'Roswell, New Mexico' actress Amber Midthunder on Rosa's arc in Season 2, her addiction and abandonment issues
When the 'Roswell' reboot, 'Roswell, New Mexico' hit The CW in 2019, there were a few differences from the 1999 series. One of the key differences was the introduction of Rosa Ortecho, played by Amber Midthunder, Liz Ortecho's (Jeanine Mason) younger sister.
Rosa was shown to have died ten years before the start of the setting in the series. However, after Liz comes back to Roswell and learns that Max Evans (Nathan Parsons) is an alien along with his sister Isobel (Lily Cowles) and Michael (Michael Vlamis), more mysteries start to unfold.
At the end of Season 1, it is revealed that Rosa's body was preserved in one of the alien pods. In the final episode of the season, Max sacrifices his own life to bring back Rosa — who is the same 19-year-old girl she was when they last saw her.
Midthunder was promoted to series regular for Season 2. In the first two episodes of the season, we see that she is forced to hole up in Max's home while Liz and the others figure out a way to bring him back. Rosa is further enraged when she learned that Max helped besmirch Rosa's name in the town ten years ago when he was trying to protect his sister.
MEA Worldwide (MEAWW) spoke to Midthunder about her role on the show and what to expect for Rosa's arc in Season 2. Midthunder summed up Rosa's experience in one word: "Traumatic." She says, "She's definitely dealing with the guilt of feeling like she drove their mom away and thus hurting Liz. If she has any cause in life, [it's that] she lives to protect Liz from this pain. She also feels she is the cause of Liz losing Max. She's dealing with loneliness because she can't talk to anybody because she came back from the dead and all."
Midthunder elaborates that Rosa has not had the ten years like everyone else around her. "I think that loneliness pushes her into a lot of her thoughts, which I think definitely drives her addiction," she says.
"I think for her, that's sort of a learning process," Midthunder said on Rosa coping with everything that she has been through. "When we left off with her, she was already trying to find a coping mechanism for her that was healthy. And now beyond that, there's no handbook on how to cope with being dead for ten years. So yeah, I think that she's doing as much as she can."
"I think a lot of her motivation to be healthy is for her sister because [Rosa] can't talk to her dad. She doesn't have a lot of friends, she has no safety. Her solace is being the safety for Liz. We've also explored some of her religious beliefs and her struggle with God. But I think largely her what she explores in a healthy way is that she tries to be the hero, which sometimes can be good and sometimes is just as destructive as it is helpful."
The last viewers saw of Liz and Rosa, the sisters were locked in a fight after the latter found out about what Max did ten years ago. When asked whether Liz and Rosa would reconcile, Midthunder answered, "I mean, they are sisters. I think that the thing with Liz and Rosa is that at the end of the day, no matter how much they can hate each other, they can't help but live their bond. And yet, as all of these crazy things happen, and as much as they butt heads, you know, they're in a way they're all that they've got."
Midthunder continues, "We've seen really ugly moments and we've also seen really beautiful moments. But I think what I really love about Liz and Rosa is that their relationship spans all the colors of the rainbow."
Midthunder admits one of her favorite lines is when she tells Liz not to treat her like a little sister. She says that the change in dynamics is difficult on the sister, "because there's no way Rosa is going to give up the big sister card," but admits that she has been forced to do it.
The actress is also excited about Rosa's scenes with Kyle Valenti (Michael Trevino), who is her half-brother on the show, and says she would love to see more of them. "I think her relationship with Kyle is brewing under the surface," she says.
Midthunder also tells us that fans can expect to see her reunited with Maria DeLuca (Heather Hemmens) soon. She says, "[It's] definitely a hard thing to leave Maria out from learning something, so there are some surprises for her ahead."
She continues that Maria was Rosa's person that she could be free with and talk to without consequence. Midthunder says, "[When] you get somebody like Rosa who can be a little wild and overtaken with emotions, there's no telling what she will do."
Midthunder also opened up about how Rosa feels about Max, admitting that the former does not think that Max is special. She says although bringing Max back may not be what Rosa wants, she would want to do whatever it takes to make Liz happy. However, Midthunder thinks Rosa's dynamic with Michael would be a "really fun dynamic, especially with their kind of individual banter."
Midthunder also teased a few episodes fans could look forward to. Though she did not divulge many details, she said she was excited about one particular episode with a new character. She also said that Rosa will be doing a lot of "intense growing" and that one episode will define her future.
The actress was all praise for Carina Adly Mackenzie who serves as creator and showrunner for the reboot. She says, "There's not a moment of the story that she doesn't think about. It's great to see someone who gives that much of themselves to their story."
'Roswell, New Mexico' airs on The CW on Monday nights at 9/8c.