Pre-Order Kathy Reichs' Newest Book!
The show Bones is based loosely on the series of books about a forensic anthropologist named Temperance Brennan that are written by author Kathy Reichs. The wonderful news is that she publishes a new book about once each year. And even better, they usually come out during the time that the show is in between seasons. So she helps us get through the break!
This year's title is 206 Bones. It's due to be released on August 25, 2009, but if we order it now, it will ship the day it is released. I love her books and have already ordered mine. If you want to pre-order one too, you can do so on Amazon.com
FOX Announces Their Fall Premiere Dates
It may be summertime, but the fall season is already being scheduled for us. Here are the premiere dates for FOX Networks' prime time lineup.
Premieres of new series and returning favorites are listed below in chronological order.
Saturday, Sept. 12
8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT COPS (Season Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT COPS (All-New Episode)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT AMERICA’S MOST WANTED (Season Premiere)
Wednesday, Sept. 16
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT GLEE (Series Premiere)
Thursday, Sept. 17
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT BONES (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT FRINGE (Season Premiere)
Friday, Sept. 18
8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT BROTHERS (Series Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT ‘TIL DEATH (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT DOLLHOUSE (Season Premiere)
Monday, Sept. 21
8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT HOUSE (2-Hour Season Premiere)
Sunday, Sept. 27
8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT THE SIMPSONS (Season Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT THE CLEVELAND SHOW (Series Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT FAMILY GUY (Season Premiere)
9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT AMERICAN DAD (Season Premiere)
Monday, Sept. 28
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT HOUSE (All-New Episode)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT LIE TO ME (Season Premiere)
Tuesday, Sept. 29
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT HELL’S KITCHEN (All-New Episode)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (Time Period Premiere)
Tuesday, Oct. 27
8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (Time Period Premiere)
Saturday, Nov. 7
11:00 PM-Midnight ET/PT THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (wt) (Series Premiere)
Pre-Order Your 2010 David Boreanaz Calendar!
Great news for David Boreanaz fans!! We are now able to pre-order the 2010 version of his calendar.
If you pre-order it now, it will ship to you the day it's released. No muss, no fuss. And tell the truth, don't you want to be able to look at David's handsome face all next year? What a treat! ;-)
None of the images within the calendar have been released yet, but does it really matter...?
Bones Soundtrack Available!
Is there a song you heard during a scene of Bones that you just love? Perhaps it will be on the Bones Soundtrack CD that will be released on September 2nd. So you'll get to enjoy it for a whole day before the season premiere!
You can pre-order it now and Amazon.com will ship it out on September 2.
Here's the list of tracks:
- Bones Theme - Crystal Method
- Angel - Sinead O'Connor
- Running Up That Hill - Placebo
- It Means Nothing - Stereophonics
- Gone - Thirteen Senses
- Black Star - Eliza Lumley
- Feel It Now - Eliza Lumley
- Fountain - Sara Love
- Something - Cary Brothers
- Tears And Laughter - Tall Tree 6ft Man
- Bring On The Wonder - Susan Enan
- Dirty Little Secret - Sarah McLachlan
- Bones Theme - Crystal Method
Pre-Order Your Bones Season 4 DVDs Now!
  [Image: Amazon.com] |
There's no official release date yet, but I'll keep you posted on that. But if you pre-order, Amazon.com will ship your Bones DVDs
to you on the release date. No muss. No fuss. ;-)And the better news is that the pre-order price is only $38.99, instead of the suggested retail price of $59.98.
I'm excited to oder my copy so my collection can stay complete!
Bones: Interview With Emily Deschanel
 [Photo: © 2009 FOX Broadcasting Co.] |
BTW - you gave me some of the best and most interesting questions! You are all wonderful! Thanks so much!
Q: Does a small part of Emily kind of - is she kind of waiting for Bones and Booth to finally get into bed, so that question can be put to bed?
E. Deschanel: Well, happily, for Emily, that's already happened. People just haven't seen it yet. Yes, I mean, that is a question, probably the most commonly asked question, either by just people on the street or by people interviewing me, so it is nice to tell people that it's happening. I guess, on May 14th … said, so we already shot that, and it should be surprising and good. I mean, I guess it's not surprising for people to know that it's happening, but the way it happens is surprising, I guess.
Q: Anything with regards to the way that it happens, will that spawn a whole new question that people are going to bombard you with from here on?
E. Deschanel: Yes, I'm sure. I'm sure. But I can't really talk about that part.
Q: Then what can you say about the dynamic with Booth's brother when he returns? What's going on with him and Brennan these days?
E. Deschanel: I'm trying to think. I can't really talk about - what can I say about his role? Let's just say like his feelings for Brennan haven't really died, and so there's some dynamic there, a little bit of a love triangle that happens.
Q: Okay, but her feelings for him, that spark has kind of been doused?
E. Deschanel: We'll see.
Q: You know, obviously both you and David have voiced concerns over Booth and Brennan's coupling. What made this a good time to go there, do you think?
E. Deschanel: You know, I think that it's been four years. It's something that everyone has been waiting for, for a long time. I think that, you know, Hart Hanson, the creator of the show, wanted to find a clever way to put them together that wouldn't forever taint everything on the show, and I think he figured out a nice way of doing it that obviously affects things in the future, but doesn't completely ruin the chemistry that we have. So I think that, you know, I'm glad we waited this long.
I don't think we should have waited too much longer than this to have something happen, but I think he figured a very clever way to do it that, you know, the concern is always that it will dissipate the romantic tension between the characters. And, you know a lot of shows have died from that, so I think it was a matter of timing and figuring out the right way to do it so that it doesn't ruin everything for the show. I think he was really careful about putting us together, so I think I'm happy about the way it turned out, and we'll see how the audience feels, I guess.
Q: Now in the past two weeks, the show has been on Mondays, on Wednesdays, and on Thursday. Can you talk about the fans of the show and the loyalty to it, even with the constant schedule changes?
E. Deschanel: It's incredible. I mean, we did better on an unscheduled night without a lot of promotion than the show that normally is there, and then even on our regular time slot, so I think it's frustrating for a lot of people. Just friends of mine have said they didn't know when the show was on. My grandparents were very confused. You don't have to be in your 90s though to be confused by this timing, but I think they're trying to make it up because we got postponed because it was like a chain reaction from an Obama press conference that happened, and I think they're trying to make it up to us, but it did confuse a lot of people because people thought, oh, we're on Monday nights now and not on Thursday nights, and we're used to being bumped around.
But I think it says a lot about our fans and viewers who follow us from night-to-night, even in the same week, and we're just so grateful for such loyal fans. If we didn't have them, we would never have survived because we've been moved around so many times. It's kind of ridiculous to think about, so we owe it to our loyal viewers that have stuck around from one night to another and made us even more successful on unscheduled nights, so it feels pretty good to have those kind of loyal followers.
Q: I was wondering about your personal life. Do you see any common traits with your character, so to speak?
E. Deschanel: You know, I think the characters kind of seep into you sometimes. I've gotten more particular about things and my attention to detail has become stronger. If you asked Hart, the creator of the show, he would say that I'm the least like my character of anyone on our show, and I think that's probably true.
I think I'm very different from my character. I'm certainly not as intelligent as she is. I'm a little more personable and able to have conversations with human beings, which she struggles with. But I think if you see David Boreanaz and myself kind of interacting while we're filming, you will see a lot of similarities in Booth and Brennan. We very much have the kind of brother/sister/married couple/Booth and Brennan type. We'll kind of talk back and forth with each other and bicker sometimes in a very loving way. We have a great kind of repartee going that kind of mirrors the characters that we have.
And I'd say that I get very focused on my work like she does. I understand kind of losing yourself in your work. I understand - you know, I can relate to anything that she does. It's just that maybe it's not as strong in my personality as it is in hers.
Q: Well, can you tell what the audience can expect or what might be a little bit different in the season finale?
E. Deschanel: You'll see a very softer Brennan. I don't know if it's very soft, but Brennan, you see her in a different situation. Like you saw, there was an episode in the season where we went undercover in the circus, and this is similar in that you get to see these characters in a totally kind of different environment at times, and so you see a different side of the character, and so you'll see kind of a softer side of Brennan.
You know, I was trying to talk to Hart about it, again, the creator of the show, about how my character, what's different about Brennan in the finale, and it's harder to put a finger on, and I don't know how to describe it in words myself about how I chose to do the performance, but it's different. It's definitely a different side of her that you haven't seen before. But it's still the same Brennan. But it's just totally different, in a different situation.
Q: Have you continued to resist visiting a real morgue and still have never been in the presence of a real dead body? And do you think you'll ever give in on that front?
E. Deschanel: Yes, the status the still the same, I have never been to a real morgue.
I've never seen a dead body in my life, and just to fill anyone in, I chose not to do that. I didn't - I knew that it would affect me. I've never … a dead body, and an actor told me that he went to the morgue when he was researching a part and it really affected him negatively, and I believe in using your imagination as an actor, and that's the greatest tool we have. And my character is supposed to be very at ease with dead bodies, and so I didn't want to risk changing that and feel all of a sudden uneasy, and so I chose not to go to the morgue, and I still have not been to a morgue.
