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.

LIFE'S PASSION | CURTISS COOK

When you're watching a film or a series, the goal is to be transported and to enjoy an immersive experience that either allows for escapism, conversations with others, or to be introspective. That process can come in many forms whether it's the script, the setting, subject, and in many cases the actor.

There are a number of actors that you know when they are attached to what you're about to watch, your expectations are high that they are going to drive the story. When you have an actor who has played a number of characters in shows and films that you admire, you're always excited to get the chance to know more about them, their process, and how they connect to their work. This month's cover of Athleisure Mag is Curtiss Cook (Mayans FC, Shutter Island, West Side Story) who has played Otis "Douda" Perry in The Chi which you can stream the current Season 6B on Paramount+ with Showtime and On Demand and you can also watch it on Showtime each Sunday.

We wanted to know more about the power of storytelling through the characters that he plays and how that is achieved; what he loves about storytelling, the committment he has to his craft; the success of his role in The Chi; the importance of mental health; and upcoming projects that we can continue to keep an eye out for. In addition, we took advantage of a summer day by heading to Selina Chelsea Hotel for our photoshoot that took place at Creatures at Selina Rooftop and Music For A While listening lounge!

ATHLEISURE MAG: The last time we talked, you were our cover for our DEC ISSUE #72 back in 2021.

CURTISS COOK: Oh wow, Dec ‘21!

AM: We were talking about Season 4 of The Chi, and you guys knew you were already renewed for Season 5, and we were talking about The Devil You Know although you couldn’t tell us about the title at that time or really what it was. But you shared that you were working with Charles Murray (Sons of Anarchy, The Devil You Know, Outer Range), which interestingly enough, he is in this month’s issue!

CC: Are you serious? Oh, I love him!

AM: Yes, we interviewed him for Outer Range.

CC: Outer Range?

AM: Yes it’s a neo-western with Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men, Avengers franchise, Dune franchise) on Prime Video. Charles is the Executive Producer and Showrunner of the 2nd season as he took over from the creator for this series. Which is a great show by the way!

CC: Josh Brolin you said?

AM: Yes!

CC: Oh c’mon, you know that’s good!

AM: Oh it’s a great show!

So now, we can go back and talk about The Devil You Know, which we loved!

We thought it was awesome to see the dynamic and the storyline.

CC: It was good right?

AM: Oh, I mean the cast! What was it that you loved about being in that show?

CC: First of all, when I was offered it, the first thing that popped into my mind was that I was trying to remember a movie or television show that dealt with brothers, Black brothers and in a complicated way right? Not just as caricatures of the culture, you know what I mean? They had a mother and a father, so they grew up with both of their parents, you know what I mean? It wasn't a broken home. Now what happens in the movie – we have to sell a movie. But still, the love in which they still cared for each other was amazing, the writing for that script was so on point. But then like you said, when you get a group of cast members like that, it’s like, “wow, that could literally be a TV series!”

AM: That’s what I thought when I watched it.

CC: I mean, if the end didn’t happen and we didn’t prolong certain things, but those brothers being that way and being invited to that party. Because a lot of times, Curtiss doesn’t get invited to those parties. I don’t know why that is. He normally gets invited to the other party. Where he is the only one that is there. When I say that, I mean that he is the only Black face there. He is the only Black person that is there. Which it is what it is. I’m not complaining.

AM: I have been in those doors and know it well!

CC: Yeah, it’s like, why aren’t y’all coming?

AM: Hello again my friend, it’s just me!

CC: It’s just me.

AM: Carrying the torch for everybody and sometimes nobody.

CC: Everyone and sometimes no one. They’re just different right? Sitting with Scorsese (Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, Killers of the Flower Moon) is just different then sitting with Charles Murray. It’s not better or worse, it’s just different. So that was immediately what it was. It was about this brotherhood, this family unit and how close knit they were and than when Charles said that it was loosely based on his family, and his brothers and it was like, oh wow, this is an opportunity to represent and to get a peek into our culture in a different way.

I’m pausing because I’m trying to think of different films that dabbled in that area and -

AM: It’s hard to think of one.

CC: I can see friends that you think of them as brothers because they’re so close and they grew up together, but literally being brothers from the same mother and father.

AM: The 5 Heartbeats gave that vibe, but they were not brothers.

CC: Oh I love that movie!

AM: [Sings] Nights like this, I wish raindrops would fall -

CC: Oh man, I love it.

AM: Haha no you’re right. It did feel different and I hadn’t really seen that dynamic and certainly not with 4 brothers.

CC: So it was special and I appreciate being brought to the party. I wish that it did better at the box office, but I find people that stop me and say, “oh my God, I really loved that movie,” and it touches you because it could just as easily be overlooked and forgotten about. Same way about Roxanne Roxanne, people pop up and say, “ oh man, you get on my nerves – you took that woman!” It’s like ok!

AM: I have to say that I liked your character Marcus Edison in The Bold Type. I was a huge fan of that show.

CC: Ok!

AM: It was nice to see you in a different way in that series.

CC: Right, right, right!

AM: Mayans FC, we enjoyed you in that!

We were huge Sons of Anarchy fan so when the spinoff came out, we were ready for Mayans!

What do you love about storytelling?

CC: The exploration of self because a lot of times, I have gone through – well, I am the oldest of 5. My next sibling down from me is 3 years younger then me and it’s a girl. So although Renee and I are close, we weren’t hanging out you know what I mean, that’s my sister. So, a lot of times I found myself by myself so I read a lot. I had a really close friend that I had known since kindergarten, but I read a lot, I watched a lot of TV, and I was absorbing a lot of stories and I lived through things that I saw. I remember growing up saying, “I wonder what I would have done if that was me?” Like incidents that happened in the neighborhood and what not and then in television and movies too – it was always, I wonder what I would have done. So absorbing that, you go to school, and then college and all of that – you get fed more stuff. You get the opportunity to express all of the inner sides of yourself that just stay dormant because there is no way to express that. But then all of a sudden, you come across this character that seems so far from who you are where you say, “you know what? I remember when I was 17 and I was thinking about what if I was the FBI Chief or that I was in charge of the police and this is an opportunity to bring out that 17 year old idea along with all of the new information that I have and bring it together."

So I enjoy that part of exploration to bring along the storytelling and being able to purge certain aspects of myself and I also like the finding of stuff. Sometimes a play or a movie or a television show takes me to a part of the country or a part of the world that I have never been to before. And just by that, you’re exploring and seeing things that you never have before! The Interpreter, we shot in Mozambique and I had never been to the Mother Land and when I tell you Kimmie, that it was eye opening. It was eye opening and I will tell you a quick story about this, but it was a long time ago, but I will never forget this.

I don’t know if you remember The Interpreter, but there is a scene where these young boys come to basically, assassinate my character and another character by someone else. But these young men who did the scene were locals. They were for a lack of a better word, very impoverished – they were poor. So, the costumer, the cast, decided to give them a gift and got them these bikes. They were getting paid for the movie, but just to say thank you, they received these bikes. Dare I say, the next day on set, they came back walking in and everyone was like, why are they walking? We were told that their bikes were stolen, they were taken, they’re gone. We were shocked and then an older gentleman said, “we can’t give gifts like this because it’s taken immediately.” And not even from other children, it’s from grown people coming to take these things.

