LEGACY AND BEYOND | TITUS WELLIVER

For over a decade, we have enjoyed the BOSCH universe from the flagship series to its spin-off BOSCH: LEGACY. We've loved getting to know more about Harry Bosch; his focus on helping victims; and finding those that have hurt them to bring them to justice. The series finale will close this chapter of the BOSCH universe, but we are also looking forward to the spin-off of this series with Ballard which stars Maggie Q (Nikita, The Protégé, Designated Survivor)!

We had the pleasure of talking with Titus Welliver (The Town, Deadwood, Sons of Anarchy) who plays the title character ahead of the premiere of BOSCH: LEGACY, and it is only fitting that we chat with him again! We talked about how he became part of both series, what he has enjoyed about playing this character, as well as digging into Harry Bosch.

ATHLEISURE MAG: It’s so great to connect with you again. I had the pleasure of interviewing you ahead of the premier of BOSCH: LEGACY for the first season. In addition to loving this series, I’m a fan of the flagship series BOSCH. What initially drew you to the BOSCH universe?

TITUS WELLIVER: Well the script, I had read one of the BOSCH books many, many years before and it certainly did land on me. But it had been several years before the script for the pilot was put in front of me and I was immediately drawn to the character, I understood the character, I thought about how I would play that character, what was important and what wasn’t important etc., etc.

Through a series of mishaps in trying to get me in the room with Michael Connelly, the other producers, and the other creators of the show, the meetings kept not happening. Several months went by and I was shooting one of the Transformers films which took me all over the United States as well as to Hong Kong and I had a little window that was open and I was back in the States and my manager called me and said, you’re going to meet with Michael Connelly in 2 days or something like that.

I said, “what do you mean? I thought that that boat sailed a long time ago.” My initial reaction when I read it was that I loved this character, but I had been doing it long enough to know that you never know what is going to happen. I thought that of course, they would go out to every single star name and what actor wouldn’t want to play this character?

AM: Right!

TW: So I met with them and as fate had it, I was gifted the role of Harry Bosch which had the continuing gift of 10 years, almost 11 years, of playing this character and realizing him.

AM: I mean, I love this character and I love his complexities and that he loves jazz. My great-uncle was the late Joe Henderson –

TW: Stop it!

AM: Yeah!

TW: Wow! That’s very cool! Wow!

AM: Yeah, so every time he’s playing his music, I love that because I’m always listening to jazz to settle my mind and I love his interactions with the other characters in his world.

What is it that you love about bringing this character to life?

TW: Well, he is a quintessential anti-hero and I tend to gravitate towards anti-heroes because I think that there is a different level of reality and humanity to anti-heroes. Bosch is a character that is capable of incredible heroic deeds, he is a very very good cop, he’s relentless. If a person is a victim of a crime, you would want him working the case, but you know, he’s a strong flavor. He doesn’t suffer fools, he does not subscribe to the societal norms that we might. He does not enter a room and try to win people over.

AM: There’s no tucking in there!

TW: Right! He doesn’t navigate bureaucracy with standard operating procedures. He does a workaround. Bosch is – because of all of that, he is all elbows. He’s not the status quo cat. So command – he pisses people off. He irritates people. But people can’t really – people don’t want to really push him too much because he’s the guy that has got the highest closure rate in Hollywood Homicide. Hence that relationship which was forged between the late great Lance Riddick (The Wire, Fringe, John Wick franchise), my brother, who I miss every day. And when Irving’s son is killed, he enlists Bosch to help him. And that speaks volumes about it because he is such a stone in Irving’s shoe, but Irving knows the fabric of his character and that is one of the many beautiful things about Bosch.

Then you have his beautiful relationship with his daughter. I didn’t have to put my elbows out with the writers when I said, “look, let this be a relationship that gestates.” They don’t know each other and let’s allow this through a natural process and have them get to know each other. That relationship is the dynamic that allowed us to – without being contrived, peel away a little bit of the layers of Bosch that he could express vulnerability, which is not something that he is comfortable with in any shape or form in expressing vulnerability. He’s just not, but he does with his child because she is the most important person in his life.

But also within that, there are times when he conceals things that he doesn’t want her to know about.

AM: Yeah! Which is so interesting to see when you’re watching him with each character as it’s different elements of him that you can tell it’s the same man, but it’s really interesting. Via the screeners, we have gotten up to episode 8 at this point. I want to know what’s going to happen, but what I love about him is how he is measured and with all of these elements at play, this one man holds all of that in the balance which is interesting and obviously, you play him so well.

