The Rookie Star Melissa O'Neil Shares Swimsuit Photo as “Life Is Awesome”

1. Physical Training For Role

O'Neil started physical training for her role in Dark Matter. “Before filming began on the show, I started doing some physical training, but I already came into this job with some body awareness,” she says. “I’ve been practicing yoga for some time and as a kid I did martial arts as well as sports. I think for the most part when it comes to stunt fighting, having a real fighters’ background is a big asset, but what’s also important is, again, having a sense of body awareness and a spatial awareness of who you’re fighting against, so that everyone comes out of it safe as you work together to help tell the story.”

2. Love For the Team

O'Neil loves the camaraderie she shares with her costars on The Rookie. “It’s really cool that you notice it, because we really feel it, and it’s part of what makes coming to work every day such a joy,” she says. “When I think about how much has happened in my personal life, and then I look at our show and the family we’ve built here, it blows my mind, because there is still the same type of excitement when we’re on set together. I’ve been told by my other actor friends that other shows are different. After a period of time it gets a little old-hat, and there’s disillusion between cast members, stuff like that. But with our show, it always still feels like the first day … well, maybe not the first day, but like, two weeks in, where we’re all really liking each other, and saying, ‘This is fun!’”

3. Theater Background

O'Neil loves the challenge and energy of theater. “Theater is a terrific environment to hone your storytelling skills as well as fine tune your performance, both of which I’m very grateful for and that I use in my prep process for this medium [of television],” she says. “Also, when you have a live audience, they are the last member of the cast, if you will. You can rehearse a show as much as you want, but you have no idea how that night will turn out until your final company member is in the house, and that’s the audience. There’s nothing quite like theater, and I love the challenge and joy of finding nuances and subtle differences that you can bring to your performance in order to help keep the piece ‘alive and breathing’ night after night.”

4. Fighting Fit

O'Neil was serious about making her Dark Matter action scenes look legitimate. “I wanted to work on my fast-twitch muscles, I wanted her reflexes to be ninja fast,” she says. “Her fight sequences are massive. Two is fighting all the time. At the beginning of the season it’s very much something that happens automatically. It happens intuitively. Most of the time she is not sure what has happened or how it happened and she snaps back out of it and realizes in the wake of the chaos what she has done. In the latter half of the season, we see her embrace that as one of her tools.”

5. Relating To Characters

Shutterstock

O'Neil feels closely connected to her character in Dark Matter. “As far as Two goes, she’s not so far removed from who I feel I am, aside from all the ass-kicking and killing she does,” she says. “Her essential moral core of who she is, or at least who Two believes she is before discovering her true identity, is very much in-line with who I think I am. So in that way, the character is not too great of a leap, and I think that may be why Joe, Vanessa and the rest of the [creative] team saw something in me. It amazes me that they took a chance on someone who never worked in television before to take on a role like Two, but I am truly humbled by it. I’m having such a good time coming to set every day and figuring out who this woman is and how to help tell her story as best I can.”

Chelsee Healey is truly in the Halloween spirit this year. The British actress posted photos of herself getting ready for festivities, wearing a black patterned swimsuit, with denim over the bathing suit. Healey then followed up her selfies with pictures of herself out on the town with a cocktail. How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Healey stays in shape and the photos that prove they work—and to get beach-ready yourself, don't miss these essential 30 Best-Ever Celebrity Bathing Suit Photos!

1. She Loves Her Post-Baby Body

Healey bounced back from having a baby by adopting healthy habits. “After Coco arrived my appetite is nowhere near as big, I also eat much healthier and swear by green tea and liters of water everyday,” she says. “I’d say I’m the smallest I’ve ever been in my life but the most happiest and content I guess I’ve ever been, not because I’ve lost the weight but just appreciating myself and my body much more realizing how amazing a woman’s body is.”

