LOS ANGELES _ Sarah Bolger's name comes up later in the mentions of the stars of the new FX spinoff series "Mayans MC." But her character, Emily Thomas, plays an extremely important part in the next chapter of Kurt Sutter's "Sons of Anarchy" saga.
"I think she is very integral to the story and I feel like she is on the precipitous of all storylines. She lives in her own bubble of sorts, on a metaphorical hill where stories come crashing into her world," says the Dublin native.
Why her role is so pivotal is just one of the many closely guarded secrets that will be revealed when the 10-episode season debuts Tuesday.
What can be said is "Mayans MC" is set in a post-Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) world of "Sons of Anarchy" where the focus is on Ezekiel "EZ" Reyes (JD Pardo). He has just been released from prison and is a promising prospect to become part of the Mayans MC charter that works along the California and Mexico border. Reyes must find his way in a town where he was once the golden boy.
Bolger comes to the series having starred in numerous series _ "The Tudors" and "Into the Badlands," to name two _ where her characters have been strong women surrounded by intimidating men. In the case of "Mayans MC," the strongest man in her life is Miguel Galindo (Danny Pino), who gave her a home when her childhood sweetheart was no longer around.
A role like Emily is the kind Bolger has wanted to do for years.
"This is not a character who gradually changes over time, but she has to change quickly like humans have to do when their worlds come crashing down around them. You will see her crash to the floor. You will see her bleed. You will see her cry," Bolger says. "This girl is nothing like I've played before.
"With Emily Thomas, I just think this is a woman I dream to be like. She's so pragmatic. There's a strength that goes beyond anything I've experienced in my life. The way she has survived all that she's felt, the pain in which losing a loved one and losing someone to prison, losing the life that she was destined to have, envisioned to have, the barrier she's had to build for herself, the way she's had to compose herself. And now, eight years later, as we meet her, she is a force to be reckoned with and is a joy to play every day."
Part of the joy comes from the way her character has been written. Bolger knows it will easy to make some assumptions in the first episodes, but she wants evaluations of the character to be saved until more about what drives her is revealed.
The biggest challenge for Bolger was dealing with the Spanish parts of the script. Because she didn't speak Spanish before being cast in the series, Bolger has had to spend all her concentration on being able to deliver the lines with proper pronunciation while making sure what she's saying sounds right. There are scenes when the Irish actor must deliver a line in Spanish and then the next in English using her American accent.
That has been a test of her acting skills, but not enough to distract from all the ways Bolger enjoys being part of the series.
"I have played characters who I have read about from history and create using the pieces we know about them from literature that I can take from," Bolger says. "With Emily, I am creating the kind of woman I would like to be like. She's like a future self because it's creating from my own hopes and dreams. This character is really freeform and this is the first time I have done this."
The cast of "Mayans MC" also includes Clayton Cardenas, Edward James Olmos, Michael Irby, Carla Baratta, Antonio Jaramillo, Raoul Max Trujillo and Richard Cabral.
