Mimi Rogers was pleasantly shocked when she first heard that Amazon’s Bosch, was being spun off into a new series, and her badass role as Honey Chandler would continue.

“I was talking to producers about my character being killed during the last season of Bosch, and was so excited to find out there was new life! I cried, hearing the news!” she told Closer Weekly in an exclusive interview.

“It was a thrill to find out after seven seasons, that we weren’t ending, and we’re going to get to do it some more. That made me unbelievably happy.”

Mimi Rogers Returns to ‘Bosch’ for Reboot: ‘I Cried Hearing the News’
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While the series recently debuted, Bosch: Legacy has already been picked up for a second season, much to the delight of fans.

“A lot of what you’ll see this season is how she sort of deals with the aftermath of what happened on the last season of Bosch, and the assassination attempt,” she acknowledged. “So there’s a lot that we delve into, in terms of her struggle for recovery and the fact that we’re seeing a more fractured version of this character; who has emotional and physical trauma that she’s dealing with.”

Mimi has appeared on many television shows such as NCIS, Blue Bloods, How to Get Away with Murder, Mad Men and Ash vs. Evil Dead, and movies like Someone to Watch Over Me, Austin Powers, The Door in the Floor, and Captive. She is most proud of her work in The Rapture.

What’s the difference between Bosch and Bosch: Legacy?

“Well, I guess the primary difference is the whole seven seasons of Bosch. It really was Harry Bosch, with a very large ensemble surrounding him. A lot of interesting characters, including mine. And one of the big differences in our new show is that it’s more of a three-hander, in that Harry and Maddie Bosch and Honey Chandler are the three leads of the show. So in terms of my character, I’m more involved; we get to spend more time with me and delve into my life and my issues. More substantively, than we did in the previous iteration.”

Give us a hint on what we will see this season.

“Well, a lot of what you’ll see is how she sort of deals with the aftermath of what happened on the last season of Bosch, and the assassination attempt. So there’s a lot that we delve into, in terms of her struggle for recovery and the fact that we’re seeing a more fractured version of this character who has emotional and physical trauma that she’s dealing with.”

“And her career has also started taking a slight turn. She’s not in the big glossy, high-rise tower office, she’s chosen to go with a more low-key, smaller civil rights-oriented firm. Because really, at this point, our focus is on justice– trying to find justice for herself, in terms of bringing the guy responsible for the attempted assassination, bringing him to justice and also working to bring justice to a lot of deserving people. I think, for her, that’s kind of part of the healing process.”

Are you doing any research with mental health facilities to help you portray this role?

“I had thought about it, to a great extent and had many conversations with the producers because my impetus was, I wanted to show this recovery or attempted recovery process in as realistic light as possible. You know, part of my point being like, ‘you don’t have something this life-shattering happen and have a near-death experience.’ And then it’s like, ‘oh, and I’m now am out of the hospital. Oh, no, I’m fine. Everything’s back to the way it was.’”

“That’s not the way it works. The trauma lives with you. Recovery is an ongoing process. And I wanted to be very, very real about that. So among other things, I lost about eight or 10 pounds, just on the physical level, wanting to show a little more fragility, and that it has taken this physical toll on her as well as everything else.”

“You will see this season, that Chandler is seeing a therapist and there’s a lot that is much more intimately revealed about her, especially through those scenes than we’ve ever seen, in the seven seasons of Bosch that preceded.”

Was it challenging to be in that attempted assassination scene, with the gun being pointed at you?

“It’s always more mechanical when you’re actually shooting the scene. And the technicalities of ‘who stands here’ and is there a cushion? OK, I’m gonna fall back here and I’ve got to hold this thing there. But when I saw it, when I actually saw this put together I was really impressed with it because it is that sort of almost mundane, like, you walk, you turn a corner and it just happens and it’s so shocking and so startling, and it’s so horrifying. I thought it was shot really well.”

You’ve literally worked with everyone, which is amazing. Can you talk about some of your favorite roles and your costars? Let’s say with your breakthrough role, Someone to Watch Over Me. How was that for you?

“That was an amazing experience. Having the opportunity to work with Ridley Scott, who I just think is a genius and Tom Berenger you know, a terrific actor and just coming off Platoon, shooting in New York– everything about it was just wonderful. And obviously hard work. We did a lot of night shooting and were shooting on the streets of Manhattan in January, and Tom and I are struggling to get words out of our mouths because our lips are freezing! But it felt like such a classic, old-fashioned, romantic, classy movie.”