TW: Well thank you! He carries a tremendous amount of weight as a character. That is another reason why I love playing him. Look, all of that is demonstrated or exhibited in the process of reading all of Michael’s books. Because the narrative tells you what Bosch is thinking and what he is doing. Thankfully, I had a conversation with Eric Overmyer (Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order, The Wire) and Michael Connelly very early on and I said, “look, this stuff where we find Harry in the books alone, doing his work – he’s listening and has Coltrane going, he’s having a Fat Tire and he’s drinking a whisky and is going through a murder book, that is expressed in the narrative, but he is not saying anything.” That is an integral part of who this character is. Now any executive who looks at that and says, “wait a minute, you’re actually going to go and put this character sitting alone in his house with just music playing and him flipping through pages, and he’s not saying anything?” – what? Are you kidding, people will turn it off. Well, it in fact became a hallmark of the show where the audience and for me as an actor honestly, those are some of the most challenging scenes to play because there’s so much said, but unsaid.

You don’t have the luxury of dialog to express that which I think is more interesting.

AM: 100%.

TW: You give the audience the benefit of their intelligence. You don’t need to go, “this is what you should feel, this is what you need to think right now.” They extrapolate from what they are seeing that’s occurring in front of them and they form their own ideas of what that should be. But there is a consistency with that when people see that stuff, where they go, “Harry’s working right now.” Through the beauty and the eye of our incredibly gifted cinematographers and directors as well, the way that they would shoot those things kept a level of ambiguity, but also said – you know that he is working, but we’re not going to tell you specifically what it is which for me is fun to watch too afterwards!

AM: Oh yeah, it just draws you in and it has such a fun pacing to it and it’s nice to have things where you need to connect the dots and see how it all happens. You don’t always need to have words to push everything forward.

So what are your feelings with the finale coming up of the series. I’m so sad that it is not continuing on. What are your takeaways from this?

TT: Well I look at it really as – I mean I agree and I feel sad about it. One can’t help, but make a connection with a character and an emotional bond. I’m not an actor who takes their work home or the character, I don’t carry his weight. But the joy of playing that character and the gift for me – opening those scripts as they came was like Christmas. It was like an advent calendar. Where is Harry going here? What do I get to explore? That has been for a decade of my life and it has been dedicated to that and to the relationships that I have with Michael Connelly, Eric Overmyer as well as Thomas Bernardo (BOSCH, The Lincoln Lawyer, BOSCH: LEGACY), the crew and the other actors that’s the hardest part of it. Look, you don’t see – there’s no closure. As Harry Bosch would say, closure is a myth. You don’t see Harry riding off into the sunset. We don’t close on Harry sitting alone in his house looking out the window while we’ve got some grand music playing in the background. So it doesn’t have that, it doesn’t have a sense of finality and yet, there is for us, there is that sense of finality.

AM: Well I appreciate you taking the time, I love the series, and the whole universe of it, and I love seeing you in any role that you’re in because if your name is on it, I know it’s going to be a great show as you’re one of the coolest people.

TW: Well bless you! That is a very kind thing to say and it’s been a pleasure talking to you and I hope that you enjoy the finale!

IG @boschamazon

@tituswelliverofficial

PHOTOS COURTESY | Prime Video/BOSCH: LEGACY

Read the APR ISSUE #113 of Athleisure Mag and see LEGACY AND BEYOND | Titus Welliver in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG #112 | CHEF MASAHARU MORIMOTO

In this month’s issue, our front and back cover story is with Restaurateur Master Chef Masaharu Morimoto who we first saw via Iron Chef Japan and then continued to Iron Chef America. Whether he is judging, participating in culinary competitions, opening more restaurants, or more - he is always focused on the power of food and how he can continue to entice us with flavors! On May 10th, he will be the Grand Marshal of the Japan Parade on Japan Day in Central Park West. We caught up with him to find out how he got into the industry, his passion for cooking, upcoming projects, and more!

Last month we had an incredible series of conversations with Co-Creator/Executive Producer, and writer Chris Brancato as well as cast members from MGM+’s Godfather of Harlem. We caught up with 2 additional cast members of this series, Elvis Nolasco and Erik LaRay Harvey.

We had the pleasure of chatting with Chef Esther Choi about her passion for Korean cuisine, her restaurants, and her upcoming season of Food Network’s 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing where she serves as co-host for this competition series. She also shared why she partnered with LISTERINE for a fun immersive culinary experience that we enjoyed as well.

This month, the NFL Draft took place and many people that we have enjoyed watching throughout their college career found out where they will be playing this season. We had the pleasure of connecting with QB Dillon Gabriel who played for the University of Oregon days before the draft to talk about his love for the game, how he trains, his partnership with Echelon Fitness, what the NFL Combine is, and what he is looking forward to in terms of the draft. We look forward to seeing him on the Cleveland Browns!

We caught up with noted designer Lele Sadoughi who collaborated with CHLOE Wines on a stunning bottle that we can enjoy. We talk about her line, creative process, and upcoming projects.