That was a shock to me and then although the people were poor, it’s not like they were like, “oh help me, help me” they were living and full of life! It was just like, we don’t have these material things, but we know where to eat, we know where to congregate, we know where to worship, and it was life! It was so life affirming to me because sometimes, we can get so caught up in to the stuff and that makes us feel like whatever and you forget that all we need is this, we’re just sitting here talking, having a good time, taking some pictures, and that is what life is about.

AM: I always say that home is where I have a seat at the table. So it doesn’t even have to be in my house. If I feel that we connect and there is a vibe, that is a home. Because everything else it can be up and down.

CC: I agree with that 100%. So that is also what storytelling gives me. It’s an opportunity to meet and see people and have myself to be reminded of certain things like that or to be told certain things like that. When you see something concretely like that in your face, you’re like, “ok I need to make a shift.” So those are some of the things about storytelling that I love, why I love it so much, and sometimes the factor of not knowing how to do it!

Right now, I’m about to fly out to LA for this piece. I haven’t sung in a long time. So honestly, I’m scared, I’m a little like, “boy, you ain’t sung and you’re going where with big people on the stage?” It’s going to be some people there! So it’s not like it’s just us right here where I could just sing for you and y’all are like, go head!” So I’m like, ok Curtiss, I’m thinking in the car driving here and I’m trying to sing a little bit and I’m like, “bro, I don’t know what you’re going to do.”

AM: You have to start stomping that foot -

CC: And get the crowd singing with you! But part of me is like, that’s why you do it, you know what I mean?

AM: Yeah!

CC: You thought that at one point, growing up, that I would be a singer. That’s all I did, that’s all I was being praised for – so it’s there, but let’s see how much of it has morphed into this 57 year old dude now who hasn’t done it in 3-5 years on the stage or whatever. So I enjoy that factor too because it keeps you alive.

AM: If you don’t have that fire, it’s not going to work. You almost have to have that, did I do too much Icarus – ooo not quite.

CC: Haha not quite!

AM: Haha I mean it was close, no one else caught it, but it was giving Icarus for a moment!

CC: I totally agree!

AM: One of the things that I like is that every time I see you in different roles, if your character is like this in The Bold Type, it’s like this when it’s Douda, it’s completely different. Even down to the mannerisms, cadences, they are very separate from each other. That’s more than just getting into a character and doing the words. How do you approach your characters to give them do you approach your characters to give them this seamless and different feel that only your outer skin is the unifying link between them. Because everything else even the walk where it’s like a Denzel Washington (Fallen, Training Day, American Gangster) effect where he can completely be something else.

CC: Wow Kimmie, thank you for saying that. I mean, it makes me feel really good that somebody is even saying that I do that!

AM: I’m very detailed when I’m watching things as there a lot of great actors that do things and it’s like, that’s Joe and he’s doing Joe with the pink hat versus Joe with the orange. But you’re shapeshifting and everything falls away. I’m sitting with you now and it’s one person and I know if I was on set with you and you were about to do a scene as Douda, everything about the vibe and what you’re doing is going to be so different and it’s not the same person. Of course if it’s The Bold Type and I was there, you know that character is not going to do anything to anybody.

CC: For a long time and still to this day, I have always considered myself a character actor. It wasn’t until ’96 or ’97 where a manager who turned into my agent, he told me, “you’re not a character actor, you’re a leading man.” I know he was saying that to say poo poo to character actors, we’re going to focus and go here. But at the time, I was still finding my way in the business right and I was trying to figure out how I was going to move forward and how the industry was going to accept me and how I would find that. So any type of guidance you get from people that is in the business and you feel like, oh, maybe this is what I should be doing right?

So, I tried to take on that moniker of a leading man whatever that was and I started to do that. But, I found myself that whenever a project would come, it wouldn’t be like you said, let me be just Curtiss and let’s bring this thing forward so that everybody can be like, he’s doing this thing now, I had to find out where this person is from, subsequently, a lot of parts bring me to new information. So it’s like, “oh, they’re from Colorado, I’ve never been to Colorado, what’s in Colorado?” So, now I’m reading about Colorado and then I’m finding some obscure history in Colorado where something happened to Black folks, “oh, you know what would really be cool? If this was part of his ancestors and this is what happened to them.” So now I’m going to videos and this was before where things weren’t so easy to just pick up your phone. You had to go to the library and type things in and wherever else to try to find old clips of whatever so you could find out how they sat, how they talked, and whether it was slow or whether it was longer and how much of that can I add without it being a thing and so, that becomes part of the joy. That becomes part of the, “I’ve done this before, I’ve done this already.” Not so much as I don’t want to be seen as the blah, blah, blah, or for me, how do I live in this piece and what makes me have to work?

It's just like the thing that I’m about to do, start listening to music again, start practicing again. All of these things are like if I’m not challenging myself to a place where the goal is something that I have achieved or almost achieved, like the analogy that you just used -

AM: Icarus!

CC: If I don’t have that feeling, quickly I get bored, quickly I’m not serving the project, quickly I’ll not assist my other cast members and creators, because my energy will I’ll just kind of be there and I’m not having fun. So as I’m finding these things about certain things and I’m trying to bring it from the feet all the way to the tippy top of the head, like you said, I’ll miss the mark, I’ll be general, and I know what I’m going for. But then there will be that one moment where it’s like, boom! I did it! Like you said, nobody else might have known that I you said, nobody else might have known that I did it, but Kimmie might!

AM: I’ll know!

CC: Everyone else will be like, “ok, let’s move on.” But I can sit there knowing that I did that, I couldn’t do that 3 mins ago or weeks ago, but now I can! They’re like, “ok Curtiss! Good now move onto the next thing.” The fact that you’re even acknowledging that and saying that, it means a lot. I think that a lot of that comes from stage right?

AM: Right!

CC: Because we’re given the opportunity to play things that are out of our vessels out of our capacity. Especially as you’re younger, you’re playing my age people. I remember thinking that once I got to the city that I am going to play everything! And it’s like, no not in television/film – at 23. There used to be a breakdown from 23-50 and really they wanted someone in their 40s and I was 27 years old and I thought that I could do this! It’s like, sit down and I was like, “no, no I know how to do this!” And you just don’t know right? You don’t know what you don’t know.

AM: Age is seasoning.

CC: Oh my God! Sometimes through osmosis and sometimes through the wacks of being knocked down and you realize, that that was a good lesson, I guess. It’s going to be useful for something.

AM: It’s something at some point.

CC: Something at some point.

AM: We’re in Season 6B right now of The Chi.

We just saw last week’s episode over the weekend. Do you watch episodes as they come out?

