Hawai’i-born Maggie Q has been captivating audiences for the better part of 20 years with action roles in high-profile films like Mission: Impossible III with Tom Cruise, Live Free or Die Hard opposite Bruce Willis and all three films in the Divergent franchise. She was the title character in the popular TV show Nikita and is currently starring in the title role of Renee Ballard in the Bosch spin-off Ballard, which released all 10 episodes of its first season early July on Amazon Prime Video. When she’s not working, Maggie’s on-screen killer instinct is quite tamer, and she can be found many summers, winters and holidays at the home she and her husband built in Kona, where the longtime animal activist first spent time when she joined WildAid here on a conservation mission. Kona Coast City Lifestyle caught up with Maggie to learn more about her new show, style, life in Hawai’i and more.
How would you describe Ballard in a sentence for people not yet familiar with it? For those who don't know Bosch, you don't even need to; this show stands on its own. It’s a modern take on the police procedural.
Will there be a second season? We won't know yet, but it’s looking good. We have the writers already working away on season two, so if we receive the green light, we're ready to jump in.
You were born in Honolulu. Do you still have family there? I do, on O’ahu.
You were going to attend veterinary school, but first, you left Hawai’i to model—and then you went to Hong Kong, met Jackie Chan, and never looked back? Yeah, I lived in Tokyo, Taiwan and then ended up in Hong Kong, and that's where I stayed for about seven years and started my movie career. Then in 2005, I got Mission: Impossible III, and that was the film that brought me back to the States.
Do you ever wonder what your life would have been like if you were a vet? The whole reason I wanted to be a vet and go to veterinary school was to help animals. Weirdly, with the path I took, I have and will continue to help more animals than I ever could have as a vet.
You do a lot of philanthropic work. What are three of your favorite charities? I've been involved with many over the years, and I think probably my top three would be WildAid, an endangered species protection organization, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which is an elephant orphanage in Kenya, and then I'm heavily involved and on the board of The Animal Rescue Mission, which helps homeless animals in Los Angeles.
How many pets do you have now? I have three dogs: a German Shepherd named Romeo, a Border Collie/German Shepherd mix named Nevaeh, which is heaven spelled backwards, and a Terrier named Don Julio.
After being away since you were 17, you now have a home in Kona. How much time do you spend here? We try to get here for the summers and then usually for Christmases and a little time in the winter to get away from the cold weather.
When you decided to get a place in Hawai’i, why did you choose Kona? It was actually my husband who brought me back to Hawai’i. He spent a lot of time on the Big Island when he was younger, and it always held a special place for him, so when we got together, we decided that we were going to build a home here and always have a base here because of his love for it, and obviously, my background.
I didn't know the Big Island very well, even though I grew up in O’ahu. I didn't travel to other islands apart from sports competitions and things like that; it was mainly Kaua’i or Maui. The only time I'd ever been to the Big Island was with the WildAid organization. I worked on protection for the giant mantas in some of the biggest consumer regions of the world, and I was there with NatGeo photographers and the organization to photograph mantas underwater, because we were going to go to the CITES Convention in Bangkok, get them on the endangered species list, so we could get them completely protected. So, the only time I'd ever traveled to Kona was to be in the water with the mantas for conservation reasons. I stayed in Waikoloa Village, and went out with the charity on boats all day and night to see the mantas, and that was my only experience with Kona. It was a positive one, and so when I finally got to Kona with my husband, I really got to explore the island. I have to say, the Big Island is the biggest and least populated island, so I enjoy that. Coming to Kona from LA is a massive relief, because there are no crowds and there's no traffic. I have friends in Kona who complain about the traffic, but I’ve lived in New York City and LA, and I tell them ‘You don’t know traffic.’
Hawai’i is such a special place, it's ridiculous.
What do you like to do when you’re in Kona? The restaurants and hotels are great, but I enjoy a lot of water sports, so we do a lot of surfing, kayaking, and other activities on the coast. That’s our morning routine.
This is the September Style Issue. How do you describe your style? It varies, depending on where I am. I can be barefoot in Hawai’i for three months, or I can be dressed to the nines in Paris, and I'm comfortable in either.
You’ve been outspoken on sustainable fashion. Is there anything you think people can do to make better choices when they're shopping? That’s it, just make better choices. With fast fashion, people always say they got it because it was cheap, but the reality is that it cost someone somewhere. It either cost the environment or it cost the people making it. I say the same thing with food. People who say they eat fast food because it’s cheap, if you don’t pay for good food upfront, you’re going to pay for it later at some point with health issues. With fashion, for me, I loathe fast fashion, and I stay far away from it.
You travel a lot, and are on location shooting, what staples do you always take with you? I like the perfect pair of jeans, the perfect white T-shirt, and the perfect black T-shirt; lately, I've been really into loafers. I either wear loafers or running shoes all the time.You get older and you want to be comfortable.
Favorite workout? Pilates by a mile now. I practiced yoga for 20 years, and I still love it, but Pilates takes everything to the next level.
Follow Maggie Q in her Instagram @MaggieQ.