For over a decade, we have enjoyed seeing Titus Welliver playing Harry Bosch in Prime Video’s BOSCH and BOSCH: LEGACY! With BOSCH: LEGACY streaming its final season, we sat down with Titus to talk about how he came to this series, what it’s like to play this character, how he prepares, and the takeaways he learned from being in this series. We look forward to the spin-offs from this franchise.

We’ve been fans of Bachelor Nation from the first season and when we were first introduced to JoJo Fletcher in The Bachelor we knew that she was someone who we would continue to see - especially when she became The Bachelorette. Since then, she continues to share her entrepreneurial world with us. We talk with her about what it means to be part of Bachelor Nation, being an entrepreneur, and her latest project - Saint Spritz!

We’ve been a fan of WTA #2 doubles tennis star Taylor Townsend for years! When we caught up with her, we wanted to know more about what she loves about the game, how she trains, what it’s like playing singles vs. doubles and the legacy that she wants to leave!

We head to Singapore for this month's The Art of the Snack which takes us to 3 Michelin Star Zen. We chat with Chef TC and Chef Martin Ofner to find out about their culinary backgrounds, the ambiance of their restaurant, and what we can expect when we come in to dine there.

This month's Athleisure List comes from member’s only The Ra Ra Room located in Phoenix, Arizona - it’s definitely a culinary experience that you will want to know more about! We also talk about one of our favorite places to pop into after a day of running around - Tacombi. With multiple locations including a number here in NYC, it’s always an easy vibe.

This month we have our 9CH3F ROUTIN3S from our cover star, Chef Morimoto who talks about what he does Morning, Afternoon, and Night. This month's 9PLAYLIST MULTI comes Pro Surfer Brianna Cope who shares what she enjoys listening to, streaming, and reading. Our 63MIX ROUTIN3S comes from Dillon Gabriel and from Team USA Olympic Volleyballer Kelly Cheng they share what they enjoy having, doing, and being Morning, Afternoon, and Night. This month’s THE 9LIST STORI3S comes from JoJo Fletcher as well as Taylor Townsend. This month's THE 9LIST 9M3NU comes from Chef Johnny Chan Boon of The Ra Ra Room in Phoenix Arizona, Restaurateur and TV Personality Chef Esther Choi of Mokbar and GAHM, and Restaurateur, TV Personality, Author, Master Chef Morimoto - who shares with us what they enjoy about the Spring, ingredients that they enjoy cooking with, and what dishes we should try when we are at their restaurants.

Of course, we have a number of roundups that you can also check out from our must-haves to yours!

Read the APR ISSUE #112 of Athleisure Mag.

PATH TO SET | TETIANA GAIDAR

When we watch our favorite TV shows and movies, there are many people who come together in front of and behind the camera to bring a story to life. Some people hold roles which gives, us additional insight into the time, dedication and care that is involved for our programs!

This month, we caught up Tetiana Gaidar a choreographer and actress who has been in Amazon's FreeVee BOSCH: Legacy as well as Netflix's Day Shift. But she is also known as a tactical trainer due to her martial arts work. She worked with Keanu Reeves (The Devil’s Advocate, The Matrix, 47 Ronin) to prepare him for John Wick: Chapter 4 as well as a number of Hollywood's top talent! We wanted to know how she got into the industry, how she combines the talents that she has acquired along the way, the community in the industry and upcoming projects we should keep an eye out for.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you wanted to be in the arts and wanted to be an entertainer?

TETIANA GAIDAR: When I was 10 years old, I saw X-Files with David Duchovny (Twin Peaks, The Estate, You People)! My first instinct was, “oh my God, I love David Duchovny, I want to marry him and I want to be an FBI agent!” Ha! I think that I didn’t really think that I would be an artist or an actress. I was inspired to be a spy. To become an actress and to act and turn it into a career, this happened when I saw John Wick with Keanu Reeves and I saw how beautiful the action was and the choreography and it looked so mesmerizing. I thought that by being a spy I would have that action and life, but he was doing that up on the screen with himself! So I thought, “wow, ok well, maybe that’s a career for me and maybe I can just do that in the movies and can portray those characters like assassins and my family would be a lot happier with that.

AM: In prep for this interview, your background is amazing from acting, dancing, choreography, professionally training in Kung Fu - how did you embrace all of these skills?

TG: I think that I just honestly, I don’t think about it. I go with one skill at a time and I try to be really good at it and then I go for the next skill and the next one. I’m just so hungry for it because I love it so much. It’s so inspiring to be able to do those things and I never thought about how I embrace them! I just love learning and growing!

AM: Clearly you do! You started as a ballerina in the Ukraine and due to your training, you found yourself being a choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance Ukraine. What was that experience like for you and how long did you do that?