CC: So the 6th season was broken up into two sections. One of the blessings that I had and it was not on purpose, was the strike because the strike allowed me to see the first half before we started the filming the 2nd half. So it gave me a new perspective on this character, for the season and how it was being told. I watched all of those, but I have not watched any of the 6B yet. I know what happens, but I don’t know what they edited, how it is cut together, I did some ADR (Editor’s Note: Audio Dialogue Replacement is the process of recording dialogue in a studio after filming to replace the initially recorded lines on set) for a portion of the scenes so I know those scenes in mind. How it comes together, I do not know. Other stuff, I wait. I may not watch it immediately I wait. I have not seen any of the House of Cards!

AM: Oh I loved your character in that!

CC: Everyone says that it’s so good! My wife watches everything! My wife watched ev-er-y-thing! She’ll watch and say, “yeah, you may not want to watch this one.”

AM: Haha! I loved House of Cards.

CC: But to your question, I have not watched the episodes in 6B.

AM: Well, what’s interesting is, because you have not watched this episode, and we watched it with baited breath, obviously it is Douda’s season. Everything is coming to a head, everyone is figuring out and in this episode you can see all the lives that he has integrated with and how it’s not real ly working out for people and you’re not in this episode per se, but only for a small 5 second period of a throwback from 6A. Just your character’s presence of walking down the aisle at the funeral of Papa (Shamon Brown Jr), as a viewer, you’re like, there he is! Then if you’re watching on Showtime, they have The Chi Tea with actors from the episode, and right after they did a segment on The Villains with you about Douda. It was about 7 or 8 minutes.

CC: I’m talking too?

AM: Yup, you’re talking too! So we have you sitting in the chair talking about the character and then other members of the cast talking about the character, and it’s just this beautiful juxtaposition of you talking about your character while other people are talking about it. What does it mean to you to be on this show? When we talked last time we were in Season 4 and you were hoping your character would still be around. You’re still around, hunted and wanted!

CC: It means a lot of different things. The Chi owes me nothing. It owes Curtiss as the man nothing and it owes Curtiss as the actor nothing. The Chi gave me my first series regular role where it wasn’t like I just popped into the scene out of nowhere. I had been beating the ground for years, hoping and praying and getting close and having pilots picked up and then not go anywhere. Here comes this other show and I get this opportunity. Dare I say that the 6B season that I was in and able to do, I was given the opportunity to really ask, pseudo demand, an input in who and what this guy does and how he does it.

AM: Nice.

CC: Under the guise of here is the script, right? You know what I mean, I wasn’t changing things saying no – no – no.

AM: Haha he’s not doing this anymore, he’s Olympus now!

CC: Haha right! It wasn’t that, it was more like, ok I need help trying to understand this is what y’all are saying and if it is this, I need this infused in there to help. Please let me do this and it wasn’t like, “ok sure” because of the hierarchy of things, dare I say that on the day and again, I don’t know what has been aired, but on the day, my contribution was heard and allowed to be executed with the caveat of let’s also do this other thing.

AM: For pickups just in case.

CC: I respect that! They’re not in charge, there are other people that are involved as well. So your question was The Chi, I would be disingenuous to say that the show that I joined is not the show that I am leaving. But I also understand that there aren’t many shows that stay the same from when they first started either.

There’s this phrase in the business called “jumping the shark” and I think it came from Happy Days when The Fonz (Henry Winkler) has these skis and it jumped over the shark (Editor’s Note: The phrase was coined in 1985 by radio personality Jon Hein in response to a 1977 episode from the 5th season of Happy Days when Fonzie jumps over a live shark while on water-skis) and it was like, what the hell is this? I understand the nature of the beast and that certain things happen blah, blah, blah. The way that the story is going and leading, I am happy for how it develops. I’m very grateful and very happy on where it develops.

AM: What do you want viewers to know about Douda because it’s not that he’s a one sided character. We’ve seen him as a Mayoral candidate that won, we saw him as an owner of the pizzeria, and yes, he also does all of these other things as well. He tried to find love and we see he's very multidimensional that can’t be written off as just one thing. How do you want viewers to be able to look at him?

CC: I would love for him to be able to say, “you know what, I wouldn’t have done that, but I kind of understand why he went there, but maybe I wouldn’t have done it that way. But I get it.” I would hate for it to just be some stuff that just makes no sense. I always argue for – I don’t mind him being a villain. I don’t mind him being downright evil, disgusting, whatever, but with a cause!

AM: Right.

CC: A purpose. The thing that I love about him thus far is, that even when he asked Emmett (Jacob Latimore) to get in the business and he let him know that he wanted to get in business with him. Emmett maybe didn’t have a choice, but to say yes, but he did ask! He didn’t say, “I’m going to get into business with you, goodbye.” He did ask and Emmett decided to do it. But even in that time, he gave Emmett everything he said he was going to give Emmett. So when Emmett decides that he no longer wants to be with him anymore, it’s kind of like in Douda’s world, but why? It’s not like he gave all of this stuff and then he’s coming in there and he’s taking your wife too, and I’m going to come in here and sleep in your bed, and burn your house down and put you in a shackle and I’m going to give you $5 while I take it. It wasn’t that at all! He did the business.

AM: It’s a balance sheet.

CC: It’s a balance sheet and you’re getting paid on top of it too! You’re not being asked to go out there and shoot these kids? You’re not being asked to do nothing out of sort, it’s just do what you have been doing and you will be paid. Dare I say that anything he asks of anybody, be it Tracy (Tai Davis), be it Roselyn (Kandi Burruss), be it whoever, he’s like, my word is my bond. If he is going to do it, he is going to do it. That’s what I love about it. He’s not a villain for villain’s sake, it’s not messing up stuff and whatever.

AM: It’s measured.

CC: It’s measured.

AM: You knew already before you jumped in there.

CC: You knew who Jimmy was when you first met Jimmy!

So that’s what I like and I also like that from the actor’s point of view, we got to see him as the bad guy, a business man, to oh my God wait a minute, he’s a pizza guy, but he has a mob. Then oh my God, he’s running for office, oh my God he’s smart too he defunded the police which is what the community needs – he cares about the people, oh he started the center with Tracy and he’s in love with this woman too and now it’s like, oh my God, this brother needs to go! What the hell? As an actor, I got to do all of that with just one character in 1 hour over 5 seasons!

AM: That’s a lot!

CC: That’s why I say, The Chi owes me nothing! I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be able to show that and that’s what I hope people take away. Oh no no no, this guy came in here and he gave us a 3D, interesting, complicated, individual who at the end, he made us hate him! Because before we didn’t, we didn’t want to, it was growing and not because all of a sudden he was doing the crazy stuff, it was just the ongoing elements.

AM: The cast this season is, and it has always been, amazing. Just looking at this season, Lynn Whitfield (A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Eve’s Bayou, Greenleaf), Leon Robinson (The Five Heartbeats, City on a Hill, Waiting to Exhale), Iman Shumpert (Them, Twenties, Under His Influence), so many different people. What have been some of your favorite moments of the season as you look back or even across the series?

CC: There have been a few of them. When you asked me, I know the first one that popped up in my mind, Carl Lumbly (The Falcon and the Winter Solider, The Fall of the House of Usher, Doctor Sleep), he played the old man and that was Douda’s mentor. He was in prison and he gave him his name. I have loved this guys work from years and years and years and to have the opportunity to sit across from him in a scene really touched my soul. That was a moment.