You know, the forensic consultant who works on our show, Donna, she is always trying to get me to go either to the morgue or, I don't know, go meet with some medical examiner. I met with a medical examiner, but that's not really what my job is. I've met forensic anthropologists before, of course, but I've never seen them at work. I bet before we finish the show, in the end, I'll end up going to one of these things, but we'll see. You know, it's like, once I start filming, I'd almost be open to it now on some level because I don't think it would affect me as negatively as it would have in the past, but I'm so used to seeing fake dead bodies, but you just add the smell to it, and that's all you do.
But who knows. It's hard when we're working because we work such long hours, and my weekends get filled up with a lot of different press things, etc., so maybe during a hiatus I'll go, but we'll see. Anyway, that's my answer for you.
Q: Do you think that there's going to be more big travel episodes like the London shows in future seasons? And, if so, if you had your choice, where would you want it to be, like maybe your favorite travel destination or just someplace that you've wanted to visit but never have?
E. Deschanel: I'd love to go to Morocco or Egypt. I think those would be appropriate places for Brennan to be at a dig, and then Booth has to come over because I suspect that there's a fresh murder that we find or something like that, and I just have always wanted to go to those places, so I guess that would be a cheap vacation for me. But it's not up to me. But other places have been discussed like Spain and France. I think it would really depend on what kind of stories they could create, and it would have to be a place where we're popular, where people watch us a lot, so we'll see.
Q: I was wondering if you could kind of tell us how the plan with Booth's brother is going to play out? Is he going to stick around into next season?
E. Deschanel: I would imagine so. I haven't talked to Hart about that because it's more a question for him. They're starting to write next season now, so they probably will know better, but I would imagine he'll pop up there. It's kind of a relationship that is not exactly resolved, so it would make sense for him to come back. We'll see what happens.
E. Hochberg What do you think about Brennan's decision to want a child after kind of being vocal against that? Is that a direction you were happy to go in?
E. Deschanel: You know I like this decision because I like that one thing I loved about Hart's characters from the beginning was that they have contradictions, and I think that I always look at that in a script because people have contradictions. You know, so many people write a script and say, well, this character is rigid, and she never changes her mind, and then they will never have her change her mind. But in real life, people do change and surprise you and, whether you like it or not, they change direction in their life sometimes. And they have contradictions.
I kind of love it for that reason. I like the fact that this character - at the same time, I really did like the fact that this was a woman who said she did not want children, and you don't see that many represented very much in television or film where a woman says vocally she doesn't want to have children. And, you know, how many times have I talked to many women who do not want children and are very happy with that choice, so I love the fact that that was represented, but I also love the fact that she's a character who changes her mind...and you'll see there are some twists and turns in that episode that will surprise everyone.
Yes, I'm happy with it. I thought it was very interesting. And I don't think it's like a kind of situation where Brennan just changes her mind, and it's done in a very interesting way, and then, like I said, there's twists and turns, so I guess I don't want to say much more than that.
Q: I wanted to ask you a little bit about Zack coming back for the finale and what was it like to have Eric back on the set and work with him because he was back, I think, only once before this season?
E. Deschanel: It's wonderful to have him back. I enjoy his company so much. I became friends with him over the years, like I have with most of the cast, and it was really hard to not have him around all the time. But that said, when he came back for the finale, it was as if no time had past. He just walked, and it was great to act with him again and hang out with him on set. It was a breath of fresh air. I was really happy that we have him back for this season finale, and it's very fitting because we have so many of the people that have been on the show are back in the finale. So many people - I don't know if there's one person. You know, there's not many. There are some, but most of the people who are on our show have been on the show before in that episode, and I love that about that episode. They're familiar faces.
Q: And this season, you've had the device of having recurring people rotating through in Zack's position, kind of that rotating. What's that been like, even just as a device for you to have a new actor that you're kind of working with not always consistently? What's that been like on the set?
E. Deschanel: I've been enjoying it. As hard as it is to see Eric and Zack go, I have been enjoying the way that they've done it because I love that they have a new dynamic every week. Of course, we rotate, so we'll see the same ones here and there, but I've been enjoying that. You know, you have a character, the wacky character of Daisy who wants to be like Brennan, and is so kind of bubbly and kooky, that I just love. And then you have the character of Fischer who is kind of suicidal, and just negative about life in general and just can't see the bright side of things. Then you have Vincent Nigel-Murray, the English - kind of the neurotic English young grad student who likes to state facts when he gets nervous. You know, it's a great, different dynamic. It's great to have all these different dynamics every week and to play against them, so I've been enjoying that, as sad as it's been to not have Eric and the character Zack around. I've been enjoying that.
Q: Do you think we'll see a resolution to that? Will Bones finally hire someone permanently, or do you see this kind of as a device that goes into next season?
E. Deschanel: I think, eventually, but I think they're enjoying this right now, and it probably will continue to next season, as far as I know, because I think they've been enjoying it so much, and having the different, you know, rotating the different people, and it's been working well, and people have been enjoying it. So I think they'll continue that. But I think there's a limit to how long you can do that, I suppose, so we'll see. I don't know where that limit lies, but I guess we'll find out.
Q: What can you tell me about the Stewie Griffin guest appearance? Will it look the way we think it's going to look? Is it going to be like a Mary Poppins kind of thing?
E. Deschanel: A little bit. A little bit, but it's like so much more modern and cooler. Not that I don't love Mary Poppins, but yes. I mean, I thought it was such a brilliant crossover kind of episode, and that episode should be - I mean, I haven't seen the end result, but the script was so funny and moving and, you know, it's kind of got emotion and drama. Basically, in that episode, I ask Booth to father a child with me, and he starts to hallucinate and sees Stewie from Family Guy.
The way it's done has to be believable. I mean, you know, if you're going to see a hallucination, it might as well - it could be a cartoon as easily as it could be another human being, so I think it's done very well. I thought it was great. It's a funny show, Family Guy, so I was excited to have Stewie join our cast for an episode.
Q: Yes, I thought it was interesting because usually the crossovers go the other way. You guys would be animated on...
E. Deschanel: Yes, and we haven't done that, so it's nice to do it this way. I thought it was really clever of the writers to think of that and really think outside the box. I mean, really think outside the box with casting and storylines, but it's done in a very, for lack of a better word, realistic way, and I think that it plays in the world of our show. We have a kind of goofy, crazy side, and I think that works with that. We'll see, though. I haven't seen the final episode.
Q: I can't wait to check it out. Now with her request that Booth father her child, how do you see that panning out, best case scenario? Over time, will a serial killer grab the kid and hold him hostage or her hostage, or something like that?
E. Deschanel: Yes. No, that's absolutely possible. I think that that is definitely a possibility. I think that, you know, just seeing Booth and Brennan interact with a baby in the future, I mean, we did this one baby episode last season, The Baby in the Bough, and you saw Brennan interact with a child. She changed a lot during that episode. At first holding the baby at arm's length, you know, just trying to give the kid away as much as possible. And then by the end, she really, he kind of grew on her, and she was really sad to see him leave. You know, you saw that side of Brennan, so we'll see.
I don't think Brennan, if there's such a thing as a perfect mother, I don't know if Brennan is anywhere near that, but who is, I guess. That's the beauty of the show is you see hopefully somewhat honest, real characters interacting and things that people can relate to, and that's something a lot of people can relate to, being a parent.
Q: I wanted to ask you a little bit about something you were talking about earlier, and Brennan's sort of inability to relate the way regular people do. Do you think after this long playing the character that she almost kind of just doesn't - refuses to kind of learn that, or she just really can't see the world in that way?
E. Deschanel: No, I would say if you look at some of the episodes, even especially this season, we have an episode, the one that David directed. Now what is that called? I forget. I'll think of it in a moment. Sorry, The Bones that Foam. You see Brennan asks Sweets, the character that John Francis Daley plays, who is the shrink. She asks him to help her interact with humans, and she admits that she's not good at it, so she asks him to help her, and he tries to teach her what different expressions look like: what happiness looks like, what sadness. And she's just, you know, she kind of fails at it.
It's not a lack of trying that gets her here, and I think that if you actually look from the beginning of season one to now, she has warmed up a lot, and I know that sounds crazy because she still has a long way to go, but she has definitely changed. And I think that she's opened up with her emotions. She's learned to interact with people a little bit.
I've talked to some psychologists who work with people with Asperger syndrome and basically Brennan kind of has some form of Asperger's in a way because she's a genius, but has a hard time interacting in social situations. People have success, you know, in moving forward helping people with Asperger's interact with people in social situations. It's a long way to answer your question, but basically Brennan has not given up. Brennan is really trying to learn how to relate to people and to open up her emotions and become more sympathetic and all of that. I mean, I think that that's one of the things that I love about the character is that she is trying to be better, trying to grow and learn, and that's one reason why I love playing the character.
