Lawrence grew up watching Mulgrew as Mary Ryan on the soap opera "Ryan's Hope". As Lawrence came from a family where women more often than not became homemakers, Mary Ryan was an "exotic" character—with her career and life in New York City—who served as inspiration. On the set of "Star Trek: Voyager" the two actresses spoke frequently about their careers, their backgrounds in theatre, and the struggles of balancing home and professional requirements. Lawrence felt that her relationship with Mulgrew influenced the relationship between their characters on screen. Mulgrew praised Lawrence's performance in "The 37's", saying that " really played the hell out of that role".