I mean Lynn Whitfield, you kind of look at her in the face and it’s like, “oh my God, you’re Lynn Whitfield!”

AM: Every time she’s on screen, it’s a moment. It’s like Diahann Carroll (The Colbys, Dynasty, White Collar) walking in.

CC: Right? She is – she’s the essence of! So that’s amazing. Steven Williams (X-Files, The Leftovers, Birds of Prey) who played Q. Even watching, listening, and talking to him, we would hang out afterwards and just hearing his stories and hearing him talk about Cooley High and 21 Jump Street and you just kind of look and of course, subsequently, I get to work with Glynn Turman (A Different World, Men of Honor, Percy Jackson and The Olympians) from The Devil You Know who played the father, because he was also Cooley High with Steven and putting that together because they’re friends, so those have been some memorable moments for me from the top of my head that I never thought that I would have the opportunity to, grace the screen, with and talk to and those are the first 3 that come to mind.

Then the other cast members that are there too are cool in different ways. The Jacob Latimore (Ride Along, Collateral Beauty, Like A Boss) of it all, the Yolanda Ross (Antwone Fisher, American Gigolo series, How to Get Away with Murder) of it all, Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton, Keanu, Zola) that got into some trouble, and even little Alex R. Hibbert (Moonlight, Code Switch, Black Panther) who plays Kevin, Michael Epps (Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Primary Position), and Shamon Brown Jr (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Chicago Fire) and so is Tai Davis (Save the Last Dance, Chicago Med, Empire) who plays Tracy. You know what I mean? It’s really kind of cool to mix and mingle and have real conversations. Kandi, I never thought (Real Housewives of Atlanta, SWV & XSCAPE!

AM: When I see her on screen, I don’t see her as a multi-platinum artist and phenomenal songwriter that has written for so many people across genres or even of being one of the Real Housewives of Atlanta. So when the two of you are on screen together it’s a believable dynamic where you can burn the houses down!

CC: Mmm hmm oh yeah.

AM: I was hooked on the show from the first episode. Part of it being I’m from the Midwest, I’m from Indianapolis so seeing something that is from Chicago that’s amazing. But how the show presents a cast of characters across a wide array of socioeconomics as opposed to all of these people live in a ghetto or all of the characters are on this tract. It’s the mix and the hybridity of it all. The topics that are covered and mental health from last season, and this season, and especially as it pertains and applies to the Black community as some of us do and some of us don’t. How important is it for viewers to understand that these are major takeaways that we can not only watch and enjoy, but to bring them back into our communities and enjoy, and into our communities for whatever our socioeconomic status is?

CC: It’s majorly important that we bring those things in and not be afraid to and to try to erase the stigma that is attached to going to therapy. I am an individual who, and I just started talking about it this season, and I found myself by accident talking about it if I’m totally honest. I battle inside myself because I’m saying, “just say it” and then I don’t want to just say it because I don’t want to put it out into the world. But then I think, “remember when you were just watching something and you found out that someone did something –“ you know what I mean?

AM: Yes.

CC: Ok, so it normalized it in such a way that I could see it. I don’t liken myself to someone else that’s whatever, but it could be a 7 year old, a 19 year old or whatever that can look at a man that’s on TV. So during the process, I used to have my ex-wife and I, we used to go to marriage counseling and that was my first introduction to a therapist. Being able to sit down and for the most part being there as a mediator so that we could hear each other. Subsequently, that marriage didn’t work out, but what did work out was that our communication was better and we found out that maybe this isn’t the union – she has a new husband, I have a new wife, we have 3 children.

So that was my first introduction to it. Over the course of acting, after the pandemic of course, that put a mirror onto a lot of different people and shined a light on a lot of things that made us wonder or let us know we weren’t as fluid as we thought we were, or as succinct in our daily living as we thought that we were because it was just stripped away so quickly right?

AM: Right.

CC: So what do we do now? So that was a factor and then at the same time, my 2 youngest children, the 20 year olds, they were leaving the house. So my wife and I became empty nesters for the first time and that was also like – what do we do?

AM: Yeah it a cadence shift.

CC: So am I supposed to – I mean we used to get them up at 7am to get them out of the house and now there is nobody to get out and -

AM: You’re just looking at each other ha!

CC: Ok!

AM: Haha you’re still here!

CC: Right like you too? So there was a moment where I’m trying to figure out the day-to-day and then I had the show to do and I have this character like we just talked about who likes to go to a deeper and deeper dark side, and that’s not who or what I really am. But I’m starting to find out that people are starting to associate Curtiss with this guy and sometimes I would meet people and they would be a little held back or hostile for whatever reason and that started to play a certain way in my mind. It pushed me to a certain place and I’m by myself and so I reintroduced myself to therapy. Dare I say that the show starts to do this as well? That’s really interesting to me. I honestly wish that there was a place in which – I mean, you know there was a time when Douda said to a news reporter and remember, he goes away in one season and just disappears and then he comes back and the woman says where were you and he literally says that he left and he got therapy.

AM: That was the 4th season because when we were talking and I said that I hoped that you would come back for Season 5 it was because of him leaving abruptly in the 4th.

CC: Yes and I wish that there was a point where we showed him trying to deal with some of his demons, why they happened, and whatever else, but that is a different show. But I’m glad that they did start this men’s circle and the only caveat that I would add to that is that I do feel that there needs to be a professional in those surroundings.

AM: Exactly.

CC: Because the purpose of it is to trust and totally trust that whatever you are speaking stays in that space and some skills to actually deal with what you are doing to try to break down the issue, the feelings, and all of the anxiety that you may be having too so there are some actual physical and mental activities that you can do to have that and to have somebody that is there that understands that to say that maybe this is something that you could try right? I think that that is also important. I think baby steps, you can’t do everything in one show and within that amount of time.

AM: Maybe for the show purpose if you think about it, the culture, as Black people, were not raised to bring in outside people in and to have these conversations so the very idea of doing what they’re doing is many steps beyond how we have been brought to think. If I told my mom I do breathwork or meditation, there would be a thought or a question in terms of why am I not praying or leaning on scripture when you can do all 3 as one doesn’t diminish another.

I agree with you as the first time I saw it, I thought that they should have a professional, but would those guys ask someone?

CC: I see that for the first time, but now some of the issues that they are dealing with, you can’t be in the group and say, “we need to kill Douda!”

AM: Oop that’s right you can’t do that!

CC: What is the group for now? Are y’all a gang, what are y’all about to do?

AM: It’s a tar and feather session right now haha! Yeah, you’re right I take it back!

CC: Yeah, that’s not what we’re talking about here, let’s keep all that out of this space, it’s a safe space. I think that if there was a professional there, they would say, “maybe that’s good, but maybe we should also think about how everyone is oppressed.” But once again, baby steps! Like what you said, the fact that we can see it and be like, “hey, maybe we can talk to my friend or my brother and just – we have to be careful with who we allow to see our inner most selves sometimes because even some loved ones have the best intentions but their actions may not show it in the ways that we need it at that time.

