From co-creators Kurt Sutter and Elgin James, the FX series Mayans M.C. is the next chapter in the Sons of Anarchy saga, now set in a post-Jax Teller world. Fresh out of prison and trying to carve out a new identity in a town where he was once the golden boy with big dreams, Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (JD Pardo) is trying to navigate what it means to be a prospect in the Mayans M.C. charter on the California/Mexico border. While figuring out what the next step in his life can be, EZ is torn between his struggling but lawful father (Edward James Olmos), his brother Angel (Clayton Cardenas), who is a full patch member of the M.C., and his childhood sweetheart Emily (Sarah Bolger), who seems to have moved on without him.

While at the FX portion of the Television Critics Association Press Tour, Collider got the opportunity to sit down and chat 1-on-1 with Irish actress Sarah Bolger about bringing a strong female energy to this M.C. world, how exciting it is to get to play a woman who is a power player herself, how she most connects to her character, what it’s like for Emily to have EZ back in her life now, working with JD Pardo to develop the history between their characters, and having to both get the American accent down and learn Spanish. She also talked about the wide variety of characters she’s been lucky enough to play, as well as what she remembers of her experience making the never-aired Fox pilot for Locke & Key (which is now going to series at Netflix), back in 2011.

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Image via FX

Collider:  I’ve seen the first two episodes of this, and I was very happy to see some bad-ass female energy on this show.

SARAH BOLGER:  I know! Isn’t it great?! And it’s a strong female energy. In terms of ratio, we are outnumbered by men, but in terms of story, it’s an equal playing field. Kurt Sutter writes phenomenal female characters, and Elgin James and Kurt, as a duo, have just written the most dynamic, intriguing, intense characters that I could ever imagine being able to play.

On a show like this, you can't just be the girlfriend or the wife and actually survive. You have to be more than that.

BOLGER:  Absolutely! And we're not. One of the wonderful things, even from the audition, is that these characters were not written as, “Emily Thomas, girlfriend of,” “Emily Thomas, wife of,” or “Emily Thomas, love interest.” It was, “Emily Thomas, power player.” These are women who are not necessarily attached to anyone. Their story points are their own, and that is incredible. That makes me so proud to be a part of this piece.

Why do you think it’s taken her this long to start to ask questions about what’s going on, in her own life? Why does she want more control of her situation now?

BOLGER:  Eight years ago, the love of her life, the person who she thought was going to be the man she would end up with, went to jail. He ruined everything, in her eyes. He messed up everything they had planned. So, when you meet her eight years later, she has to command her own life. The choices she’s now making define her, but define a woman she never thought she’d be. She ends up surrounding herself with people who probably are nothing like the relationship she had before, and who are polar opposite, in terms of demeanor, in terms of power, in terms of financial, and in terms of future. I think she has to erase the past. She has to make choices to secure a future for herself, even though it’s not the woman she ever thought she’d be. I think Emily is creating her new self, as we meet her, and she's figuring that out, like we all are. It’s going to be a really rocky, beautiful journey.

She also seems like she’s wanted to live in the dark a little bit.

BOLGER:  Absolutely! I think we all do that.

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Image via FX

But then, you also can’t un-know what you’re made aware of.

BOLGER:  I think ignorance is bliss, in a lot of unique scenarios, and Emily’s scenario is unique enough that she’s been told it’s safer to be in the dark. But the thing about Emily is that she’s too bright. She needs information. She craves it. What was maybe romantic or sexy about not knowing the ins and outs is now so much a part of her world. Her world has crashed apart and she needs to know everything. She can no longer be in the dark, she can no longer be naïve, she’s no longer an ingenue. She’s like, “Give me the information and let me deal with that.” That’s the woman she is, innately.

It seems like this world and this character would feel very foreign to you. Especially early on, what did you find yourself connecting with?

BOLGER:  I started acting when I was really young. I came to the States and didn't know anyone, and I spoke with a weird Irish accent. And Emily moved to this Southern California Mexican border town, where she doesn't speak Spanish, she doesn't know anyone, she's super pale, and she doesn't fit in. You have to change yourself and be a little bit of a chameleon. She learned Spanish. I learned to speak with an American accent. You decide to change yourself so that you can blend in, feel local, and feel a part of something. I, Sarah Bolger, have been a constant nomad, my entire life. I think Emily moved around a lot, and when she settled, it was important to her to feel involved. She was so connected to EZ because of his familial bonds. She probably came from something a little bit more cold and distant.

Emily also feels like she could be an only child.

BOLGER:  Exactly! Not that that has been decided on, but I do believe that's true.

What’s it like to work with a veteran like Edward James Olmos?

BOLGER:  He’s incredible. He’s the father Emily never had. He’s such a warm actor. He has this deep baritone to his voice that’s really quite lovely. It’s amazing that she still has this relationship with her ex’s family. She probably feels more connected to his family than anyone.

It wasn’t his father’s fault that all of this happened.