TG: When I was a little girl, my mom, she dreamed of me becoming a ballerina because that was her dream. So she said, “well I always dreamed to dance, but why don’t you become a ballerina?” I kind of rejected the idea of doing it as a career. Dancing and ballet really came into my life because my boyfriend died and I was 18 and it became a beautiful therapy that I was able to tell so many stories through dance. So You Think You Can Dance, because I was dancing so much as a therapy, I was coming from a very poor family and we didn’t have money for a therapist. So to go through a trauma like that, I was dancing day and night like seriously, 24 hours a day learning choreography and training myself. I was so into that so things were happening around me so fast and people were noticing my talent and pulling me on the show to assist and then I auditioned myself and was on the show. Everything was happening so fast and we’re talking about a time frame of 6 months, such a super fast process. I think it happened because I was so focused on healing myself through dance that I wasn’t paying attention about the things that were happening around me as I was advancing in dance and booking jobs. It was the storytelling that was so inspiring to me and it was mesmerizing and so healing – that’s what I was drawn to. To me, it didn’t matter if it was So You Think You Can Dance or a dance studio. To me, the story that I get to tell through this dance is what matters. I think that that’s why things happened so fast in my life and in my career because I wasn’t orienting myself in terms of planning to get on a show. I just loved the process, what could I say more about the story, could I dance more?

AM: At what point did you get your first acting gig? Was it after being on the show?

TG: The first acting gig, it was actually a short film music video with Max Barskih, a Ukranian singer who has is very famous. He has actually been at war this year as he was fighting and I am very proud of him. He’s very recognized in Europe and in Russia. He actually has some music videos in English. So his first project for an American audience was called Dance and it was about zombies and it was dancing, acting and it was like a short film basically, but still very musical. It was my first acting experience playing a zombie wife and choreographing a dance like a zombie and I fell in love with that. I thought, “wow, this is awesome!” I get a chance to choreograph for his music video, to dance in it and to act, “I’m like, ok – I love it!”

AM: Yeah! It’s a nice trifecta!

TG: Then it was so funny because my first acting experience, was playing a zombie in Ukraine – a hot girl that becomes a zombie and dances! When I moved to LA, my first breakthrough was participating in Day Shift directed by JJ Perry (Iron Man, Machette Kills, Gangster Squad) starring Jamie Foxx (Ray, White House Down, Spider Man: No Way Home), Dave Franco (21 Jump Street, Now You See Me, If Beale Street Could Talk), Meagan Good (Eve’s Bayou, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Harlem) and Snoop Dogg (Training Day, Soul Plane, Pitch Perfect 2) and I was a zombie in this one too! So that was interesting!

AM: So how did you start incorporating Kung Fu into this ecosystem?

TG: Kung Fu came way before dance. My mom wanted me to be a ballerina. I told my mom that I wanted to be a spy, I didn’t want to do ballet and I was learning English from subtitles and I was going to marry David Duchovny and dancers don’t make money. So my mom was like, if you want to be a badass, then you’re going to go to martial arts school. She literally dragged me into the first martial arts school on the way home and they had Kung Fu, karate, jiu jitsu and other kinds of disciplines. That day there was a Kung Fu class and my mom asked if she could sign me up. I saw the swords, how they were fighting and dancing and I felt that that was so cool and it was like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So I was in and that’s where my journey in Kung Fu started way back in school. My parents were very strict and my said that if I didn’t win the competition that she wouldn’t go home with me and there were a couple of times when I lost competitions that my mom would just leave me there and I would find my own way home. My parents are very strict and I appreciate it so much and I appreciate the journey through Kung Fu because it gave me the core inside of my heart to be a good person and I think martial arts is very beneficial for everyone to do because it is a very good discipline to have inside of you for who you are, to stay loyal to yourself and to have good qualities in this life. I’m very thankful for my mom to do that.

AM: It seems like your mom put you on such a great path for you to acquire all of these skill sets that you have and that you can use them interchangeably.

TG: She did and my dad too! My dad and my mom, they’re both scientists. My entire family does physics! Everybody in my generation, even right now, my sister and brother – they’re scientists. I’m the only one that is loving the arts and acting.

AM: You’ll have that!

TG: I did! Even when I saw my mom and dad recently a few weeks ago in Poland, because I just rescued them from Ukraine. My mom said, “why didn’t you tell me that you wanted to be an actress when you were in school? I would have put you in theater. You always wanted to be a spy and an agent, I don’t understand how you are doing this now! How did this happen?” I told her I didn’t know it just happened because I was inspired by Keanu and John Wick – it truly did. I’m thankful that my mom put me in dance and Kung Fu and my dad gave me the freedom to choose who I want to be and I think that that is very important.

