The Lincoln Lawyer's Jazz Raycole on Season 2 and Izzy & Mickey's Bond

One of the hottest shows on television is back and better than ever.

Part one of The Lincoln Lawyer Season 2 has hit Netflix, and in its bustling second effort, they're diving into new cases and the various personal lives of Mickey Haller and his associates.

One of Mickey's closest confidants since the series' inception has been Izzy Letts, played by the effortlessly charming Jazz Raycole. A seasoned actress, Raycole brings deep warmth to the ever-evolving Izzy as she navigates the streets of Los Angeles with her busy boss.

We were fortunate to get some time with the fabulous Raycole over Zoom, where we talked about a variety of topics, including the aforementioned series and Raycole's dream project.

Enjoy this spirited chat, TV Fanatics!

Can you speak to Izzy's season one journey and where we'll see her at the start of The Lincoln Lawyer Season 2?

Season one for her is she's getting a new lease on life. It's her second chance. I think in season two, she settles into that reality, like, "This is my second chance. What's next for me? What's next on the agenda?" So it's a transition period for her.

We pick up season two six months later, and that first season happens within two weeks, so she's had time to acclimate herself to the job, to Mickey, to the office, and to reevaluate what she wants to do with her life.

In season one, Izzy and Mickey cultivate this sweet bond and friendship. Can you tell us about that relationship and how they've come to rely on one another in a lot of ways?

I think they have very much a brother-sister type relationship and look out for each other. There's a genuine care for one another, and I think they give it to each other real, and they don't have that relationship with anybody else.

I think they both know what it is to go through addiction, and they both show up for each other knowing that, so there's a rawness and a realness that comes with Mickey and Izzy, which is fun to play.

And you just mentioned it, Izzy and Mickey are both in recovery, and we saw a lot of Izzy's journey in season one with the ex-girlfriend, Ray, and with her attending meetings. How did you prepare for that part of Izzy's journey? Did you do any research into addiction and recovery?

Yeah. A lot of research, and we had a lot of time because we were supposed to start filming a week before COVID happened, so I had a long period of time to go through a lot of different avenues of trying to figure out what addiction looks like. I went to meetings. There was this book called Dopesick.

They ended up making a TV show about it, so I read that book, which is heartbreaking, and there's also an audiobook that goes along with that. Intervention was on repeat in the house.

And I talked to a couple of addicts and got their story of their lowest points during their addiction and how they got out of it, and what that was like for their friends and family, the people that were around them, what they lost during that time and how they're dealing with the journey now because it's hard when you've done a lot of crazy messed up things when you're in your addiction, and that's not really your true self.

That's a whole different person, and so it was really interesting to see the juxtaposition between who they were at the height of their addiction and where they are a year sober. So I did a lot of research. I wanted to make sure I honored that. That was really, really important to me.

Was there anything about Izzy you connected with or anything about her that made you think, "Oh, I really want to take on this role?"

Yeah. She's bold, and she tells it like it is. She doesn't sugarcoat, she doesn't beat around the bush, and that, to me, I wish more women felt comfortable to do that, especially women of color. Sometimes we bite our tongues because it might not be well received, and Izzy doesn't bite her tongue.

If someone's going to come back at her with something, she takes it, she eats it, and she's like, "All right, cool. On to the next." And that was something like playing a strong Black woman but playing a strong woman. That's the joy, right?

Mm-hmm.

That's what you hope to have.

She definitely takes her space, which I really appreciate about her in season one.

And you touched on this a little bit before in talking about her journey and into season two, but is there anything you can tease for us if we'll see anything about Izzy away from just her relationship with Mickey? Will we see more of her backstory or anything like that?

Yeah, we delve into a lot more of her journey, backstory, and what she's going into the next phase, and she's in the office a little bit more, so there are a lot of connections that are developed between the rest of the cast, which I think is really cool.

When I was watching season one, I binged it, and throughout the first season, I was like, "You know what? I like driving, and I like gossip. I wonder if I could be a driver for somebody."

So I'm going to turn that back to you. Do you think that's something you could do? And is there anybody, like a famous person, you're like, "Oh, I would love to be their personal driver?"

No. At least, not in LA with this traffic. That sounds awful. Listen, I love to drive. I do. I honestly do, and I'm a very good driver, if I may say so myself, but driving someone around...I did Uber, I think, for a day. And it was terrifying.

I had to drive at night, so I'm not the smartest in my 20s, and I was driving one night, and a guy got in the car, and he's like, "You're a woman." I was like, "Yeah." He's like, "Are you scared?" I am now. So, driving people? Not in the cards for me. Not in the cards.