2. She’s An Adrenaline Junkie

Mike Marsland/WireImage

Healey once bungee jumped and really enjoyed the experience. “I loved it! I was so gassed about this… I couldn't wait,” she says. “I think obviously when we went up in the bungee my head went a bit like, ‘Oh my god Chelsee, what are you actually doing?’ But honestly that was just the best experience. I loved it. I would never have done one of them off my own back, so I'm just so thankful that I got to do it… I think my adrenaline took over. Obviously when I was about to go on it I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ I remember going up and I was like, ‘Can I just stop?’ It was just so exciting and I had such a rush after that. It was brilliant. I'd definitely do another one.”

3. She Loves Seafood

Shutterstock

Healey loves seafood, especially sushi (although she jokes that she can’t handle adult chopsticks). “Sushi can be a healthy choice, but it depends on the type you choose and the ingredients used,” says registered nutritionist Nicola Shubrook. “Oily fish, such as salmon, provides omega-3, which is an essential fatty acid and has to be obtained from your diet. The World Health Organization recommends eating 1-2 portions of oily fish a week, so sushi may be a delicious way to help reach these targets.”

4. She Embraces Her Imperfections

Dave Benett/Getty Images

Healey has learned to focus on the positive and appreciate herself both inside and outside. “There’s never been a time when I’ve been fully content in my appearance, but as I’ve got older I have learnt to be happier with things,” she says. “Being a mum definitely puts life into perspective and things I used to worry about all the time just don’t feel as important now... I accept my flaws and my imperfections more now, and I appreciate myself looks-wise and how I am as a person. I don’t think I’d change anything about me now. The one thing I’m 100-per-cent happy with is my heart. My heart is perfect and that’s the important thing.”

5. She Exercises Outdoors

Chelsee Healey/Instagram

Healey enjoys visiting her local park for some exercise in the sunshine and fresh air. “Exercising outdoors increases our exposure to sunlight, enhancing vitamin D production, which has been linked to improving mood, promoting bone health, boosting immune system function and reducing inflammation,” says Cedric X. Bryant, PhD, FACSM. “Being in nature boosts feelings of well-being and life satisfaction. In fact, simply being outside and breathing fresh air has been shown to reduce stress and enhance relaxation. Research shows that being in nature, also called forest bathing, reduces stress and enhances relaxation. Exercising, particularly outdoors, drives tremendous mental health benefits, ranging from reducing depression and anxiety to enhancing self-esteem and mood. Combine that with the physiological benefits of exercise, and you'll see greater levels of joy in your life.”

WNBA star and free agent Te'a Cooper has clearly learned to love swimsuit photoshoots since appearing in Sports Illustrated. Cooper, 26, enjoyed some downtime by hitting the pool, and shared the photos on her Instagram. The athlete can be seen posing in the water in a vibrant red bikini, completing the look with a beautiful blue necklace and dark sunglasses, her hair pulled into a ponytail. “Te’a SWIM WEEK 💦🫶 @target,” she captioned the post. “My girly,” commented fellow player Angel Reese. Here’s how Cooper stays fit, beautiful, and on top.

1. Vegan Diet

Cooper cooks her own meals as much as possible. “I recently just tried going vegan for a few months and it was great,” she says. “I felt great. My body felt great. I had a lot of energy. It’s just refreshing. This past year, I just started cooking regularly. I cook breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, so I’m just now getting into that. I guess you can really tell the difference more if you aren’t an athlete, but I really did feel the effect of eating vegan foods in the off-season. Energy-wise, during the day, when I’m not doing anything and I’m not sleepy without practicing stuff, I think that’s when I felt the difference more. It’s a huge difference, honestly.”

2. Sports Illustrated Model

Cooper is a Sports Illustrated model, and while she was surprised to be asked to take part, she was thrilled in the end. Being with her fellow athletes at the shoot in St. Thomas helped make her feel more comfortable. “When I got the call, I initially [thought], ‘Did they call the right person?’” she joked.“It kind of felt like I was getting ready for a game. It was really comfortable. I was super excited to just be with them and see them be out of their element, too. They are so empowering. They just really make you comfortable in your own skin.”