AM: What do you feel in terms of the mental health elements or components or things that you feel that you need in order to keep accountable? What do you do for yourself?

CC: There’s a lot. I have an emotional support animal named Bolo and that’s one thing. Because he keeps me accountable and whenever I get anxious or feel anxiety, he comes over and puts his big head on my leg and he makes me focus on him so that I can pet him and immediately, my blood pressure kind of goes down and my heart slows down and then I’m ok! I workout because I enjoy the endorphins that you get from that and the feeling of accomplishment. I live up in the mountains so I’m able to walk around and see nature a lot which is really good. I used to meditate a lot, I don’t do it anymore only because I don’t really have a real reason why I don’t. But I haven’t in a very long time, but I do find myself doing walks with him in the mountains and I make sure that I don’t bring my cellphone, I don’t bring my Apple Watch and I’m totally disconnected so I just say, “please Jesus don’t let anything happen to me because nobody is going to come for a couple of days and I have no communication!”

AM: Do you watch Hacks on Max?

CC: No, I do not.

AM: There was just an episode and it stars Jean Smart (Designing Women, Watchmen series, Mayor of Easttown) and she asks her writer to go on a walk although she suggested the King of Prussia because they were waiting to go back on QVC, they ended up out in the forest. They lose the writer’s phone in the river, Jean falls and hurts herself and she doesn’t have a phone because she wants to keep clean lines in her pockets so they wander in the wilderness until they find good Samaritans that take them back to their car! Jean reminds her that if they had walked in the mall, this wouldn’t have happened and it was a whole thing – but yeah!

CC: I love Jean Smart.

But yeah, that’s the active things that I do, but a lot of it is also that I haven’t started back up with my therapy and he just actually emailed me yesterday saying, “hey, are you good? Just checking in to make sure that you’re good.” I let him know that I was. I definitely will get back in touch with him and start talking with him because I think that because things are going to start shifting with me again I can feel myself sometimes getting to a place of spiraling down and I will just sit, my mother also suffered with depression and so I will literally put a cover over my head until I get to a point where I’m like, “you have to get up, you can’t stay here like this.” I will have to fight myself to just get up and just do something. But those are some of the things that I try to make sure that I focus on.

The thing that I do a lot is that I am a truth teller. What happens is, if you don’t know me or whatever, you don’t know that I’m telling you the truth. I’ll say it dead out – it may sound like a joke, or I’ll say it whatever. But now my wife, she’s able to pick up on it sometimes and she’s good at letting it pass for the day or two and then she’s like, “so, I’m going to find it,” you know what I mean? She’ll do something and then I’ll say, “yeah, maybe we do need to discuss what’s going on.”

AM: I get that! I’m an avoidant type. I don’t like to talk about myself and I’m more focused on being a fixer type. But when I get really quiet Paul will ask me if I’m good and I’ll say yes; however, he will keep asking because he knows something is off and that’s when the breakdown happens as I’m not someone who’s a crier or shows emotions per se, but you have to know me because if you don’t you will assume everything is ok. Part of that comes from the culture of how I was raised, having parents who were executives who gave me great tools to navigate and equip me for the world in terms of business, but those same tools applied in terms of how I internalize and utilize them personally are not great due to how I internalize things – so I need him to give me that nudge or alert that I have to examine what’s happening and not just say, “yeah this happened it’s fine or it’s ok” when in fact it is not.

CC: Wow, that’s beautiful that you have found this out, you know what I mean? The ability to acknowledge that and to access those feelings and for you to have the ability to feel comfortable and say, “we’re not going to be able to fix it, but we can just talk about it and you can feel better.”

AM: 100%.

Will we see you creating a foundation as mental health has been something that you have been talking about this season. Do you foresee yourself having a foundation, organization, or initiative for this?

CC: If you’re asking me this second, no I cannot. But you know, it’s one of those things that your calling is your calling and you can’t avoid it. I don’t right now. I have a lot more work to do with my acting career I think. There’s a place that I would like to be and I am not there yet, and I know that I am going to be there and I know that I have the wherewithal to do the work. It’s just the matter of time and the only way that I can access the time is to make sure that this is fine and this fine, so maybe those things will meet in the future and maybe this foundation or organization at some point will help me to get to the time.

AM: What are some upcoming projects that you have coming up! We know you have the show coming up and I hope that it’ll be streamed somewhere so that I can see it!

CC: Haha yeah! The next big thing is that I did this movie where the working title is Carry On and it stars myself, it stars Taron Egerton (Legend, Blackbird, Kingsman franchise), it stars Jason Bateman (Arrested Development, The Outsider, Ozark), it stars Danielle Deadwyler (P-Valley, Station Eleven, Till), and Jaume Collet-Serra (Non-Stop, Jungle Cruise, Retribution) directed it. A big project that he did was Black Adam, but this is produced by Steven Spielberg’s (Jaws, Jurassic Park franchise, Indiana Jones franchise) company, Amblin Entertainment and Netflix. So it’s called Carry On and we shot it awhile back in New Orleans and it’s a thriller and it’s about the TSA and what happens at airports and when some incidents happen. So that’s the next big thing that's kinda going on and of course, next week I will be in LA for awhile.

AM: What do you want your legacy to be whether it’s in the industry or as a man?

CC: I mean, that’s not really up to me right? I mean, -

AM: At some point, it kind of is. Because what you leave behind is what’s remembered.

CC: Yeah hopefully, you left it behind, but no one is remembering that! “Well you know that one time, he stepped on my foot –“

AM: And he owed me $5!

CC: And he owed me $5 and he stepped on my foot haha – is that what you want to say man?

As far as in the industry right? I know that this is going to happen right and I’m not trying to be arrogant about it, but I want to be known as one of those people who when you say, and I’m saying it right now to a reporter for the record, when you say great actors, “oh man, you have Sidney Poitier (To Sir With Love, In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner), Denzel Washington,” and I want you to say Curtiss Cook.

AM: You know what I was going to tell you earlier, that there are things you do that remind me of Sidney Portier with his career. There are nuances, but you are still your own person.

CC: Oh come on!

At the end, I wanted it to be because of the body of work, the type of the work, the commitment to the work, nothing against James Earl Jones (Coming to America franchise, The Lion King, Field of Dreams), nothing against Laurence Fishburne (Matrix franchise, Clipped, Megalopolis), nothing against Samuel Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Glass, Avengers franchise), nothing against Don Cheadle (House of Lies, Crash, Avengers franchise), we can go on and on about people that do amazing things – Forest Whitaker (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Black Panther, Godfather of Harlem) – you know what I mean?

AM: Yup!

CC: There are loads of folks where you’re like yeah!

AM: But then there’s a craft!