Q: Completely switching gears, can you talk a little bit about how Mötley Crüe is involved in the season finale?
E. Deschanel: Well, it turns out that Booth and Brennan have a little connection to Mötley Crüe. I guess they go back, go way back, and Mötley Crüe ends up actually playing in the lab, which was totally crazy...kind of transformed the lab so they could play there. I don't want to reveal too much about the episode to say how that happens, but basically it turns out that Booth and Brennan have known Mötley Crüe randomly.
Yes, and that was pretty crazy to have Mötley Crüe on set. There was pyrotechnics and smoke and everything. They didn't understand continuity because they played once, and Tommy Lee had his shirt off, and then he had his shirt on again. You know how you have to - you know, you shoot it many times, but then he put his shirt on. I, of course, notice that, and I had to tell everyone, but I'm going to notice when a man has his shirt off. I'm just kidding. But I do have attention to detail, just like Brennan. But, yes, it was kind of crazy to have them on set, but it was pretty wild.
So there you have it. That was the full conversation Emily had with all of us on the conference call interview. Now all we have to do is wait to see how terrific the finale is going to be....that's the tough part: waiting!
Exclusive Interview: Scoot McNairy, Bones Guest Star
 [Photo: courtesy of Aquarius PR] |
You will probably remember the character that Scoot has played on Bones as the quirky informant named Noel Liftin. He was in The Man in the Outhouse, early in season 4 and also in The Secret in the Soil during season 3. You might also remember the character Scoot played in the movie Mr. Fix It, another time when he worked with David Boreanaz.
The production team for Bones has discussed the possibility of Noel Liftin returning in more episodes to help out Booth & Brennan, so if you want to see the character on the show again, be sure to leave a comment for Hart Hanson or the writing team to let them know!
 [Photo: courtesy of Aquarius PR] |
Q: Do you think you'll ever come back and work on Bones again?
Scoot McNairy: Honestly, I'm hoping I'll come back. I love working on the show. I love working with Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz. They're two awesome people to work with. But I think it's up to them. They've been talking about bringing me back on the show for future episodes, but it hasn't happened yet.
Q: So you would return if they asked you?
McNairy: Oh, yeah! I did a movie with David Boreanaz called Mr. Fix It. I don't think he knew that I was coming on the show and them when I did, we had a good time working together. I think it was him that decided to bring me back. So they intertwined the character back into the show. So I'm hoping to see more of that. It's kind of up to the fans. [Hint: if you want him back, be sure to comment.]
Q: So what do you remember the most about your time on the show?
McNairy: How great the director was that I worked with. It was the same director on both episodes. And working with the cast - it's just a very, very creative environment. They let the actors have some artistic freedom, to add things or to bring a character on to the show. They're open to characters and it's a really great environment because some shows don't really allow you to do that. But all in all, it was just a really warm group of people that have obviously been working together for a while and it's a bit like clockwork to them. It's really nice to hop on a show and have the two leads on the show go over the top to be nice to you and to make you feel welcome and comfortable. That doesn't happen on many shows. Emily and David are just exceptional actors and really cool people. I mean, if you could get to be a guest star on a show, especially a recurring on a show, you want it to be with those two people because they're just so nice.
Q: Do you have any good stories about working with them?
 [Photo: FOX Broadcasting Co.] |
Q: So what about working with David on Mr. Fix It. Do you have any stories for the fans?
McNairy: He was just an unbelievable person to work with. He's fun and he's all over the place. He loves sports and he'll be chatting you up about baseball or hockey, then they'll yell, "Action." And he'll just pop right into character. He's one of the most professional people I've worked with.
Q: Is there anything else about working on Bones that sets it apart from other guest roles you've done?
McNairy: The character. I love that character. He's totally aloof to the FBI and... In the beginning, they catch him, but when he comes back in the second episode, he kind of feels like the FBI needs him. It's a great character to play because clearly, Noel Liftin is an idiot. But in his mind, he thinks the FBI needs him, so he's important. He thinks, "I'll be hesitant about the information I give out because I'm in control here." And he has no control whatsoever.
And I love that Booth has no patience for my character. He just asks for the information. There's a nice back and forth there with David and it's really fun to play with. I think I just threw out some nonchalant line to him, just playing around and he looked at me as if to say, "Hey, I'm Booth. Stop messing around." They cut a lot of that out, but it was fun to throw a wrench at him and see how quickly he responds, in character. He's just a really sharp actor.
Q: Ok, so tell us what you're currently working on. I know you have several movies in production and things are busy for you.
 [Photo: courtesy of Aquarius PR] |
And I have another movie called The Beautiful Letdown. It's supposed to be shot in the next two months in Austin, Texas. The director is Jeffrey Travis. Right now, the only person that's attached to it is Tony Hale, and they're just in the process of getting the nuts and bolts in order.
I'm co-producing a film called Frank & Cindy and we've been working with John Malcovich's company, Mr. Mudd in order to get that project off the ground. And I have another film that I'm producing that I'm doing with Amy Acker who was on Angel, Alias and now is in Dollhouse.
There's also In Search of a Midnight Kiss, with Sara Simmonds and it's about a guy who places a personal ad and finds a girl intent on finding a guy to kiss on New Year's Eve.
Q: What about the movie Wreckage?
McNairy: That one I worked on with my good buddy, Aaron Paul and Cameron Richardson. We shot it about a year and a half ago and think there's a re-shoot they need to do before they put the film out there. It's got an unbelievable cast attached to it.
Q: And it looks like there's one called Everything Will Happen Before You Die?
McNairy: Yeah, that's a movie that was shot for a very low budget. Brian McGuire that I worked with on In Search of a Midnight Kiss, he wrote it and produced it. And Bret Roberts, who is the lead in Midnight Kiss, has the lead in that too. It's a really ambitious film, reminiscent of a Jim Jarmusch film. It's really out there and it has a great cast attached to it. There on the cutting floor right now, so hopefully that movie will hit the festival circuits later on this year.
Q: You're going to be everywhere, aren't you?
McNairy: Well, I'm trying. [laughs] I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing, making independent films and doing my thing.
But let me ask you this. Are Bones and Booth going to hook up?
Lynn: Yes, they are. At the end of the season. And when I interviewed the writing team, back in August, they told me that Brennan will want Booth to be the father of her child.
McNairy: Oh! No way! Well, I just hope there's a possibility that Noel Liftin will be the Godfather of those kids!
Lynn: It could happen...but Booth would kill you!
McNairy: Either that, or Liftin spied on them!
So, even though I wasn't that aware of Scoot McNairy specifically before our conversation, I can now tell you that I'm a fan. He's a very nice, funny and cool guy! And as much as I like indie films, I know I'll be seeing a lot of him in the future. And, I'd really like to see Noel Liftin come back on Bones. How about you?
Interview With Bones Star John Francis Daley
 [Photo: © 2009 FOX Broadcasting Co.] |
Question: I'm just wondering if your current role is basically Sam all grown up.
J. Daley: One might argue that. I think Lance is definitely more book smart than Sam was and I don't know if Sam would have gotten into psychology, probably the same thing that Paul Feig got into since the character is 99% based on him. But definitely some similarities in the geekiness and general likability and handsomeness in both characters.
Question: I enjoy the show very much and I liked Freaks and Geeks, too, but I'm just wondering if Sam would have made a really challenging patient for Dr. Sweets.
J. Daley: Yes, I think it would have been many sessions to get past this year's bullies.
Question: So in the episodes that aired a couple weeks back we learned a little bit about Sweets' sort of family background, including that he apparently comes from carnie folk. When they gave you that information did you ask what use you were supposed to make of it as an actor?
J. Daley: I had to take a step back and sort of rethink my whole character. No, honestly I've no idea what they're intending to do with my character in terms of that, but I'm very interested to see because not many times you can say that you have a character that comes from a family of carnies.
Question: What other information do you have about Sweets' background that is going to be disseminated in the episodes to come?
Bones: Hart Hanson Interview
Finally! Here's the entire conversation with Hart Hanson. (I did take out the "hello" and "thank you" parts at the end and beginning of each person's questions.)
Hart teases us about meeting Booth's grandfather and gives us a lot of information about why certain people were cast for certain parts. Well, you'll see, it's just a fantastic interview:
Q: I have to wonder: Booth's brother; is that a card you've been wanting to play for a while?
H. Hanson: Yes. We were originally going to have Booth's brother appear in the ill-fated Season 3...ill-fated because of the writer's strike. We were looking forward to bringing Booth's family more into Bones in Season 3 toward the end of the season. But, that was one of the decisions we made when we came back for such a short period of time is to let that play out better in Season 4. So yes, we're excited about it.
Q: Now, is Jared's primary function to shed light on Booth's murky background and it's just a glorious side effect that it might push Bones and Booth together finally?