3. Embrace the Roller Coaster

Shutterstock

Cooper believes in embracing the journey, both ups and downs. “Everything’s not always gonna be up — it’s a roller coaster,” she says. “Sports teaches you the beauty of the ups and downs… I think for mental health purposes, enjoy that roller coaster. So, you know, things happen, but it always has a way of working out. So no matter where I am in life, I just feel like it’s gonna work out. Unfortunate things happen, but it’s like I’ve been there before, been down before, so I’m gonna be up soon, and I just kind of stay humble and stay in the middle and just stay steady, honestly.”

4. Fashion Forward

Cooper loves how the WNBA players are becoming known for their fashion as well as their skills. “I took the game day ‘fits very seriously,” she says. “I would say embracing your own style and confidently walking in your own style [is important]. How you see yourself and what you put out there — the evolution of you and just seeing your style grow — I think is the most interesting aspect of it. I love fashion and I definitely want to be on a runway someday!

5. Self-Care Is Self-Love

For Cooper, self-care is about a healthy lifestyle. “I think really, a lot of things are mental,” she says. “People think eating healthy is like you’re on a diet or you’re trying to lose weight when really it can be a lifestyle. Like you just wanna be cleaner, you just wanna be healthier mentally, physically, emotionally, and some of that has to do with your food. I think just focusing on yourself and making sure you feel good is the best advice I can give. Everybody’s story is different and everybody’s emotions are different, so my advice won’t help somebody who’s not me—but just taking care of yourself could help everybody.”

1. Beauty Maven

Tamaki swears by specific beauty products for her gorgeous complexion. “Laneige lip sleeping mask- at all hours of the day,” she says. “Weleda Skin Food single handedly changed my skin. It’s very thick, so perfect for winter dryness. Supergoop glow screen SPF every day, but sometimes I use this as my foundation! There’s a little tint and shimmer to it. PawPaw ointment- for problem areas, I have had an ongoing feud with a dry patch under my nose for as long as I can remember. One of my makeup artists on manifest introduced me to pawpaw and I slather it on. I rarely wear makeup when home for the holidays, so my favorite beauty look is glowy skin! Sometimes my siblings line up and I do all of their skin care, too.”

2. Not Just a Love Interest

Tamaki is appreciative about playing a strong, complex character who isn’t just the romantic interest. “I love seeing women on TV who have more relationships than just romantic ones, and I think there can be something so dynamic and professional about female friendships and that’s kind of what we have been discovering throughout the season is the way that these two characters get along and learn from each other,” she says. “Drea comes in at the beginning and is just so infatuated with Mic and is trying to get Mic to warm up to her a little bit.”

3. Ocean Swimming

Tamaki went on a magical trip to Bali earlier in 2023 where she swam and snorkeled in the ocean. “To my Bali baddieeees- thank you for the trip of a lifetime. From spirituality and support, to morning bintangs and debauchery, I’d like to think that all of our little islands formed a perfect archipelago. Thank you @adawsss for bringing us all together. This insane jet lag was worth it,” she captioned an Instagram post detailing her adventures.

4. Superhero Dreams

Shutterstock

Tamaki wants to explore more physically challenging roles in the future. “When I think into the future and the projects I want to work, I feel like I love and gravitate toward roles that are super grounded and driven and moral,” she says. “I’ve read some scripts recently that are really fascinating about incoming new Congresswomen who want to evoke change in the government. Or maybe even in the vein of a detective, but the scrappy detectives who figures out that there’s something wrong with the system and she goes on and tries to fix it. I’d love to work on something really physical. My training is in physical acting, and I once played Billie Jean King, the tennis player, and so I think that if there were something where I could use my physical acting training, maybe like a superhero that I would love to dive into.”

5. Love On Set

Tamaki genuinely loves her co-stars and enjoys spending time with them. “I mean, that’s the judicious answer, right? To be like ‘everyone’s amazing,’ but it’s true, this is one of the greatest shows I’ve worked on, cast and crew and you know everybody involved, but the person who actually came to mind is Parveen [Kaur], who plays Saanvi,” she says. “I ended up getting close to her hanging out in New York and we were able to have like a couple of days on set together, but we didn’t have to get to have a big story-arc. Our characters have two totally separate situations going on and they’re really complicated stories, but I think it would be really cool to work with her and to see how these two women could maybe start figuring stuff out together.”