CC: Yes, a craft and a je ne sais quoi that not everybody possesses and it’s sometimes you work to get it, or you’re born with it and you know how to use it right? I’m still at the process of finding out who and what this vessel is because it’s going to sound as crazy as hell, but I don’t know, I’m feeling comfortable – I never thought that I was a handsome dude. I remember growing up, I never thought that I was ugly, I never thought that I was handsome like people saying, “oh yeah, he’s nice – never.” So, whatever got me into the spaces and rooms for girlfriends or whatever, it was always me being silly, or funny, or charming, or whatever. They’d say, “oh, he’s so funny, you know what? He’s kind of cute too come on over here Curtiss." And I was like yeah! But now, as I’m getting older or whatever, I’m hearing more and feeling more this attention of ooo wow! Honestly, 70% of myself is like, I don’t believe you, but I’m going to let you say it and I’m going to move on for whatever whatever. So that goes back to the, “oh, you said that you wanted this thing back in Jr High School and now it’s come into fruition.” Whatever is happening, and whatever they are seeing, maybe it’s an inner/outer thing, maybe it’s your nose grew into your forehead or something, or the proportions on me, maybe the teeth came in right, but I don’t know – today is good!” So I think that it’s part of it right for the 2 people that I named. You look at them and you go, ok. If you look at them too hard, you say, “I don’t know if they are the most handsomest people in the whole wide world, but when you put it all together, you’re like, there is a thing about them.”

AM: It’s a presence and I think that’s what got me for the end of the 5 seconds of last week’s The Chi episode because it was a bit of that Poitier moment where all the things come together. You didn’t say anything, it was a montage of other things, but it was the only camera time that you had in that episode and yet because everyone is talking about how are we going to get this man, there he is!

PAUL FARKAS: Honestly, it was almost like Jack Nicholson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, A Few Good Men, The Departed) because of your eyes! It was very brief, only like 3 seconds.

AM: All episode it was like, we’ve been hearing his name, but we haven’t seen him and it was pretty impactful and then the Villains feature ran after that.

CC: Yeah, that’s part of it and hopefully that people will say, “when I met him, he was a cool person. He was a cool dude and he wasn’t trying to be nothing that he ain’t.” I’ve worked with Mark Ruffalo (I Know This Much is True, Avengers franchise, Poor Things).

AM: That’s another one whether he’s the Hulk or he’s the attorney in Dark Waters fighting environmental pollution, or his role in Poor Things you get immersed into who he’s playing.

CC: Mark is a beast! But what you leave with when you think of him is what people will say about him, that he’s just a cool dude. You know what I mean? You meet him and he’s not trying to be cool or doing whatever. I hope that that is what they also say. When you’re young, you burn bridges that you don’t necessarily need to, but you don’t understand it –

AM: You don’t think it matters.

CC: Right. I just make sure that I come in, I’m prepared, ready, honest, open, and nice! Literally nice. It’s ok to be nice, it’s ok to say good morning and hi, it’s ok!

AM: A lot of that also comes from being in the Midwest.

CC: Ok, but hopefully those are 2 things that I can think of in addition to being a good dad and all of that.

IG @curtisscook

Our shoot with Curtiss Cook took place in Chelsea at the Selina Chelsea Hotel at Creatures at Selina Rooftop as well as their listening lounge, Music For A While. The photoshoot showcases menswear looks that are perfect to wear as we navigate the summer! Following the credits, we talk with the team at these spots who can tell us more about the spaces and why it should be on your list for epic days and nights out.

LIFE'S PASSION COVER EDITORIAL | TEAM CREDITS

PHOTOGRAPHER Paul Farkas | STYLIST Kimmie Smith | GROOMER Felicia Graham |

IG @pvfarkas

@shes.kimmie

@feliciagrahambeauty_

LIFE'S PASSION COVER CREDITS

LOUNGE LOOK - PG 16 - 23 | ZEGNA Terry Shirt + Pants | OOFOHS OMG Sport LS Low Shoe |

OUT & ABOUT LOOK - BACK COVER, PG 24 - 29 + 9PLAYLIST MULTI PG 58 | SUIT SUPPLY Suit | ZEGNA Lightweight Hoodie | OOFOHS OMG Sport LS Low Shoe |

GOLDEN HOUR LOOK - FRONT COVER, PG 30 - 35 | Y.CHROMA The Sevilla Shirt + The Becker Pant |

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS

PAUL SHOT WITH | CANON MARK IV and Canon Lenses - 24-70, 70-200 + 50 1.2 | SIRUI Dragon Series Bendable RGB Panel Lights Set of 2 of B25R*2 + DJ 280 |

PHOTOS COURTESY | PG 36 - 56 Showtime/The Chi

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about Life Hospitality, who are the founders/owners, and when this group launched.

FULL LIFE HOSPITALITY: Full Life Hospitality is behind some of the most sought-after venues in New York City, including Virgo, Make Believe, Music For A While, and Creatures at Selina Rooftop. With each venue, we're pushing the boundaries and evolving our concepts to provide truly incredible experiences every time guests walk into one of our venues. Each one of the founders—James O’Hanlon, Thatcher Schultz, Andy McDonald, and Duncan Abdelnour—brings a wealth of experience and passion for hospitality. Their collective vision has made Full Life Hospitality a leader in innovative and memorable nightlife and dining experiences.

AM: When did Creatures launch?

FLH: Creatures at Selina Rooftop opened in July of 2023. We've taken the time during the winter months to renovate the space extensively. We're thrilled to announce that the newly renovated pool will be opening at the end of June, offering guests an enhanced rooftop experience just in time for summer.

AM: Tell us about the vibe and ambiance of Creatures in terms of the design and what guests can expect when they enter.

FLH: Creatures offers a chic and relaxed atmosphere with a bohemian-inspired design. Guests can expect an inviting space adorned with lush greenery, comfortable seating, and vibrant décor. The rooftop setting provides stunning views of the Chelsea skyline, creating a perfect backdrop for socializing and enjoying crafted cocktails and delicious food.

AM: What are 3 appetizers that you suggest at Creatures that we should try?

FLH: Our House Hummus, topped with tomato seeds, schug, tahini, and served with pita bread, is a must-try. The Spicy Picanha Skewer with charred peas and mint puree offers a surprising and delightful bite. Lastly, the Branzino Crudo with blood orange, mint olive oil, and labneh cheese provides bright and bold flavors that are refreshingly perfect for a warm summer’s day.

AM: What are 3 mains that we should try with friends and family?

FLH: Choosing just three favorites is tough because Chef Neil Strauber's menu is thoughtfully crafted with inspiration from the Levant Region, infusing each dish with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors. The Fish Schnitzel Tacos are a must-try, drizzled with spicy labneh and topped with Israeli salad in pita tacos. The Grilled Top Sirloin Cap, grilled to perfection in our open air kitchen, features Chef’s signature mint pistachio chimichurri and tomato seeds. Finally, the Wild-Caught Shrimp with harissa and tomato-sage butter is so flavorful that you'll fight for the last bite.

AM: What are 3 desserts we should try?

FLH: This dessert, crafted by Chef Neil Strauber, is an absolute must-try. The Cheesecake is incredibly light and airy, whipped to perfection and balanced with a delightful crumble for texture. The fresh strawberries add a burst of sweetness and color, making this dessert delicious and visually stunning. Pairing it with an Espresso Martini creates the ultimate end to a perfect meal, combining the richness of espresso with the creamy delight of the cheesecake.