H. Hanson: Yes, those two and there's a spark between Brennan and little brother Booth, as is the way things go on Bones. Since she, in her own mind can't have the older Booth, maybe this younger one is a good...copy. It turns out not to be true, but it gives us some fun with them, but, mostly to shed some light on Booth who was a guarded character for all his... You don't actually find out much about him. So, it's another way into that and it'll be some fun.
(click on "Read More" for the rest of the interview!)
Q: I did an interview with Michaela a few days ago. I love her. I thought I'd ask you since you've been writing for her, working with her for several years now, what was it that made her stand out for you when you all were casting the part? Does she still have the capacity to impress you and surprise you as an actress today?
H. Hanson: Yes. The answer to part two is that I think-- Well, the first thing that appealed to me and the rest of us when we were casting was her-- She's a very experienced actress. So, she has great chops, and she's obviously extremely beautiful. But, she's also funny. She has a lot of range. We were looking initially for that best friend who could be a sympathetic ear and she has that in spades, that really warm side to her.
We have found out that she is funnier than we thought as well. Not only has she still got what we were looking for in the first place, but now that we've sort of, for the time being at least, split her from Hodgins, she gets to be a little bit more of the free spirit Bohemian that we were after in the first place and she's just even better at it.
It's funny you ask that because in the last three or four episodes, in post, we've just been saying, "Wow, look at Michaela. Look at Michaela go." I think she's really come into her own in the fourth season.
Q: What motivated you to give her...at this time? Is it kind of like thinly veiled male fantasy on your part?
H. Hanson: It could be that, couldn't it? It was like you get to watch Michaela kiss another really beautiful woman. That's not the worse thing in the world. But, I don't think that's why we did it. We did it to... You want to jolt a series every once in a while and remind people that anything can happen. We wanted to go back... A series of events happened where she broke up with Hodgins. We met her ex-husband. She's the offspring of a rock star. We just wanted to give a little jolt to the Michaela character, to the Angela character to reset, just reset that anything can go anywhere.
It worked quite well. The actress who was playing her ex-girlfriend, perhaps girlfriend again is Nichole Hiltz and she's very funny and very warm. Also, if we do this right, and you'll let us know, it's not played very prurient. It's pretty matter of fact. This is who she is. This is who she was for a while and who she could be again. It's just tossing that salad a little bit.
Q: Could you talk a little bit about what the revolving Zack replacements have done for you guys in the writer's room this year and sort of being able to do that and how long you think you can play out that gambit?
H. Hanson: Great question. It has been really fun for us, notwithstanding everybody's deep affection for Eric Millegan and Zack. What it has done for us is we've been able to invent a series of characters that make more stuff happen at the lab. It kind of gives "B" stories to the "B" story, to get some character and humor out of the lab. We found this group of people; we found actors that have just been delightful. It's been amazing for me how good these people have been at coming in and integrating and being on kind of a revolving door.
Initially, I thought, "Oh, we'll look at four to six people and then pick someone who is great and have them come in." We have a couple of more ideas now that we'd like to pursue with these grad students. It's no longer a case, at least in my mind, of finding someone to replace Zack, but, as you say, figuring out how long we can do this and how long it serves the show.
Frankly, our biggest problem now is that some of these people are very good and we could lose them if we don't book them as recurring characters. And so, it's a little scary. They're very good and people are going to see them and snap them up for pilots and things.
But, I think we'll do this for a while. I can't say right now how long it will go on, but I think we'd like to do it for a while.
Q: Is there a danger to it becoming sort of a Murphy Brown secretary kind of thing where even the writers become tired of it after a while?
H. Hanson: Oh, yes, absolutely and I think what we would do is... I mean Murphy Brown did it every single week and it was kind of a gag that they pursued. We're actually not interested in having an infinite number.
For example, a couple of times, some very interesting casting ideas have come to me as to whom we might have come in as an intern and no character suggests itself. They each have to be different. It just can't be someone with a quirk each week. I think that would become very tiresome. But as long as we're interested in looking at each one of these people as characters, then it will work for us and hopefully not become a gag that will annoy people.
There are a lot of people watching the show. I don't mean just audience, but we'll start to hear from the network, studio, writers, directors, the other actors when that feels old and hopefully we'll be before the curve. But right now, it still feels like something that everyone is into and interested by.
Q: Let me put you on the spot quickly. If you had to guess, where [in the weekly schedule] do you think you guys [will be] airing, come January?
H. Hanson: Oh, I am not withholding any opinion from you at all. I will tell you I have no idea. I don't know what their plans are. I know anything is possible. I think not Friday. I'm pretty confident we won't be on Friday, but I don't know what they're going to do with Idol. I don't know what they're going to do with Dollhouse. Your guess is as good as mine. For a while, I thought Mondays; they'd put us on Mondays. For a while I thought, "Oh, my God, maybe they'll," which I would love, "pair us with House on one of the nights that Idol isn't on." But, I don't even know, I don't think anyone does - well, they do at the network - when Idol is coming on. That, of course, will change everything.
Q: Let's go back to the interns actually. I see that Clark is coming back for an episode. Is there any chance that Michael Badalucco will come back? He personally was my favorite intern of the group.
H. Hanson: Wasn't he great? Yes, we'd like to have him back again. He is on the list of people we would like to have back. He's really fun. Every once in a while, the feeling you get from the network, although they're pretty good at not jamming it down your throat, is that they want youth. Then every once in a while you get someone like Michael or Stephen Fry that just turns everyone on their heads.
Yes, we'd like to have him back. It's a great character to have, the ultimate "Dad." He's the middle-aged man who actually does know everything. It could be my own bias there as a middle-aged man. But yes, we'd love to have him back.
Q: Speaking of Zack, I mean it seems like you definitely left the door open for him to return. I'm just wondering; what are your plans for Eric for the rest of the season?
H. Hanson: Well, I don't want to say too much about it. We're not done with Zack. Zack is a fun character. We left a big hanging chad with Sweets, that Sweets knows that Zack didn't do what he is thought to have done. He has a problem, an ethical problem on how to deal with that and we will deal with that. That's an ideal episode in which to have Millegan come back again; Eric Millegan come back and play Zack again.
I think it's okay for me to say that I'm looking into Stephen Fry's availability because I think he would be the ideal person to help Sweets figure out how to deal with that.
But, Zack is still in our minds. His name is hanging up there on the boards in the writer's room as to what cases he would be useful in, that he could organically fit into. Also, it's funny how things come up. You realize when Zack wasn't there every day that he and Hodgins are pretty good friends. They were a pretty good friendship, an Odd Couple friendship on TV that you miss. So, there are those things that mitigate toward him coming back.
Q: My question dips into your crew and the crafts people that put the show together. There's such amazing hard work and I really notice it, the look of the show. I was curious to know if you were ever tempted to see if Caleb Deschanel was ever available to be a DP on one of your shows or even direct.
H. Hanson: Well, he has directed one show and he was booked for another... First of all, thank you so much for asking about our crew. The show looks great. The show really looks wonderful and we are not one of the highest budgets on television and we look as good as anything else. I mean the difference in budget between us and, say, Fringe - it's dramatic. It's because of the crew that we've amassed in the last three years. They're amazing. I'm constantly astounded by the vigor and creativity of our crew.
We have a lot of elements too and I hope it's sort of seamless to the audience. But, there are a lot of elements in the show that have to be perfect. Just scheduling our show, because of the dead bodies. The dead bodies have to be made. That's a real skill. And so, they're not available towards the beginning of the shoot. They're available more toward the end. We are constantly in shackles as to when we can shoot. We don't have a lot of flexibility.
The crew does an amazing job and I think people don't realize how amazing they are because it just looks like good TV, but it is amazing. So, thank you for asking that.
We did have Caleb direct a show. It was "The Glowing Bones" episode back in first season. He got bumped during the strike and we are looking to get everybody who was bumped during the strike back on the show again. It was a lot of fun to have him around, and it was really a lot of fun for our DP Gordon Lonsdale. He was so happy to have Caleb Deschanel there and he was so pleased that Caleb respected his work.
Q: I was curious to know who does the prosthetics. What shop do you use? I mean who does all the prosthetic body work?
H. Hanson: The bodies are done by the Yaghers, Chris and Kevin Yagher, who have been with us right from the beginning. I think we got them because Barry Josephson knew them from feature film world. They are amazing. They're also the sweetest, most innocent looking guys. They look like nice college boys and they bring us the more horrific things. Their bodies are amazing.
Really, last year; I told the story last year that - I wasn't kidding. We had a severed head that they made that looked just like the actress. To be funny, I leaned over to pretend I was going to kiss the severed head just to be a funny guy - not that funny - and it made me barf a little bit. It just was so... They're very, very good.
Q: With the family coming - Booth's brother and Bones father coming in; every time we get a nugget of Booth's past or the Bones and Booth relationship, people seem to go crazy. How do you kind of keep that from snowballing? I mean how do you really keep a reign on that because isn't there a part of you that just wants to kind of just blow it all out?
