Esper). What is the attraction?
She’s looking for the antidote for what’s wrong in her life. He’s older. He presents as very intelligent, even though a lot of it is bravado. Adam has something she admires. We all like to blow up our lives.
What happened to Bridget’s higher education? Ray was so excited he put her on the plane when she left California for NYU.
She’s no longer enrolled. She’s in the school of life. During the year that Abby was so sick and Bridget was going back and forth so much. Attendance-wise, I can’t imagine they would have allowed her to stay enrolled.
Did you go to college?
I went to UC Santa Barbara for a short minute between seasons. I would like to go back to college. I don’t want to be dumb. I’m trying to enroll in the school of life and study on my own.
You did some late-night shoots early on in the series, when you were still a teenager. Who was there from your family?
My mother always came with me when I was under 18. At the studio, you have a set teacher and they’re also your social worker and you have to have your legal guardian. I was lucky my mom stayed on set for long hours and days. Her name is Missy Dorsey and she’s the best person in the world.
In Season 2, Bridget was in the car when her boyfriend, hip-hop artist Marvin Gaye Washington (Octavius J. Johnson) had his head blown off. What was it like filming such a violent scene?
I’m pretty good at separating the scene [I’m doing] from my personal life and mental health. At that point in my acting life, it was really hard to cry on command. In that scene, there was a squib that sprayed blood and brains on my face and I felt very in the moment. I just connected to [the emotion] and it was so easy for me to cry.
Bridget crossed a line after Ray rescued her from her kidnappers. She picked up a buzzsaw and sliced off the limbs of the kidnappers. Can you comment?
The kidnapping and the chainsaw was a nice release of energy. I don’t think you can go back from that. It’s a ceremonial thing. I’m always kind of upset when you feel like a character has some hope and can escape. As an actor, I would much rather become one of the Donovan clan, but I feel sorry for Bridget.
“Ray Donovan” airs at 8 p.m. Sunday on Showtime