BOLGER:  It’s no one’s fault. That’s the thing. Those things are never really anyone’s fault. You get thrown into the wrong situation, and it’s a plethora of things.

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Image via FX

You also got to read with JD Pardo, pretty early on in this process. What was it like to get to start building that dynamic, from the very beginning?

BOLGER:  We also did the pilot a long time ago. We did the pilot about a year ago, maybe longer, so we’ve been building that relationship. We went out a bunch of times, and grabbed coffee or a drink, because for the most part, the show is set in present day. There’s only a few of those flashbacks. So, for those present-day moments, we have this huge history. We have thousands of moments that we’ve built together. In the pilot, there’s a huge moment where her life changes, in one of the flashbacks, so we had to hang out a lot and set the groundwork. We’re getting there, slowly but surely.

How much about were you informed of? Did you have any of that information going into this, or did you have to just keep adapting, as you learned what was really going on?

BOLGER:  We really have only gotten [information] from episode to episode. We don’t get to know too far in the future. What the showrunners have allowed us to do is really build the characters we want, and then they see things in us, that we're bringing to each episode, and they go, “Oh, I like that. Let’s develop that.” They give us the opportunity to be able to develop the moments and relationships that they see sprinkled throughout. It’s wild because we never know what’s going to happen, with each episode.

Emily is stuck in this secret world that she can't tell anyone about. As a character, does she have anybody that she can have girl time with?

BOLGER:  No, I don’t believe so.

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Image via FX

Does she have anybody that she can confide in?

BOLGER:  No. I think she probably did grow up as an only child and she is more secure with the idea of working things out herself than depending on other people. I think her history has told her that everyone she's depended on has gone away.

Do you think that she’s happy with the life she has now, or do you think she idealizes the life she could have had?

BOLGER:  I think she likes the life she has now. I think she looks at her life with no regrets. That’s who she is. That’s built into her DNA. She’s all in, all the time. And I’m never saying that there’s not a moment that she doesn’t doubt or question or dream of what could have been, but I think that’s wasted time. Emily has such a pragmatic approach to things. She went to law school and got some sort of law degree before the show began, so there are elements of her that have a very logical, strategic mind. But she’s in it now, and she has to be in it. That’s part of her everyday now, for better or for worse. But I do think she loves whom she’s with.

Have you found it harder to do the accent or to learn Spanish?

BOLGER:  Neither are hard on their own. When I have to switch back and forth, it’s not hard to go from the American accent to speaking Spanish, but then speaking Spanish and going back into the American accent is hard. I practice it so much. I talk to myself in the mirror, all the time. It’s like speaking multiple languages. I’m taking Spanish lessons now, but for the most part, I don’t speak Spanish. I only know the basics of Spanish now. It’s hard, and I want to get the right accent. It’s so romantic and beautiful.

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Image via FX

Has being a part of this show, playing this character in this world, changed you as an actress?

BOLGER:  Kurt and Elgin have made me look at choices I’ve made and make bold choices that are more daring. I try to bring all of the realism that I can into these scenarios that are so crazy and outlandish, but this shit happens to people. It’s a roller coaster and it’s hard work, but every day has been a joy.

The characters you’ve been playing for a while are so different. Is that something that you had to work really hard to find, or do you just feel really lucky that those roles have come your way?

BOLGER:  I think a handful of the roles that I’ve gotten to play are characters whom I’ve lived, that are like younger versions of me, but who are maybe more naïve and a little bit wilder than when I was. And I’ve gotten to play 16 and 17 when I was a little bit older, so I got to pull from experience. I played a doctor on Counterpart, so that was about studying and watching documentaries, and reading, and trying to learn. But this woman is like no one I really know, so I’m pulling from not only the writing, which is spectacular, but the woman I dream to be like. It’s a weird mix. There are movies I watch, or some actor I have in my head who embodies that, but this girl is the better version of me. I almost live vicariously through acting Emily. She cries and she feels stuff, but she’s not afraid of that.

I have to admit that, years ago, I saw the Fox pilot that you did for Locke and Key, and it’s one of my favorite pilots that I’ve ever seen for a TV show.

BOLGER:  They’re making that now at Netflix. I loved that pilot, too. Mark Romanek is an amazing director. He’s the most visual.

What do you remember about that experience?

BOLGER:  I remember it being the most high-powered set that I’d ever been on. The writers wrote Transformers, and Josh Friedman, Mark Romanek and Steven Spielberg produced it. It just felt so massive. I felt so lucky. It was big and expensive, and there was lots of CGI. I’m really proud to remain in the FOX family.

It’s so funny to see it go from that pilot to then maybe a movie to then maybe a TV series at Hulu, and now going to Netflix.

BOLGER:  I know! Isn’t that crazy? It’s destined to be made, it’s so good. I’m still in touch with Joe Hill, all the time. He’s incredible.

Mayans M.C. premieres on FX on September 4th.

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Image via FX
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