I was thinking very grandiose. I was like, "Oh, I could be Beyonce's driver!"

Oh, you are on a whole other-

I was on a whole other level.

Beyonce. Queen bee's driver. Okay!

Yes! Exactly. I was thinking big thoughts.

In that case, maybe.

Right? It could be fun.

So season one was a really big critical success and was huge with audiences, so what has the experience been like, and how pleased have you been with the show's success?

I was surprised by the outpouring of love for the show. I figured we would have a lot of love because it's based on a book series, and Michael Connelly he's been writing for years and years and years and years.

And he has Bosch, and Bosch has been on seven or eight seasons, so I figured we have a built-in fan base, but people love this show in a way that I don't think I was prepared. And it's not just here in America.

I went to Spain a couple of months ago and went to Morocco while I was over there, and someone in Morocco is like, "You're on the lawyer show." What? How random is that? So the show reaches across a lot of platforms, and it feels really special to be on it. Really special.

Did you read the book once you booked the role?

I read all six of them twice through.

Wow.

I loved them. And not my genre. I love to read, but not my genre. Not something I would ever think to pick up a legal crime novel, and I have three, four days each. I've sped through those books and then read them all again. They're really, really incredible. He's a brilliant writer, so I was a fan. I mean, this all happened after.

My character's not in the books, which I think what he told me a couple of months ago is he's going to see about putting Izzy as a character in maybe one of the next books. It made me really excited. But yes, I did read the books.

If you could describe season two in three words, can you give me three words?

Suspenseful, fun, and sexy.

Oh. Okay. I like it.

So, you have a very lengthy and robust filmography, and you started acting at a younger age, so was that something you were always drawn to? And I know you're a dancer, as well, so is that something that's always been in you, and it just traveled into wanting to do acting full-time?

Yeah. I started acting at full board, dancing when I was 22 months. And I think I've always done both simultaneously, and it's very difficult to do both simultaneously, and after I got injured, it was just like, "Oh, okay. Well, now I have all the time in the world."

But it was something that I just did and didn't even think about, "Oh, is this something I wanted to do?" until I was a teenager and I had an epiphany watching Lord of the Rings, which was very random; I know.

It's this one scene with Gandalf when he dies, and Frodo comes out of the cave, and he turns around, and there's this one tear that comes out of his eye, and that was the moment for me is like, if I can make someone feel what I felt during that moment if I can touch someone or just make them feel, then I'll do that for the rest of my life.

So, I've always loved performing, though. Always. That's just something, art in any form. I am here for.

Speaking of your filmography, you've got a chance to take on a lot of different roles, but if you could craft the perfect role for yourself, like this genre, this character, what does that look like?

That's a tough question. It's a very tough question.

There's a world in which I want to play someone like Gia, Angelina Jolie in Gia, and she's just this broken, flawed person, but she lets everyone see the flaws, so there's something appealing about that. And then I'm a dancer, and I'm very physical, and I do Krav Maga and a little bit of Jūjutsu.

I would want to do something where I can use my body, whether it's doing something with dance or doing something in the action realm, but as long as it has some meat and potatoes to it. And I think the most important thing for me as an actor and creator is to tell stories that are not necessarily being told or have been told.

There are a lot of remakes, but there are also a lot of stories that we need that we haven't seen, and we all have different perspectives, and a lot of stuff has happened just in the last three years.

Nonetheless, the last 10, 15, and so for me, it's important to make sure that I'm taking roles that are elevating not just a woman's experience but the Black experience as well.

Yeah. You said it well.

I always like to ask people, the first time I get to speak with them, what are their favorite shows of all time, and then what is a television show you're currently watching?

I am watching The Bear right now on Hulu. I love it. I love it because it's not a long show, and it's different, something we haven't seen, and the cast is just great.

So that's what I'm currently watching, but I just got back from Spain, so I'm late on everything, but that's what I'm enjoying right now. Favorite show of all time. That's hard.

Well, maybe like a comfort show.

Game of Thrones is my comfort show. Game of Thrones, that's weird to say because there's a lot of blood, gore, and crazy in it, but it's my comfort show.

There's something about what they created, they changed TV forever in what they did with that show, and it's well written, well shot, well acted, the set design; there's just so many great elements of it. So yeah, that's my comfort show.

***This interview has been edited for length and clarity.***

You can watch the first part of The Lincoln Lawyer Season 2 on Netflix.