Do you keep in touch with him at all?

“I haven’t run into Tom in ages. I don’t actually know where he’s based.”

Anything else you want to say about it?

“It was very exciting. I had been in other films, but this was certainly probably the most high profile and I just was really thrilled with the opportunity. Huge Ridley Scott fan, so that was a very big element for me. I just thought it was a wonderfully written, envisioned thriller, romance and so bittersweet and so kind of haunting. Over the years I’ve had so many people tell me that it’s one of their favorite films. And that’s obviously very gratifying.”

And The Mirror Has Two Faces with two legends — also really amazing.

“Another amazing New York experience. I have been very lucky and Lauren Bacall as my mother and Barbra Streisand as my sister. Jeff Bridges, Pierce Brosnan – I thought I had died and gone to actor heaven!”

How were they to work with – let’s say, Barbra and Lauren?

“Just great. Just great broads. I mean, Betty as she’d like to be called — fun, down to earth, game for anything. Really a fascinating fun woman. And Barbra and I had really good chemistry and it was really exciting to work with her as a director. And she’s very clear and very concise about what she wants and what she needs, great comedic timing.”

“And it’s sort of like, ‘OK, faster, funnier,’ and then, things that I would come up with and she’d be like, ‘yeah. That’s because I’m the sister who’s kind of bossing her around. And we just had great chemistry and we had a lot of fun doing it. And I just adore the woman!”

Do you keep in touch with Barbra at all?

“I haven’t seen her in a while. We did get together occasionally over the years, but, you know, she’s got her marriage and her career and things going on, and I only had one baby when I made that movie, my daughter, Lucy. And then I went on to have another child, and schools and child-rearing and this and that. We’ve always had great affection for one another but sadly, we have not spent a lot of time together in recent years.”

And what was it like on the set of Austin Powers?

“Well, that was great fun. And my dear friend Suzanne produced that movie. And this was an out of nowhere, low-budget movie. Mike Myers, who’s a comedic genius for whatever reason, his career was sort of in a slump at that point. So this wasn’t a big movie. It wasn’t an expensive movie. Suzanne sent me the script and asked me to be in the movie as a favor. And I read it and I thought it was one of the funniest things I’d ever read. So I was thrilled to be in it. And you know, when you’re kind of small potatoes like that, you’re kind of given the freedom to just go off and do it. You know, Jay Roach and Mike and the whole gang. So we just had a blast, and I had no idea what it was going to turn into at the end of the day.”

Is there any other new projects that you’re doing?

“Well, no, right now, this one’s taking up all my time. Which is a good thing. I’m actually in the car heading to JFK to fly to London tonight and doing some more press in London. And then they announced about the second season pickup and so we’ll be going back to work in a couple of months.”

What role does spirituality play in your life?

“I don’t really subscribe to any sort of organized religion, but I do consider myself a spiritual individual, sort of the combination of all of us and the earth and life. So I feel strongly that you tend to get out of life in the world, what you’ve put into it and they’re all interconnected and trying to put it out there as much as possible. And I didn’t feel like the rebirth of Bosch was something that was owed to me, but I certainly felt like it was a massive blessing. And, I’ve been with this job from day one (the original Bosch) and continue to live in gratitude with that.”

When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

“Well, way back in the day. I started reading very early so I was a book nerd from the age of five onward. But I was also a little bit of a geology nerd. Massive collector of rocks and experimenting on various sedimentary and metamorphic and all sorts of things. So, at one point, I wanted to be a geologist or an astronomer. And, of course, I became an actor. That’s a natural segway!”

Was your family supportive of your acting dreams?

“I pretty much came to the game as an adult. So it was very clearly my choice. But yeah, they thought it was cool.”

And what do you consider your big break?

“Well, interestingly, my very first professional job was I did was a fourth episode character arc on the very first season of Hill Street Blues, and that was truly an amazing way to break the ice and get started. And then in terms of my biggest acting challenge and the role that required the most of me and probably the role that I may be the most proud of was The Rapture.

Any other favorite roles that you have that you liked?

“I had a lot of fun doing the character arc on The X-Files, I got to reunite with David Duchovny who was with me in The Rapture, and that was a lot of fun. There’s a small film that not that many people know about, called Bulletproof Heart, with Anthony LaPaglia and Peter Boyle. That’s a really, really good little movie.”