AM: I’m a huge fan of BOSCH and I had the pleasure of interviewing Titus Welliver (Deadwood, Lost, Sons of Anarchy) a few weeks prior to the premier of the spinoff, BOSCH: Legacy last year.

TG: Oh!

AM: Yes, loved it. We remember watching the series and loved it. You were this badass that had us holding our breath in those episodes! When you hit the screen you had my attention. What was it like for you to be on that show, to have that role that embodies the assassin/spy and to showcase all of those skills together?

TG: It was absolutely a dream come true! We were on set for John Wick 4 later on and I told Keanu that I had just came from shooting BOSCH: Legacy and I told him that he inspired me to be an actress and now I’m working with him because I was training him on weapon manipulation.

The BOSCH team gave me such creative freedom to show the character in the way that I saw it and the way that I wanted to play it. The entire BOSCH family was so nice. You have no idea, it felt like family. Everyone loved each other, the energy on set was unbelievable and we were working crazy hours like all night and then havng a 5am call time. Everyone was positive and Titus was just a sweetheart. He is one of the nicest people and an incredible human being and very talented. It was such an honor to play scenes with him. It was an absolutely fun night shooting each other, going after each other like cat and mouse. I was so proud of him because he actually wrote those episodes!

AM: I wasn’t aware!

TG: Yeah it was his first writing and it were those scenes that I was in. He did an incredible job. In post-production, they didn’t have anything that they needed to change or edit. I had the best time in my life and it was a dream that came true that you didn’t even believe that you were in it until a year after that it actually happened to me! It inspires me to keep going and I hope it inspires other people to keep going for their dreams as one day it can happen to you.

Keanu was like, “wait, I inspire you?” He got so shy and he was so cute and humble. He couldn’t believe it. I told him that I had just done BOSCH: Legacy and he knew what that was. I mean BOSCH is such a famous show and loved by people because of the people who are actually making the show – the creator, producers, Titus, everyone puts their hearts in the show and that’s what makes it so successful.

AM: We're fans of the franchise and can’t wait for future seasons as well as spin-offs, but seeing you in those episodes from last season, you had such a presence and love programs that have assassins and spies.

So being able to work with Keanu for John Wick 4, you and your fiancé worked with him for his tactile training. What was that like?

TG: For me, it was surreal, that was the person who inspired me to be an actress and here I am helping Taran to train Keanu. I was very honored and at the same time, I felt very at ease because Keanu is one of the most humble people that I have ever met. Recently, I also worked with Cameron Diaz (Charlie’s Angels, Vanilla Sky, Gangs of New York) another example of humble people that you can work with. They make you feel relaxed, they are so into you and what you do. They are not into themselves.

Keanu was into training, being better, listening and he is such a sweetheart. It’s so true what people say about him. He’s very focused and I didn’t even feel like I was working with him. I am working with one of the biggest actors in the world and it didn’t feel like that. It felt like I was working with a friend that was very interested in becoming better and I found him inspiring. It’s great when you meet people like that to be honest with you.

AM: You’re a trainer at Taran Tactical. What is this and what do you do as a trainer?

TG: I help Taran get actors prepared for their action films and we work with some of the biggest people out there. I feel very grateful but when I am out there doing my job and the people we work with make it feel like a friendly relationship. I love helping them and knowing that I have the skills to help them to where they want to be.

AM: In your role with Keanu, did you help him prior to him going on set to prepare him for his role or were you on site to tweak things as filming was taking place?

TG: On set, they have armors who will help them there. All the training for the films are done prior to shooting. So when you’re on set, the moment happens when you’re filming and so you’re not thinking about training anymore. Keanu has a le git and incredible reputation for being the actor who actually puts in 100% into his training before. So it’s like on BOSCH, same for me, all my prep and training was done before filming so that when you’re on set, you have this beautiful space to create and do the choices that you feel you need to do for the character. For Keanu, when he was on set, he was able to make the choices that he felt was right for his character in the moment.

AM: Amazing, it’s always interesting to see what is involved behind the camera and in many cases, before you’re coming to set to shoot. You have worked with so many people from Kevin Hart (Little Fockers, Jumanji franchise, Night School), Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead, The Many Saints of Newark, American Gigolo) and Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse, The Newsroom, Six) to name a few. You must be busy meeting those schedules.

TG: Very busy!

AM: I heard that pause!

TG: Yes! It’s sometimes nice to have that break because it just gets too busy sometimes with things happening all the time.

AM: As someone who is in great shape, we always like knowing what are 3 workouts that you do that we should think about incorporating into our own practices as we prepare for the spring and the summer.