H. Hanson: Oh, yes. That whole dynamic is the trickiest thing about Bones and I mean I guess the easiest way to say it is you're torn between the case and the character. If one or the other takes over. I mean we cannot become just a soft soap opera, a character piece and we cannot become a procedural.
So to varying degrees of success, I think, we bang back and forth between the riverbanks on that. It's discussed at every, every story, every outline and every draft. When I'm doing my final pass on drafts, it's always the thing that's in my mind. It's on a per scene basis too where you go, "All right. Should we laugh in this scene or find out that it was a bronze bullet that killed this person?" It's the pain in the ass that is Bones. It's there all the time.
Q: I wanted to ask you; in August, I did an interview with your writing team of Bones - Karine Rosenthal and Liz Benjamin and the whole crew. At the time, they gave me a scoop that still hasn't come to pass. They said, "Brennan would like Booth to be the father of her child."
H. Hanson: That's true.
Q: Is that still in the works?
H. Hanson: It is still in the works. It's exactly like the previous question. What case can we be in that resonates with Brennan suddenly deciding she wants to have a child and that Booth would be the perfect father for it? That has not come up yet. It will before the end of the season.
There's one that's horribly obvious, but we don't want to do that. We try not to do that in Bones, which concerns a group based on, a little bit ripped from the headlines, on a group of girls who decide to have children. I think it was Gloucester, MA that that actually happened in, that 16 girls or something. So, we're doing our take on that.
That was just a little too on the nose for us. So, it was in there for a bit and it's come out, but it will happen. You have a good memory.
Q: Well, everybody's been wanting to know that reads my site. One thing to follow-up with that; a lot of people have said that we don't want to get the Booth and Brennan characters together because that would be the repeat of the Moonlighting debacle. What if we were to approach them as a Nick and Nora from Thin Man? Would that make it more palatable?
H. Hanson: That's a great question. Around here, we're very flattered by the Moonlighting reference, but we actually look at it as the Nick and Nora thing. But of course, they're not together in that way, but very much of their relationship is seasoned. They have kind of a seasoned relationship now.
I am not flip about getting Booth and Brennan together. It's another of the things that we discussed at great length. But, the fact is there's a great engine, a great energy that comes from two people who are not together and people want them to be together romantically. When you take that engine away, you'd better have something else there to provide fuel.
You can say, to grossly simplify it, I hope, the science versus humanist. But, we have that and in a relationship that is not brought to fruition, we have to have a game. When we make that change, we have to have the next thing between them in place and there's a whole bunch of things we don't want it to be and a couple of things that might work. But, we're just going to be very certain of our decision to do that because it's a dangerous one.
Q: Well, what about a baby? Just a thought.
H. Hanson: [laughs... but is not going to address it directly] I read your site. I see that stuff.
Q: I'm sure because of his work on Angel and everything. I wanted to ask you; I noticed that the description for the November 12th episode talks about Brennan learning stuff about Booth from his brother and you also mention that we get to meet his grandfather. I was wondering if you can tell us ahead of time anything about what we might learn about Booth and his past.
H. Hanson: Well, what we find out; I think it's okay to say that what we find out in the November 12th episode is that Booth's childhood was very tough. It was very tough and it's hard even for him to say it or admit it to anyone. The story with Jared makes them both confront what happened in their past.
I think it's also fair to say that Booth's relationship with his dad is not good, but he has a very good relationship with his grandfather. We always had in mind that since David is so much, in our minds, like James Garner, that that would be a very cool piece of casting as his grandfather.
But, I don't yet know when we're going to see Booth's grandfather. It will be this season and we are coming into the last third where we are. So, it'll be in the last third of the season if all goes well.
I will tell you that soon we see Booth's apartment and there's the wreckage or part of the wreckage of Booth's grandfather's jet - he was a jet fighter, a fighter pilot - in there as kind of an homage to his grandfather.
Q: I don't have another follow-up question, but I wanted to thank you for the show and also I was a big fan of Snoops. I read that you worked on that. I was very annoyed when they canceled that.
H. Hanson: Thank you. I actually quit Snoops, you know.
Q: Oh, I didn't know that. ...Ratings weren't that bad. So, I was like, "What?"
H. Hanson: I know all those shows from back then that got canceled the ratings look pretty good now. Thank you.
Q: I have a question for you and it's kind on behalf of the Boneyard. I asked them what they wanted to know and there's kind of been some discussion. They're very annoyed that FOX is changing the order of the episodes. What's your reaction to that, and what can fans do to maybe keep that from happening and keep the consistency of the plot lines going?
H. Hanson: Well, God bless the Boneyard people. I mean those people watch with... They have a detailed eye. They are assiduous human beings watching that. We knew this was going to happen. So, I have to give credit to the network for warning us that this would happen. It's awful for us in a way.
What we had to do was do four episodes that around here we call them the limbo episodes. They were shot before the English opening, the season opener, the two-part English season opener, but they had to air after and not in any particular order and not in order with the things that we were shooting anew. Was that confusing enough for everyone?
And so...time in our series stood still in them, which is very hard for us and hard for the actors and obviously, noticeable to the audience. I think it's a one-time thing because of the... Again, it was trying to get as many episodes out. The network wanted the maximum number of episodes they could after the strike and not knowing when... We were actually shooting before we knew when we were going on the air and if we were going to England and what was going to air in Season 3 and what was going to air in Season 4.
So, it was just a complicated dog's breakfast, a mishmash of horror that we're almost through. We're almost done showing things out of their proper order.
It happens all the time, by the way. They will decide that they like one episode better than another and put it where they want. Last year, the worse example, I think, was for a while, they wanted to show our Christmas episode in February. That was upsetting, but they didn't do it. They went back on it. So, they're the best they can.
I'm delighted that you noticed, by the way. But, I don't think it's something that endemic. It's not going to always be like that, but it has been. That's a large number of episodes to be written, shot and shown out of any order.
Q: I'm just wondering if you could talk about casting Brendan for Jared and why he was right for the role.
H. Hanson: Oh, it was one of those things. God, it is so hard to find somebody who is, in fact, a leading man caliber who isn't on a show. We needed somebody that we thought the character of Booth would care about deeply, but had a dark side and bore at least some physical resemblance to him. I said while we were doing it, "Oh, that's it. I'm not casting any more family members. It's too difficult" and then in came Brendan who I knew from Roswell. He's also a nice Canadian boy, you know.
He has grown up nicely. He has some wisdom on his face, some experience on his face and he's a very good actor. It didn't hurt a bit that he and David had conflict on the ice. They both play hockey in the leagues and they've had some conflicts on the ice that comes into their relationship in the show. He just knocked it out. He came in and I think it was two days before we were shooting and we had to change some air dates because we just weren't going to go with somebody who wasn't right and he was very good. He was very impressive to us.
Q: Just one other thing; can you talk about how you came up with the idea for the body in the "Passenger" episode? Was that ripped from the headlines or anything?
H. Hanson: The story of solving a crime - that's a great question; solving a crime on a flight where Brennan had to solve a crime, Brennan and Booth had to solve a crime on a flight before it landed has been pitched every year. It was something we wanted to do. I think that it was our co-exec producer, Carla Kettner, who had the idea of cooking the body in a giant microwave so that it would be within Brennan's field of expertise finally gave us the way into the story. We just had failed five or six times to make that story work and she came up with that and the story fell into place. So, I have to give her credit for that.
Q: Jumping ahead to the December 3rd episode, I just had to ask you; is "Double Trouble in the Panhandle" where Booth and Brennan go undercover as a knife thrower and his assistant?
H. Hanson: That is correct.
Q: Is it as ridiculous as it sounds because it sounds like a fantastically hysterical episode? Is it more funny than the normal episodes?
H. Hanson: It is more funny than the average episode and then oddly, because it's more funny, more touching for them. Andy Richter is in that as the ringmaster and he's an incredibly good actor. So, it's one of those situations where we went for... Every once in a while, we go toward the comedy of our show and the fun and Dave and Emily are so willing to go there. In fact, they push for it constantly and it was very funny. But in the end, I have to admit, it was actually more touching than I had foreseen.
So, it does sound like a whackadoodle episode and it is one of our odder ones, but I hope the audience goes with us as to why they would go undercover in a circus. It is one of my favorite episodes.
[Photo: © 2008 FOX Broadcasting Co.]
David Boreanaz Conference Call Interview
Because of my recent computer problems, I thought I had lost the file to transcribe this interview. Luckily, I managed to find it on a backup, so here it is...horribly late. (Sorry!!)
This is the transcript for the conference call interview with David Boreanaz that took place on September 2...just before the Bones season premiere. So some of the "spoilers" are now no longer secrets. But I thought you might like to read through it anyway. There are a lot of fun things David spoke about and some of the spoilers have not yet happened. I hope you enjoy it:
Question: My question is actually about Zack and the big reveal from the season finale. I was wondering if you could shed any light on how soon and under what circumstances we will next see poor Zack.