“And I did another totally oddball, really fun film up in Canada. That has a bit of a cult following, which I highly recommend to everyone, it is a totally bizarre role for me. But it’s a little movie called Ginger Snaps, a female, coming of age, werewolf story. That is a really darkly humorous, sardonic, satirical but works very much as a horror-thriller as well. It’s a really clever film.”

And any other favorite costars?

“There’s been so many. Tom Selleck was always fun to work with. We would see each other, way, way back when I was just starting out. And then I did a TV movie with him like 15 years later. And then a few years ago, I did a guest star with him on Blue Bloods. We’ve known each other forever.”

“I loved working with Michael Keaton, on Gung Ho. And now with Bosch and Bosch: Legacy, I love working with Titus Welliver, definitely one of my favorites. We have a lot of fun together and have a very shared perspective and work ethic. So our time together is great.”

Who were your favorite singers/actors when you were growing up?

“I was a huge fan of The Supremes. And then I spent a couple of adolescent years obsessed with Monkeys, especially Davy Jones. And I really liked The Rascals.”

“I remember being kind of obsessed with [supermodel] Jean Shrimpton. But she was not an actress. Faye Dunaway, Liv Ullmann and George Segal was always a great favorite of mine. Robert Redford, I spent many years hopelessly in love. I think I saw Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid like 12 times!”

What are you proudest of in your life and your career?

“I guess in life, I would have to say my family. I’m very happy with my two children. My husband and I have done a good job with them.”

Mimi Rogers Returns to ‘Bosch’ for Reboot: ‘I Cried Hearing the News’
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What are your children’s names?

“Well, my daughter is Lucy. And our son is Charlie. Lucy’s 27, Charlie’s about to turn 21.”

“I think the thing I’m most proud of is that I’ve been able to maintain a career for a really, really long time. And have it still be growing and fun and interesting and challenging.”

Any sacrifices you had to make for your career?

“It’s hard to even treat them as sacrifices, but for my family, there were a number of years especially when my kids were smaller where there were certain jobs that I just wasn’t going to consider, like in terms of doing a TV series. I would certainly always be open to the idea of doing a TV series, but not if it meant moving to Canada or moving to Atlanta or I wasn’t going to uproot my kids and take them out of school and Los Angeles. So, I imposed certain limitations on myself that way, particularly when they were very young. Like, if there was a movie that was going to take me away for three months to some place very far away, I just couldn’t do it.”

“Thankfully, that was another one of the incredible blessings with Bosch, as it is always shot in LA, LA is a huge part of the show. So I’ve had this wonderful steady job and I am able to do it at home.”

This is your third marriage. What’s your secret to a happy marriage?

“Well, I think at the end of the day, you just got to be really, really good friends. And really be okay with one another as you are. I think in a relationship if there’s a lot of ‘it will be great if only these three things changed,’ you’re sort of asking for trouble. Because sometimes people change, sometimes they don’t. So I think at the end of the day, you got to like each other that way you are and be really good friends.”

Are you friends with your ex-husbands too?

“My husband and I’ve been together for 33 years now. So it’s almost hard to go back that far!”

Do any of your children follow you into showbiz?

“Sort of tangentially, my daughter, Lucy happens to work for Amazon Studios! She works in the comedy series department. That’s always my big joke at Bosch. We all essentially work for my daughter!”

What do you do to stay healthy? Do you follow any special diet or exercise?

“I’m a pretty healthy eater, a big home cook. I do most of the cooking. I use a lot of great ingredients and kind of farm-to-table sort of thing. And I do tend to work out pretty consistently, not like crazy about really anything but exercise has always been part of my life.”

Do you have any words of wisdom that you live by?

“Probably the biggest thing is just kind of stay in the moment. That’s all that exists, this moment.”

What do you know now that you wished you knew then?

“It’s all gonna be OK! I still read the news and take a deep breath. We just have to assume it’s all going to be OK.”

What do you like most about being the age you are?

“I mean, honestly, probably an element of not really giving too much of a hoot about many things. And also just being in a position where I feel like — whether it’s with my own children or with friends or younger people, that I have a long body of history to draw from in terms of– I’ve made every mistake in the book. There’s a lot of advice I can give. Not to sweat and really how to not be so horribly judgmental on oneself. And trusting instincts and all the stuff that I can draw on from experience, and then pass on, hopefully making things a little easier for other people.”

Is there anything else you’d like to do when you’re not working?

“I like to read. I like to cook. I like to go outside. I like to hike. Things like that, pretty normal.”