TG: I honestly know that from my own life experience, workouts are great, but your diet is the priority always! You have to figure out your diet first and what works for your body. But workouts that I love and that I personally suggest is to stretch everyday 10-20 minutes, every morning or afternoon – whenever you have time. For me, it’s mornings because I have the most time and I feel like I have accomplished something if I have worked out for 20 minutes in the morning. I like an ab exercise because that's in our core. Abs and stretch for me! My third workout is my stunt, but it’s not for everybody! I would highly suggest to do 20 minutes every morning before you eat. Warm up your body, stretch a little bit and do your abs and then you’ll see your body start to have this beautiful definition.

AM: Do you have any projects that we should keep an eye out for?

TG: I did my first short film, my own. I was very inspired last year after BOSCH so I decided to learn how to produce, how to find the right people, getting the ideas – everything and I am very happy about it. It’s in post-production right now and it should be done in a week or two. It’s close to being done and hopefully we will get to go through some of the short film festivals so it’s very exciting and we’re looking forward to releasing it publicly. I showed some pieces to Cameron and some other friends of mine and they love it! I’ve learned so much and I have also learned about how much work it is to produce and shoot your films. It’s not easy and there are so many things involved. It’s not just about having the right idea, script and actress. It’s about finding the right producers, negotiations, locations – so many things.

IG @tetianagaidar

PHOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 90, 95, 9LIST STORI3S PG 139 + 140 Josh Ryan | PG 92, 96, 99, 101 + 9LIST STORI3S PG 140 Images courtesy of Tetiana Gaidar | 9LIST STORI3S PG 140 Tony Duran |

Read the MAR ISSUE #87 of Athleisure Mag and see PATH TO SET | Tetiana Gaidar in mag.

THE LEGACY CONTINUES | TITUS WELLIVER

We've been fans of Prime Video's Bosch where we follow along as Harry Bosch solves a number of cases regardless of how many feathers he ruffles in the process. On May 6th, the story continues on Amazon FreeVee with Bosch: Legacy. We see how Bosch continues to fight for victims as his daughter Maddie Bosch continues to walk in her father's steps and how he will reconnect with former nemesis, Honey Chandler.

We enjoy the way Titus Welliver leans into his characters and draws us in. Whether it's his work in ABC's Lost, FX's Sons of Anarchy, HBO's Deadwood and countless other TV shows and movies, we know that Titus is going to leave quite a memory with us in the characters that he plays.

We talked with him about becoming an actor, working in the industry and taking on Bosch which comes from a series of books written by Michael Connelly.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment that you realized that you wanted to be an actor?

TITUS WELLIVER: Oh boy, you know, I think I was born acting. I don’t know about that, I think it’s difficult or I can say, it was right after I realized I didn’t want to be a firefighter or a policeman anymore like all little boys do.

Actually, there was a filmmaker named Rudy Burckhardt and he made some films and he asked me to be in a film of his when I was about 5 and it was a very simple little bit where I played a little boy that had a shiny penny in his pocket and he was walking down a road. He had a hole in his pocket and he lost the penny and the penny was stolen from him by this stingy old man. I remember sort of thinking that it was kind of fun, but I didn’t really consider it any further than that. I did some little bits in school plays and things like that.

I really was initially trained to be a painter – a fine artist, that’s really what I wanted to do. But I always had an interest certainly in film and I watched a lot of television. I was spending a summer with my mother – she was living in Boston, but I didn’t go to school there so I didn’t have any friends there and I didn’t know any kids there. She was living in an area where there just wasn’t that kind of accessibility and I was sort of left to my own devices which meant I was just going to the Cineplex – to the movies all day long. She signed me up at a place called The Actors Workshop in Boston and I was 14 years old. I was reluctant, I wasn’t a camp kid, I liked sports camps and things like that. I went and after the first day, I came back to my mother and asked her if I could do more days of that. I ended up doing 5 days a week and it was a professional school for both adult and kid actors. I did that and I spent the summer doing that, but I still stayed on the trajectory that I was going to go to art school and I painted and I studied and studied.

I did a few productions in high school and enjoyed doing that and after a year of art school, I was left kind of cold to a certain degree and I had a conversation with my father who very directly said to me, “you know, when you’re not thinking about girls and drinking beer, what do you think about?” I said, “I think about acting.” My father said, “so not painting?”and I said no. He told me that I needed to be an actor. That was kind of it!

AM: What’s your process like when you’re thinking of attaching yourself to projects? We’ve enjoyed seeing your in Deadwood, Sons of Anarchy and of course Bosch – what are you looking for?