D. Boreanaz: Well, I don't think we should call him "poor Zack." I think he obviously was a choice of character that obviously needed to be kind of changed up or put somewhere else. I mean Zack's not really going anywhere. I mean we will see him again throughout Season 4 in certain circumstances. We just actually shot an episode where he got out and actually helped us solve something and I had to put him back into prison, which was pretty funny, but I think where he is right now as far as his character or his concern benefits the show in some ways.
Also, I'm sure people are upset about that, but that is really a decision and something to ask Hart [Hanson] about as far as what his ideas are for what they're going to use him for, how long they will use him for and to what extent.
Question: My follow-up is just about the popularity of Bones over in England where you were shooting. Did you get to travel around in any greater degree of anonymity, or are they just as on top of things as over there?
D. Boreanaz: It was a bit chaotic and crazy in London. Just Europe in general for me is a bit kind of hairy, more so there than it is over here in the States in certain areas to walk out your door or go to certain places. There is definitely a following with the show and the presence over there of shooting and knowing that you're over there and the people coming up and the fans following you around. They were very supportive and very friendly.
It did make for crazy moments. I know when I would leave my hotel room or go out for a run, it was a bit nuts. But other than that, it was okay.
Question: Can you talk about the season ahead for Bones and Booth? I mean just give us a taste of what's coming.
D. Boreanaz: Yes, I mean right off the bat, it's really focusing on their relationship and how that affects how they solve crimes or how they move forward in whatever case they're working on. Again, we honor and we really support the character work and that's what we strive for on the show and which kind of makes us different from other procedurals out there. It is character stuff and we love doing that kind of stuff.
We balance it out with the procedural and the case. Again, the characters will get closer and then far away. I know Hart has some ideas for some fantasy episodes and getting the two of them in bed to some extent and how that will happen and what will happen. I think that's how the fantasy episode will play out as far as that is concerned. It's just really working on our relationships and really supporting each other and maybe going into Booth's past a little bit, seeing where he came from and seeing how that affects his relationship with her.
Question: Fantasy? How might we see that?
D. Boreanaz: I don't know. I think that'll come more and more towards the end of the season rather than the forefront.
Question: It sounds like you're going to be teasing us a lot.
D. Boreanaz: Well, I mean I think that's the whole point of the show is the give and take. You want to really give back to the audience what they're asking for, but at the same time, you have to do it smart without tipping your hat too much. I think the beauty of it is that we're allowed to do that and put the characters in circumstances that dictate that, even in London. I mean the fact that we're out and she's with someone and I'm with another woman, "Inspector Pritchard." It brings up all this stuff. It brings us closer; I mean farther apart. It puts things in perspective for the characters.
Question: I want to congratulate you, obviously, on the show's success. It's one of my favorite shows and I'm glad that it's so prominently featured in the Fox line up. I guess your two previous series really were more cultural and favorite hits than ratings juggernauts. How does it feel to have Bones be so widely viewed and really so widely accepted?
D. Boreanaz: Well, I don't really necessarily think of it; I don't think Bones-- I think what's great about Bones is it's been embraced by the critics and it's been embraced by a following of people that have really supported us from the beginning, which in retrospect is the same with the other shows that I was on. I mean you have to look at in perspective and what network it was on and how well it was and what it did for that particular network at that particular time.
We pretty much remain still under the radar. I mean I still believe that there's a lot of growth for our show as far as not becoming too popular, but maintaining a really nice steady climb not only in the ratings, but also with the new fan base that comes on every year for us. In fact, we were able to get it to TNT this year and expose it to even more people and get them excited about Season 4, which I think will be big for us.
I think the beauty of the show has been its gradual increase and not really going straight to a top number one show. I mean, where you can go from there? I mean there's something to be said about that for the writers and something to be said about the production team and something to be said about the actors that put forth their time and their effort in order to create a character and see that develop rather than have it become so quick because it hasn't been an overnight quick thing for this show.
Question: Last season, I thought the addition of Sweets to the whole Booth/Brennan dynamic was really sort of inspired. Talk about how your writing staff and your creative team really did a great job of mixing the action and the comedy.
D. Boreanaz: It's a very fine line. I mean there are a lot of moments that I'm always like, "Oh, David, you're playing Booth a little bit too much over the top or a little too goofy." I mean those notes come to me sometimes because I bring in like at least 150% energy into scenes. It's a lot easier to bring them down... Again, it comes from the work that we do with our acting coach, Ivana Chubbuck, who is fantastic. She's an academy award winning coach and she allows us the ability to give us ideas that we take and give to the show and work in the moment. We work in those improvisational moments. We get scripts that don't have specific moments or things that Emily and I will put in and that makes sense because really, it's the characters that kind of pop and create the show today and makes it better and fun to watch because of these moments.
Whether that is with a therapist and bring someone in like Sweets and having him on as a full time regular; I mean giving someone couple's counseling to deal with themselves in the workplace is phenomenal. I don't think you've ever really seen that in television. I mean it was very groundbreaking for us for the last year. It was a big plus for us. And to use in this Season 4 with criminology and an investigation/interrogation scenes and him helping us out, it just adds a whole other cog or piece of the puzzle for our show.
But for us, it's really about our relationships and our moments that we find that we bring to the table and that's how they get developed.
Question: All your fans, I think, love watching you flirt, I certainly do, with Emily. Was the chemistry between the two of you immediate?
D. Boreanaz: Well, they seem to have thought so. When we first did the test, we had one woman in mind for the role and I thought was going to get the role. I went in and read with her and another girl and then Emily too. After Emily tested, and she did her test for the network, they had seen something actually in that test that was very-- something sparked and they were like, "That's the girl." So, that happens, obviously. When you see, then you develop it and then you work at it. It's great to be able to have someone that is-- I'm very fortunate to have somebody who wants to work at it together and that's what we do.
Question: What do you think draws these characters to each other? What do you think they find sexy about each other?
D. Boreanaz: Well, they're very much alike in a lot of ways, but they're also very not alike. So, I think that there's that little kid inside Booth that she really enjoys because maybe she lost part of that as far as her character is concerned because she is so straight and serious and very literal. So for him to kind of shake that up, I think there's a part of her that enjoys to see that, but it's also frustrating because it annoys her at times, but she does the same to me. I think that's the balance.
Question: You were hinting at a fantasy episode. Will we see a next step for them in reality?
D. Boreanaz: That evolves. For me to say when that's going to happen, it's difficult because what's the beauty of our show is as we work on each episode and we find moments, that's where it really evolves because I could say, well, the next episode that we're shooting next week when we coach, we could find a moment that works. I think the job as an actor is to really bring that to the table because when writers see that or our show writers see that, they get excited about it and they explore that avenue. It's a moment-to-moment thing for our characters.
Question: In the London episodes, Booth makes it pretty clear that he's a serious James Bond fan. Is that yet another thing that the character has in common with you? Are you a 007 fan?
D. Boreanaz: I'm not a big 007 fan. That's not to say I'm overly crazy. I mean for me, Bond was like a really big Roger Moore because that was my Bond that I grew up with at the time that I really got into James Bond. I do like the new James Bond. I think that they're really kind of aggressive, kind of a little bit darker than the other ones, but I'm not like a huge fan of them. That was just a character thing. It's just like the Walther PPK thing was something that, "Well, we're in London, so we might as well play that up." It was just something that was played on.
Question: Has your involvement in the show made you something of an armchair detective? When you see an unfortunate crime story on CNN or what not, do you find yourself trying to solve it with your limited FBI knowledge?
D. Boreanaz: I really don't. I think I'm more interested in the character work with Booth than I am about the straight-laced performance of breaking and entering or entering a building, although I do enjoy the aspect of working with Mike Grasso, who is our tech on the show, and going out and shooting with him, using firearms responsibly and tactics and stuff like that. I mean that I enjoy.
I think just his gut and his instinct is where he gets his je new sais quoi, so to speak, as far as being a detective is concerned and figuring out a crime.
Question: That's fair enough because when I think back over past episodes that I've enjoyed, it's not about the crime, who was murdered, how it happened, it's about the characters that are the regular characters and the funny things they say to each other and the banter they do. It's not really about the dead body stuff.
D. Boreanaz: It really isn't. Someone said it was a reference to Moonlighting this past week that really excited me because that's what I've been striving for since day one. Now, I just really, really want to embrace that and look forward to adding a little bit more action into some of these episodes, which should be fun.
Question: I write for searchingbones.com and some of my readers have wanted to know how Booth will evolve as a character this season.