AM: In terms of cocktails, what are 3 signature drinks that we should have in mind?

FLH: Our Lemon Drop Spritz is the epitome of summer in a glass, with zesty lemon notes and an effervescent spritz that cools you down on a hot NYC day. The Hibiskiss blends mezcal, lemon, house-made hibiscus and ginger syrups, mint, and ginger beer, offering a refreshing taste that whisks you away to a tropical oasis. Lastly, Daisy’s Painkiller combines dark rum, orange, pineapple, coconut, and nutmeg for a sweet retreat reminiscent of a Caribbean island, perfect for those scorching summer days. These cocktails are designed to transport you to a paradise, providing a refreshing escape from the city's heat.

AM: Now that we are in the summer months, do you have Summer Friday specials?

FLH: Absolutely! We're all about Summer Fridays. Join us for happy hour from 4-7 PM, where you can enjoy good vibes, refreshing cocktails, and delicious bites.

AM: Tell us about your Happy Hour.

FLH: We’ve just launched our happy hour menu, available weekdays from 4-7 PM. Enjoy $12 margaritas, mules, and classic cocktails, $10 wine, and $6 beer of the day. You can also try some of our new menu items like House Hummus, Kebab Empanadas, and Za’atar Fries.

AM: 4th of July is around the corner, what do you have in store that we should know about?

FLH: We’re so excited to celebrate the 4th of July with our friends. Follow us at @creaturesselinarooftop for announcements about our plans, which include drinks, bites, and a killer lineup to dance all day and night long.

AM: Will Creatures do anything for PRIDE?

FLH: Yes, we’re thrilled to host a party for PRIDE. It will begin at 2pm on Sunday, June 30th. We’ll also be launching our weekly party called Creatures @ Sunset this Sunday, June 2nd, at 2pm - Welcoming everyone in the LGBTQ+ community to dance with us into the night.

AM: Creatures is open Wed – Sunday, will additional days be added?

FLH: While we are currently open from Wednesday to Sunday, we are exploring the possibility of adding additional days during the summer months. We will be testing out Salsa on the roof next Tuesday! Stay tuned for more details!

Current Hours: Wednesday & Thursday - 4 PM-10 PM | Friday 4 PM-11 PM | Saturday 2 PM-11 PM | Sunday 2 PM-10 PM

AM: We also enjoyed having our shoot at MFAW and we included them in Athleisure List a few issues back. Now that it has been open for a while, are there new things that you would like to share about this venue?

FLH: MFAW continues to thrive with some great lineups and upcoming residencies featuring local vinyl DJs from New York City. Our Vinyl Happy Hour from 9 PM-11 PM is designed to attract new customers who might not have experienced a record bar before. And who can resist a $10 Dirty Martini to kick off the night?

AM: Can you talk about the design aesthetic of the space? What are upcoming events taking place here that we should know about whether for 4th of July or other days during the summer?

FLH: Upcoming events include a 4th of Julycelebration, weekend parties, summer brunches, Salsa Tuesdays, happy hour parties and dinner parties. Keep an eye on our social media channels and website for the latest updates on events.

IG @creaturesselinarooftop

@musicforawhile.nyc

Read the MAY ISSUE #201 of Athleisure Mag and see LIFE’S PASSION | Curtiss Cook in mag.

END OF AN ERA | SARAH BOLGER

One of our shows that we can't wait to watch is FX's Mayans MC which is a spin-off of Sons of Anarchy! This series focuses on the Mayans biker club, the Galindo Cartel, complicated relationships that are generated in a number of ways and fighting to stay together by any means necessary!

We sat down with Sarah Bolger to talk about being part of this cast, the series finale, her character Emily Galindo, what she learned about being part of this show, what we can expect for the final season, about relationships that were established between cast and crew, and upcoming projects!

If you have not watched the previous seasons or have missed some of the episodes of this season, spoiler alert, we will be talking about plot points that include the previous seasons as well as up to episode 3 of this season. Catch up on Hulu and watch each week on FX.

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

SARAH BOLGER: Oh my God, so I started acting – well, to answer your question, I don’t remember! I started acting when I was 5!

AM: Oh my God!

SB: My first feature film was a little Irish/UK co-pro film called, A Love Divided. That’s when I was 6 years old. That’s when we filmed it! But I will say that around the age of 13/14/15, when high school becomes more important and when it becomes a thing where one says, that one must be in school – one must pay attention – one must not miss class – it became really apparent to me that I missed acting. Like, this is every child. No child wants to be in school I’m sure; however, for me, it literally was a thing where I’ve never felt more at home in a place, than on a film set. That still remains true to this day as sort of woo woo as that sounds! It’s so true and it’s just one of those things that I have always felt really comfortable with and that I have always felt really confidant in. I have always felt that something about it was just the right place for me. So yeah, it was early on as mad as that sounds!

AM: We love hearing that and we love that even in doing it such a younger age, you were able to reconnect with it again which is awesome!

SB: Yeah, thankfully, I have been able to do a bunch of little parts back in the early days and then I did a film when I was around 10 that ended up bringing me to LA because it got nominated for a couple of fun things and proudly, that project was something that was really beloved and it was so interesting. I can look back on that today and it’s one of the few things, it was called In America, it’s one of the few things that I can actually rewatch because I’m so young in it! I don’t remember it and it’s a different person than me!

AM: You have been in some of my favorite shows from The Tudors, Once Upon a Time, Agent Carter, Counterpart and obviously, Mayans MC, what do you look for when you’re deciding on whether you’re going to audition for a role?

SB: I know when Mayans came along, there was a history of a couple of roles where I was playing a princess if I am going to be honest. I remember loving how opposite Mayans was to any of the worlds that I had been able to portray or to live in before artistically and I thought, this fascinates me. Not only in that the predecessor show was so amazing, it was more of that, “ok, this is just a world of violence and gangs and California, and modern day and family and culture! It’s just so wonderful and exciting and important – with Mayans in particular, it just felt so different than any other show that I was able to do before. Specifically, I didn’t have to wear a corset which I thought was great!

AM: That was a relief!

SB: Yeah, my ribs took a break, you know?

AM: Exactly!

You said that what attracted you to playing Emily. How do you approach playing her?

SB: Well I think that what’s so beautiful about having 5 seasons of a show is that every season, I have to approach her a little differently, because she has grown like I have grown! We all change and I’m not saying that we change so drastically year to year, but in circumstances to which Emily has lived in, being part of the Cartel which is stressful, I can only imagine how it is so stressful! It’s stressful to act in – not only to be in real life! Things like that and her having a child. These things that I personally as Sarah have not been something that I have experienced – it was just a lot to her that I felt that I had to do my research on and really learn her and change her as her circumstances changed as the stakes got higher. As it got higher and the show progressed, it got really clear that Emily was a person that was very dependent on changing herself to fit into whatever circumstance that was. Whether it was her ex-love, using people as crutches, whether it was hiding behind organizations, or her husband – I think that what happened with Emily which was so cool to be able to do is to remove herself from that sturdy position that she had put herself in and it kind of made her very wobbly and made her make a lot of mistakes and made her very unsteady and very uncertain. That’s kind of very cool and very human – very very human.