TW: Well, when you’re starting out, it’s about paying your bills, but also gaining experience. I mean, I did a lot of teeny tiny parts in plays, in short films and things because I was just trying to learn and gain that experience. So there’s that, but I think that more then anything, it starts with the writing. I've read a lot of bad scripts and I have acted in a few. But when the material is good, then it’s on! Then you realize that you’re in the presence of some material that’s going to challenge you and also that it will hopefully teach you something. Because I always say, I like to be in a constant state of learning and getting better. I think that with time, age and experience, the hope is that we evolve and certainly as artists, otherwise, you get kind of bored and you go and do something else. I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate that I have worked with great writers, producers and directors over the years – David Milch (Deadwood, NYPD Blue, Hill Street Blues) and Steven Bochco (NYPD Blue, Doogie Howser, M.D., Brooklyn South) to name a few and here I landed with Michael Connelly (The Lincoln Lawyer, The Dark Hours, The Poet) and Eric Overmyer (The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, The Affair) and Tom Bernardo (Bosch, Bosch: Legacy) – a very gifted and dynamic group of people. To be given the opportunity to play this very iconic character, he’s kind of like Santa Claus for an actor, he goes down the chimney every time that I go to work and it’s nice.

AM: We’ve been a fan of Michael Connelly books for a number of years so when Bosch went to Prime Video it was exciting and then that you were going to play the title character, we knew that it was going to be so good. How did that come together for you to be part of this?

TW: Well, I was initially sent the script and I read it very quickly. I had only read one of the Bosch books many many years prior to. Unbeknownst to me, my younger brother had read and re-read the books and to this day possesses a kind of encyclopedic knowledge of Bosch as well as everything that Michael has written.

Through a series of mishaps, I kept trying to meet with Michael and the meetings kept getting pushed off and I was shooting Transformers: Age of Extinction which had me traveling all over the place in Chicago, Michigan and then Hong Kong. We just kept missing. I got a call a couple of months later from my manager who told me that I had a little window and Michael Connelly was in town and I would be able to meet with him. At that point, I thought that that boat had sailed as it had been a couple of months that had passed. I went in and met with him and the producers and the director and I was – as my grandmother would say, I was blessed at that moment. I left that audition feeling good, but you know, I have been doing this long enough and have enough humility to know that that’s all you can do. I got the call from my manager that I had been cast as Bosch and to say that I was thrilled was an understatement. It was just more realized after the first day of shooting that I knew I was part of something that was different. I’ve played other cop characters and I’ve done lots of procedural cop shows. Look, when you’re doing something from the ground up, it’s tricky but, when you have source material, like Michael Connelly’s books, you have to work really hard to mess it up. You know, in less capable hands, it could be very very messed up. The temptation to sex things up for a lack of a better word – to have him wearing Brioni suits, driving a fast car and jumping in and out of bed like James Bond, I was relieved that there was never any kind of consideration to do anything because I have always felt that if it ain’t broke, there’s no need to fix it.

Because of the ways that Amazon and the executives work which is at the beginning of the studios, they have a prime directive which is to get the material, but then to delegate the process to the creative people and not to micromanage. They delegated to people that they knew that they trusted. They really did that and they stood behind the show. When we needed things, they always showed up. Because we had such a great group of writers and producers, we were excited by the acceptance and the invitation into people’s homes for the show and the success of the show. But I think that we always felt that it speaks back to what I said in evolving and learning. I felt that the show just continued to get better and better and here we are now in Bosch: Legacy which is a continuation of the work we have been doing for all of these years.

AM: For those who might need a refresher, where did we leave Bosch in season 7 and where do we pick up with him again as we continue his saga in Bosch: Legacy?

TW: Well, Harry’s you know in the last season of Bosch, he’s so completely fed up and disenfranchised that he gives his badge to the Chief of Police and says he’s done. There’s a great line that Irving (Lance Reddick – Bosch, John Wick franchise, The Wire) says to him in that moment, he says, “who are you gonna be if you’re not a cop and you don’t have a badge, who are you going to be?” Harry says, “I guess we’ll find out.” In the final scenes for a little Easter egg scene, we find Harry filling out his paperwork to become a private investigator.

We pick up a little over a year later after that season and Harry is working as a private eye, but he’s doing divorce cases and things here and there. It’s not like he’s got this bustling business and Maddie (Madison Lintz – The Walking Dead, Bosch, Bosch: Legacy) has joined the force and has been on the force for awhile. She’s still working with a training officer, so she’s a boot and she’s trying to find her own legs, but she’s Harry’s daughter and it’s really in her DNA, she carries a lot of the work ethic and the same characteristics and has the same moral compass as well as independent thinker which places her at odds, but she’s out there doing it. We find Chandler (Mimi Rogers – Mad Men, Bosch, Bosch: Legacy) sort of reeling from the very serious PTSD from almost being killed and the person who orchestrated her attempted assassination and Maddie’s looks like he’s going to go free.