D. Boreanaz: I mean it really kind of get back into Booth's past. We'll see his apartment. We'll see where he's living this year, how he lives. One specific idea that I have in general that I really want to exploit is Booth is, on the outside, very charming. He has all of his shields up. But, here is a guy who was an Army ranger. He was a sniper and we touched on it in the first episode. In the season, that came out he was tortured and he got hit in the shins. It would be nice to see Booth; see how he gets ready in the morning, how difficult it is for him and how we give a little bit more vulnerability towards this character, to see him kind of start the day and see how hard it is for him because when you do see him, he's always on the move. He always has all of this stuff that protects him, but what really lies underneath all that is good stuff. I think we'll exploit that this year.
Question: I've also had a couple of people ask me since we haven't seen the "cocky" belt buckle in any of the promo photos. Have we seen the last of it?
D. Boreanaz: No. That's still on. I mean the photos probably depend on how-- I haven't noticed it. I've always been wearing it, so I don't know.
Question: Are there any other aspects of Booth that you'd like to see developed more that there are no plans for at this point?
D. Boreanaz: Getting back to his dad and his grandfather maybe just to figure out his family history, where he kind of gets that kind of lethal threat. There's something lethal about Booth that's really intriguing to me that we haven't really seen, a bit of a dark side to him that I really kind of would have enjoyed to exploit this year. I do think he's the type of guy that can switch on and off pretty quick. If you really get him angry, he can snap and people would fear him pretty easily.
Question: Like shooting clown trucks?
D. Boreanaz: Yes, I mean very much almost kind of like a "Lethal Weapon," Mel Gibson kind of face for him is something, I think, in the cards.
Question: I read somewhere that you might be directing an episode this season. Can you tell us something about that?
D. Boreanaz: Yes. I'm actually directing one. It'll be over the Thanksgiving break. I don't know the storyline yet or the breakdown of it. When I do, I'll let everybody know about it, but I'm looking forward to it and looking forward to putting on a different hat, sure.
Question: Have you done any directing at all?
D. Boreanaz: Yes, I have. I've directed in the past, yes.
Question: So, this will be not totally new for you.
D. Boreanaz: Not totally new, but definitely new because it's a whole new show and a new environment. When you work day in and day out with these guys, it makes it a little bit easier.
Question: Just a quick thing; you mentioned Moonlighting. I was wondering if you're ever worried that maybe if they carry the romance between the characters a little too far whether it'll have the problems that Moonlighting had.
D. Boreanaz: Yes, I know. I hope that it doesn't. I think that the more we can keep the characters away the better. I do believe that you don't want to give too much away.
Question: I know you and Emily are both producing on this show and I was just wondering what involvement you both are having really in the storylines and suggesting new things for the writers and producers.
D. Boreanaz: Well, again, we bring in a lot of our improvisational moments and character stuff. So, all this character stuff and improvisational stuff that you see is our ideas. It really is a moment of reworking scripts, dialogue and changing some things here or there and going through Hart and telling him about it and saying, "We have an idea for this," or "We'd like the scene to kind of develop this way rather than this way." So, it's really a lot of character stuff and ideas that we have that we implement into the storyline and/or into a script.
Question: I love the bit in the season premiere where you're trying to crack the Queen's guard, like trying to getting him to smile or something. Was that your idea, or was that something that was written in the script?
D. Boreanaz: Well, at first, it was written a certain way. It was a much longer scene than it was, actually, the way it came out. The idea of the way it was written first was that kind of stare down and me trying to break him, but what we wanted to do was we worked the scene where it was more or less me trying to catch him breaking and actually thinking I did break him when he blinked and all that stuff. So, just turning it around and making it a bit more of a non-predictable scene, because at first-- I mean Booth would know who he's messing with and I think the scene was originally saying like he doesn't know who he's messing with. It's stuff like that that we change around.
I know he's a Queen's guard. I know that I can get in trouble. I understand that, so I explain that in the front of the scene rather than me not saying anything at all about that. There are things like that that we just change around.
Question: This might be premature, but have you thought about beyond Bones, like when the series does come to an end many years down the line? Do you want to stay in TV, or do you have your eye on film? What are you thinking?
D. Boreanaz: I focus primarily just really what's happening in the moment. Obviously, I always like to plant seeds. I planted some seeds, whether that's developing a show myself to take to a network, getting on board that way. To me, it's always been something I'd like to do. It's exciting - develop a story and an idea for a show.
Obviously, film work would be fantastic. It's just finding time. It's developing into a leading man that I'm doing right now. So, I'm comfortable with that.
Question: Just switching gears a little bit, what were your favorite TV shows when you were growing up and the kind of guy that you watched on TV?
D. Boreanaz: Well, growing up, it was like Starsky & Hutch, Planet of the Apes, Chico and the Man, Soap... I mean that's for like the early days when I remember watching television, stuff like that. Those are the things that kind of influenced me.
Question: What about those characters like totally got you as a viewer?
D. Boreanaz: Well, I mean Starsky & Hutch, it was just two guys. They were really cool in a car that just did stuff. Chico and the Man was an unorthodox kind of comedy and Freddie Prinze was just an amazing talent; Soap, a great humorous dialogue. Then also like all the Norman Lear stuff. I mean his dialogue is priceless. You couldn't even show some of that stuff today the way that was written. I mean to me, that's the best stuff ever put out there. You can't touch that stuff. Even today if you aired some of that stuff, it would be too much for network television. I mean that's just way smart and not being able to identify it at the time, but being affected by it obviously because I remember it now. That's stuff I inspire to. So, things like that.
Question: Yes, it had a lot of social commentary. Earlier you mentioned wanting to sort of emulate the Moonlighting character. Bruce Willis obviously had a brilliant career. Are you still looking toward movies and kind of following the arc of his career path?
D. Boreanaz: I'd love to, yes. I actually bumped into him I think it was the second season of Bones and I bumped into him and he couldn't have been nicer. If I had to model anything, it would be like kind of a list of him or the way his career has unfolded and getting a really good action piece, to really jump into something that I love to do. I mean I think one thing the show misses out is using more action stuff with me. I think they used maybe 3% or 4% in the past three years and I know Hart is going to focus more on doing more action sequences that help that in this area because I mean it's just one area that I love to do. I love doing that kind of stuff.
James Garner too was big. He was fantastic.
Question: What did Bruce say about the series or did he say, "Hey, I saw"--
D. Boreanaz: No, he was very cool. He's like, "Yes, I know the series." He said, "You're doing a great job." I said, "Well, I'm trying to follow in your footsteps, following your lead because I have such high respect for you" and he couldn't have been nicer.
Question: I was curious; how does he London version of Brennan and Booth do the job compared to Brennan and Booth? Do they do it different?
D. Boreanaz: I don't think they did it differently, but they did it similarly, just with a different tactic. One of our focuses going into the London show that we worked on specifically was when we were around them, seeing the two of them, we kind of mirrored them. We looked at them and said, "Wow, that's really us." That kind of helped with our connection, our relationship with them.
Question: Earlier, you mentioned that you take Zack out of prison for some help and then you put him back in.
D. Boreanaz: Well, I don't take him out of prison. He escapes. I'll just say that.
Question: Does that mean that the Gormagon storyline comes back?
D. Boreanaz: God, I hope not. Gee, I hated that.
Question: I thought that was awesome.
D. Boreanaz: Gormagon or whatever. Yes, I was out on that one. I'm not a big fan.
Question: So, you don't know if that's coming back or not.
D. Boreanaz: I don't think it is, no.
Question: Sorry, this is going to touch on Gormagon again. Is there any fall out from how Seeley sees himself as an agent from that whole experience because this was someone you saw all the time?
D. Boreanaz: No, not really because I think things will be explained a little bit deeper when Zack comes back for an episode.
Question: I understand that Grave Digger is making a reappearance.
D. Boreanaz: Yes, that'll be good. That's something that we kind of kept open ended. That show was originally shot as a closed show and then they recut the ending and it's become a fan favorite. So, we should definitely have a visit from him again.
D. Boreanaz: I just want to thank everybody for responding to our show and supporting us for the past few years. We look forward to a really good fourth season and some good surprises ahead.
[Note: In case you are interested, I highlighted my own questions in navy. That way, those of you who asked me those questions will know that I was thinking of you when I asked David about them.]
Exclusive Interview With Bones Writing Team (Part 2)
Q: I have a very important question to ask from one of my favorite Searching Bones readers. Her name is Annie and she lives in Sweden and she often sends me tips and messages. She's also deaf. She asks about the possibility of including more deaf, blind or otherwise disabled people in the show in the future. Do you think there might be a possibility of that?
Answer: We think that's a very good question and it's something that we will talk about. We'll have to see, but we might have some opportunities for that.
Q: could you explain just a little bit more about how much of your own creativity enters into writing the episode and how much comes from the group?
Craig: We're all nodding. The writer comes in with an idea saying that they want to do an episode about this.
Liz: I guess they sort of lead the discussion on their own episode so they have a little more say. It's definitely a group effort, but they do have a little more influence. And when we leave the room with the story beats worked out, those are plot points, they're not the full plot. We fill it out and open it up and give the characters life. It grows and it's definitely affected by each writer's input.