AM: How do you feel that she’s kind of connected between two very different characters – between EZ (JD Pardo) and Miguel (Danny Pino). How do you feel that she perceives that balance that she is always having to walk between the two because she’s inextricably tied to them constantly?

SB: Totally and well said! I think that for Emily it is the balancing act of secrecy and lies. She has this person, EZ, who is her childhood crush, who is the love of her life potentially, who by the way she knows that she can never be with. He’s progressed in an avenue of his life where she can no longer catch him. She has progressed to an avenue in her life that he couldn’t fit into. So it’s not like there is this long lost yearning for what could be.

I think that when it comes to EZ, Emily reverts to childhood, reverts to help me, she reverts to “I need you,” save me – she reverts to these things that happens to younger loves.

With Miguel, if people were to ask me if I think that she loved him, I think that she beyond loved him. I think that without him, she wouldn’t have Cristόbal (Obadiah and Benjamin Abel), her child and as much as she fears him or hates him, there is a constant and truthful admiration maybe for him, for the love that they shared in that pocket of time that gave them their family. It gave her hope, it gave her security, and that gave her a future.

I think that between the two, it’s like fragmented love. Emily has almost no lover for herself because she keeps part of her love for EZ and she keeps part of this love for Miguel, but really, she is lost in and of herself. So I think that if you were asking me, she is in between these two people, but it’s tearing her apart!

AM: Right!

SB: It’s only ruining her, it doesn’t ruin the other two.

AM: It’s so interesting to watch and we see your face and we see all the emotions!

SB: She’s just so sad!

AM: Last week’s episode was just oh my gosh – this is awful!

SB: I know! Are you up to episode 3?

AM: Yes, yes!

SB: I had to check ha!

AM: I mean on one level, they’re on the swing set together and they’re saying so much, but neither can go back because too much has been done!

SB: No! There is no going back for either of them. I know that I’m definitely pulling from history here in terms of the Emily and EZ story. Even though their story is very different, they have kind of had a little bit of a mirror life. They both had this trajectory of escapism, escaping their history, escaping their family, being together, going to college, getting degrees, getting jobs, and they were both crumped by EZ’s prison sentence. In truth, it sentenced them both to a life that they didn’t intend to lead. That’s not necessarily talked about because Emily – that’s not something that she has on her shoulders all the time. But me as Sarah looking from a distance, I’m looking at the show thinking that their actual trajectories are very very similar. They both have had to dig down and they feel that they are almost left with no choices right? Whether it’s the cartel of the MC, it’s these things that they had no intention of ever being involved in, but now they are so deeply involved in that the only way out is down!

AM: Yeah, it’s just heartbreaking because the puzzle pieces can’t fit.

SB: Right and of course, who knows how they will end, but I just know that for me, the storyline for me has not been about her trying to get back to EZ, but actually just having Emily get back to herself.

AM: Absolutely.

We’ve watched Emily do this over the past 5 seasons. For those readers that may need a bit of a refresher and to catch up, where did we leave Emily in season 4 and where are we picking her back up again this season?

SB: At the end of season 4, Emily had removed herself from her husband, had gone on the run, had taken – sort of kidnapped Cristόbal, her son, as it was and with the aid of her sister, was able to escape and with the help of her knowledge of certain criminal behavior, she was able to get a passport with a different name. She was able to steal Miguel’s additional cash and sort of go on the run and hide from him and people were convinced that Miguel had died, but she was never convinced of that. She took a job working in a restaurant, just so she could send money back to her sister and her child just to feed them. I think that the point of season 4 for Emily was that any life was so much better, even if it was a dingy apartment with cockroaches, it was so much better than that castle which was just a prison. She had been on the run and the final episode of season 4 is Miguel finding Cristόbal – killing – well we don’t know who necessarily kills her sister in terms of which hand, but the organization kills her sister and Emily being asked maniacally by Miguel to return home and that all is forgiven, and that they need to be a family again. Emily is without choice, she’s without options, without funds and without her child – so there was no other choice for her, but to return back to really just be close to her kid again.

AM: In looking at the 3rd episode of this season, it was really interesting because it’s looking at the complicated nature or relationships. Not just between Emily and EZ, Emily and Miguel, but more importantly you have Filipe and Miguel – there’s this whole crazy thing going on!

SB: I know! He has this whole thing for brothers.

AM: It’s crazy because at the end of the day, you ask yourself where does Cristόbal hang in the balance on all of this? It’s such a big family network, but it’s not a known family network yet – so it’s a lot of plot twists. What can you tell us about what we can expect as we continue to watch this season as I know you can’t really give spoilers, but what should we be looking out for?

SB: I think that family has always been a really big theme of the show. It’s been an important theme whether it’s the blood you come from or the blood you create. It tears us, it humanizes us, and humbles us and I think that knowing how important family is, I feel that this will be an important story developing from that, but also I think that even for Emily, I wonder if Emily ever gets all of that information and what would that do to her and her family? I guess we will see.

AM: We will see!

SB: We will see!

AM: What have you enjoyed the most about playing the part and also being part of this cast? What’s the biggest takeaway that you’re going to have once this show completely wraps?

SB: That day, my last day on set – I know that the end of a job is emotional for everyone. You’ve literally spent 16 hours a day, 5 days a week and mostly at midnight with this community and with this crew, and with this cast! They know when you didn’t sleep, they know if you have a headache, they know that the rain is miserable and we’re all soaked together or the heat is crazy and we’re all overheated together. There’s so much that you share and there is so much by osmosis that they learn about you and that you learn about them. There is just this element of the familiar – every day you’re like, “don’t worry, I’ll see you next year.”

Episode 10 wrapped and you’re like, we’ll get another season. There wasn’t that this year. Not being able to say, “hopefully, I’ll see you in 4 months,” was really gut wrenching for me. For both, our cast and our crew. I mean this so sincerely, our cast is insanely talented, but we have the best crew in the world! From the camera department to the AD, to the transpo unit, to costume – they work so hard! Again, we spend so much time together! I won’t have that tomorrow, I won’t have that next year. It makes me so sad because they were a huge part of my life for the last 6 years! It’s 5 seasons but it’s 6 annual years.

AM: Yeah, that’s a long time! It’s a significant chunk.

SB: Oh my God, I feel like, you know – we find ourselves in our mid to late 20’s – that’s when I started the show! I grew up there! I have become a woman who’s paid attention to taxes through the show!

AM: Facts!

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

SB: You know, there’s a show that I am attached to and it’s called Rematch that is all secret except that I know that that piece of information has been released. It’s about Garry Kasparov who is a famous chess player and that’s the blurb that has been released so that’s all that one can say and hopefully that will be released sometime very soon. But that’s very excited and I really enjoyed filming that in Budapest.

IG @sarahbolger

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 156, 158, 161 + PG 176/179 63MIX ROUTIN3S FX/Mayans MC

Read the JUN ISSUE #90 of Athleisure Mag and see END OF AN ERA | Sarah Bolger 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.