You find that everybody is in these states of being kind of fractured and broken. You know, Harry is untethered, he's kind of wandering and he's always been a kind of an isolated character, but he's more isolated than ever now. Maddie, as she’s navigating it, she’s also trying to come into her own because Harry’s legacy has cast a very, very big shadow and that’s not all great! Harry’s reputation was one of being a closer and a great detective, but he pissed a lot of people off because he was a very direct guy and not exactly user friendly. The name Bosch on her uniform is not necessarily a great thing and she doesn’t use her father’s reputation as commerce within the department. So we find these characters really navigating things at the same time and interacting so it doesn’t necessarily feel like it’s a triptych, everything intertwines. But it’s also not like you have Maddie, Chandler and Harry having dinner at the house together – it’s not contrived like that. They’re all living their different lives and they’re all finding their way.

AM: How excited are you in being able to continue this story?

TW: I’m very excited and the idea when we were shooting the final season of Bosch, there was a heaviness for everyone involved. We had become very very close like a family as productions do and we were all invested and were very, very connected and committed to our characters and to the show and so when the opportunity presented itself that we would continue, obviously with a smaller ensemble cast and the ability to focus more on 3 central characters, but still bring in the characters that people know and love that populate the Harry Bosch universe – it’s a thrill! I’m very excited for the show to come out there because the fans of the show that have been so incredibly supportive over the years are really eager and hungry and they want to see what it’s going to be like. I have confidence that we will meet and surpass their expectations.

IG @tituswelliverofficial

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | PG 46 - 51 + 55 Prime Video/Bosch | PG 52 Amazon FreeVee/Bosch: Legacy |

Read the APR ISSUE #77 of Athleisure Mag and see THE LEGACY CONTINUES | Titus Welliver in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG | #76 APR 2022

In this month’s issue, our cover story is with 3X MTV VMA nominated Creative Director, Choreographer, Performance Coach and dancer Tanisha Scott. We talk about her love for dancing, her career, her work in Sean Paul's Give Me the Light, Drake's Hotline Bling and a number of major moments, we talk about her work as a Creative Director for H.E.R., Lizzo and Cardi B as well as how she goes about her work. You can see her up the upcoming season of HBO MAX's Legendary as well as Prime Video's Watch Out for the Big Girrrls with Lizzo. 

We also talk with Titus Welliver who has helmed the title character of Harry Bosch in Prime Video's Bosch. On May 6th he will continue the journey on Amazon's FreeVee with Bosch: Legacy. We talk with Titus about how he fell in love with acting, how he approaches his projects and what's in store for this series.

We also talk with award winning Executive Producer and screenwriter of HBO's Winning Time! He has been a screenwriter for a number of programs from Everybody Hates Chris, STARZ Heels, American Gods and so much more. He's also a writer for graphic novels and comic books. We talk about how he got into the industry, the various positions that he has held on set, how Winning Time came to be and his upcoming projects that are coming out with Marvel, DC Comics, Star Wars and more!

This month's 9PLAYLIST comes from EDM DJ/producer Ferry Corsten. Our 63MIX ROUTIN3S comes from FOX's 9-1-1: Lonestar Brian Michael Smith as he shares with us what he does Morning, Afternoon and Night. Our 9LIST STORI3S comes from Gorjana Reidel Co-founder of jewelry brand, gorjana and from our cover star, Tanisha Scott whow share their must-haves in beauty, style and fitness (3-page spread). Our 9LOOKS comes from DEMOBAZA.

Our monthly feature, The Art of the Snack focuses on Sushi AMANE in NY. This month's Athleisure List comes from Ramen Misoya here in NY as well as [solidcore]'s LA studio. As always, we have our monthly roundups of some of our favorite finds. 

Please note that you may have a number of brands within the issue so make sure to check out all the pages! If you have an issue accessing the links - do let me know!

Read the APR ISSUE #76 of Athleisure Mag.

S3. E7 | #TRIBEGOALS WITH PRIME VIDEO'S BOSCH/LEGACY'S TITUS WELLIVER

We've been fans of Prime Video's Bosch where we follow along as Harry Bosch solves a number of cases regardless of how many feathers he ruffles in the process. On May 6th, the story continues on Amazon FreeVee with Bosch: Legacy. We see how Bosch continues to fight for victims as his daughter Maddie Bosch continues to walk in her father's steps and how he will reconnect with former nemesis, Honey Chandler.

We enjoy the way Titus Welliver leans into his characters and draws us in. Whether it's his work in ABC's Lost, FX's Sons of Anarchy, HBO's Deadwood and countless other TV shows and movies, we know that Titus is going to leave quite a memory with us in the characters that he plays.

We talked with him about becoming an actor, working in the industry and taking on Bosch which comes from a series of books written by Michael Connelly.

#TRIBEGOALS is Executive produced and hosted by Kimmie Smith, Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director of Athleisure Mag and is Executive Produced by Paul Farkas, Co-Founder/Publisher of Athleisure Mag. #TRIBEGOALS is produced and mixed by the team at @AthleisureStudio.

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.