Craig: In terms of the long arch like characters that are going to be new characters and be on multiple episodes. That comes from the mouth of Hart. He will sit at the head of the table and tell us the major elements. We don't now how they are going to be incorporated, but they are the elements that have to be incorporated into the stories for the season. So while you are coming up with your stories, you look for places where those can fit.
Liz: We've been joined by one of the Co-Executive Producers, Scott Williams.
Scott: *laughs* Yes, I've stepped won from the mountain and here I am.
Q: Thanks so much for joining us!
Scott: You're in very good hands here without me.
Answer: He came in for snacks! *laughter*
Q: Have any of you ever written a scene and when you saw it on screen you felt it had been interpreted differently than you had intended?
Answer: No. We often write scenes and they never see the light of day because they get cut before they get to the set, but I think it's always a surprise that the actors, the directors and everything bring so much to the scene that it's sometimes surprising. But it never is completely off.
Once a script is sent to the set and they're shooting it, Hart has a policy of "No changes." So no big changes happen unless they are run by him. So the script that is shot is the script that was approved. And Hart really talks to the director about what the scene is supposed to be. So really it would be very unlikely that something would get shot that was completely unintended.
Answer: There's almost always a writer on the set as well to see the rehearsals and the beginnings of the scenes. So we know how it's going to run before it's actually shot.
Answer: And the process from when a script goes into production is a whole other thing. We have heads of departments here; the scenic department, the costume department, props. Even every computer you see in the lab that has a visual on it - that has been discussed in meetings and the writer and producers have been present so there are no surprises.
Scott: Because of the time and money involved as well. If they want to make a change, they have to come up with another solution and that takes time. When you're on the set, the clock is ticking and there are only so many hours in the day.
Q: Speaking of the computers on the set. I've had several people ask about the Angelator - the 3-D rendering of the victims. People miss it and wonder why there isn't more of it in the show.
Answer: Talk to Hart. *laughs* It's expensive to do.
Answer: Tell them we will take that up with Hart.
Q: As for each of you, what experience did you have that helped you get to be a part of the team that creates Bones?
Scott: It tends to vary. Each of us write TV, film, plays - so at the end of the day, what you are writing is interpersonal relationships. And it certainly helps, for example a law show will have a few lawyers on the writing staff. We don't ask everyone here to be a forensic anthropologist, by any means. We have very good researchers and we do a lot of very good research on our own as well. We don't "fake" the Dr. thing, we try to be as accurate as we can be. But at the end of the day, writing a law show or a show about firemen or a show about forensic anthropologists, it's all sort of the same. You get your technical stuff down and you use it as accurately as you can, but at the end of the day you're still just writing good interpersonal drama.
Liz: The experience that brought us all here is that we were all writers who had demonstrated with some of our sample scripts that we could do the type of scenes and tone and voice that Hart was looking for.
Liz: I am a playwright and I've written for two seasons of Law & Order: Criminal Intent and I know that Hart had read one of my Law & Orders and some "kooky, artsy-fartsy plays" (he says) that I wrote. Then we had a nice meeting. Then I got a call from my agent.
Generally, everyone has to submit samples of their writing and have meetings with the executive producers. Then they have to get approval on the writer.
Q: So if Bones fans - and there are many, by the way - who aspire to be television writers like you, how would they go about it?
Craig: You have to write a script...and not a Bones script. Don't write a script for the show that you want to get on.
Answer: They're called spec scripts.
Craig: There are different philosophies about this. You can write an original play, an original screenplay, a pilot that shows what your voice sounds like and the kinds of stories that you want to tell. Then you've got that hunk of 50 pages in your hand and you just try to get it to agencies or people you know or anything you can. If it's good and somebody reads it they can turn it into… It's a bit of a meritocracy, you know? If it's good, it will find its way into the hands of somebody who can do something with it.
Answer: And some people go to school, to writing programs and network through them.
Answer: I would have to add to what Craig said about the importance of doing an original piece, but personally feel that it's important to do samples based on shows that are already on the air. It's a little bit different, but I feel that when you're joining a television staff, you are trying to emulate a voice that has already been created for the show, so I think it's important to show that you can watch a television show and read the scripts and absorb a different voice of the characters and how the scenes are done. You should demonstrate that you can do that. Because Bones is a different show than, say Grey's Anatomy but a professional writer in TV should be able to write on different types of staff.
Answer: And also when you do that, go online and find a sample script of the show you are going to write an episode of - and not a transcript - but a .pdf of a sample script and make your script look exactly like that, in the same format. Or write with a screen writing program that will put it in the right format. You don't want to get knocked out because somebody opened the front page and it didn't look like a professional script.
Answer: There are some really, really good books that address just that technical aspect. But also getting your ear trained by watching as many episodes of the show you want to write. Getting your ear trained for the characters to be able to think of things that they would do. Because that's what you would do when you got on a show.
Craig: Also, when we talk about writing a script… I know a lot of actors, for instance, that say they want to get into writing and they'll write A script. It's a bit of a slap to people who actually write for a living because all of us have written, I won't say hundreds, but lots of scripts before we ever even get a sniff. Don't just write a script, write many scripts and keep writing. Because you'll have a lot of scripts that will never see the light of day, that are never going to be produced before you get that first script that's going to get you on the road. It's definitely an art that you want to practice and practice and practice and re-write and re-write. Good scripts aren't written, they're re-written, so it's not a matter of writing a script for television and you're a writer and you send it in they put you on a show. It really comes from a cumulative effort over time. You write a lot of scripts before you even approach mastering the craft enough to even start looking for work, frankly. All of us are working toward mastering it, really. It's one of those things, like playing gold. Your game can always get better. That's what we always tell young writers to do. If you aspire, just keep writing.
Q: I have a couple more questions for you and then I'll let you get back to writing.
Answer: We actually have a spoiler to share with you after you ask the rest.
Q: Great! OK, the Bones fans want to know from each of you what is your most challenging part of writing and what is the most rewarding part?
Answer: Rewarding is being on the set and seeing the actors bring life to the script. It's pretty thrilling and I don't think that ever goes away.
Craig: And having people watch your episode and say they were moved by it.
Answer: The most challenging is the re-writing - trying to incorporate everyone's notes and trying to figure out how to put it in your own voice…or put it in Hart's voice. *laughs*
Q: Will any of you be taking part in the commentary for the DVD of season 3?
Answer: We don't know. We really don't have any information about or control over the DVDs. We might, but we haven't been approached for that yet.
Answer: We were part of a special edition of a DVD that came out for Best Buy. It was their in-store promotion only for their copies of the Bones DVD and they did a feature, inside with the Bones writers for season 2 and how the show works. We were interviewed quite heavily for that.
Q: I had maybe 50 people ask me to see if you know when the season 3 DVDs will be out.
Answer: We just don't know. Since we're not on the business side of things we just don't get information like that.
Craig: It's all up to Twentieth Century Fox Television home video department. They have the budget and schedules and they know when things might time. That's all they do is figure that stuff out, but they don't tell us.
Q: OK, that's all from me, but now I know that everybody's going to want to hear the spoiler.
Liz: Brennan would like Booth to be the father of her child. That's something to look forward to this season. That's our big spoiler. We know that Hart gave quite a few spoilers at Comic Con. He promised that Booth & Brennan will be naked in bed together
Answer: Which is still on, by the way!
Liz: You will be seeing Zack again. You'll be seeing Brennan's dad Max and not like you've ever seen him before...but not nude. We can't promise that. *chuckles* Any other spoilers we were trying to think of, Hart had already given away.
Answer: We'll be seeing Angela's ex-girlfriend from college. Roxy would be making an appearance. Because of an investigation, she comes back into her life. We'll be exploring a little more of Booth's family life.
Q: Wow! That spoiler is going to have people jumping out of their seats!
Liz: You can thank Hart Hanson!
So you see, dear Bones fans, this was a chunk of stuff to type up!! And with a family emergency that took me out of town for most of the weekend, I'm terribly late getting this to you. I truly apologize for making you wait!
Just know that all of the people on the call were so nice and they were making little jokes and laughing. It was easy to tell that they enjoy working together. I didn't ask all the specific plot questions because they asked me to send over a list of all the questions ahead of time and they would know what to prepare. They did give us the brand new spoiler, and they reiterated the ones we had already heard, so they gave us a lot. Besides, we don't really want to know everything that happens ahead of time, do we? That would take all the fun out of watching the show!
But I know that many of you hope to someday write for TV and perhaps their advice can help.
And for the rest of us, we now have some insight into what happens to create the show. We can now better understand how the characters and the stories are written and how they are brought to life. And it is interesting to me to find that even though each episode is primarily written by one person, they all have the same feeling to them when they are finished and on the screen.
I hope my questions meet with your approval. I truly did my best to get the information that you said you wanted. And thanks so much to all of you who left questions in the comments or sent me questions through email. You are all terrific!!
Be sure to read the first half of the interview!
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