By Christina Radish
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David Boreanaz at the Fox Summer Party held at the Ritz
Carlton Huntington Hotel Horseshoe Gardens in Pasadena, Calif. on July
25, 2006. |
Now in its second season, the Fox television series Bones,
starring David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel, has shifted its focus more
to the relationships between the characters, instead of just being a
crime-of-the-week drama.
Inspired by real-life forensic anthropologist and best-selling novelist Kathy Reichs, Bones
follows the life and work of Dr. Temperance Brennan (Deschanel), who
assists law enforcement with murder investigations when the standard
methods of identifying a body are useless because the remains are
decomposed, burned or destroyed beyond recognition. Brennan often
finds herself teamed with Special Agent Seeley Booth (Boreanaz) of the
FBI’s Homicide Investigations Unit, who mistrusts both science and
scientists, and believes the key to solving crimes lies in discovering
the truth from those still alive. Although they tend to clash,
both professionally and personally, their mutual respect gives the show
a humor and heart that most police procedurals don’t have.
Former Buffy and Angel star Boreanaz talks to MediaBlvd Magazine about how he and Deschanel work on developing their chemistry, what he did on his last hiatus, and the joys of fatherhood.
MediaBlvd Magazine> What is your working relationship with Emily like?
David Boreanaz> Emily and I decided to be put in
situations where we need to stay under the same roof and deal with each
other’s relationships. For us, pushing that envelope outside that
box, and learning about the abnormality of the characters, is what’s
fun about the show. It’s great to see the ensemble start to sing
with that and become a part of that because, for us, from the
beginning, it was never about being a procedural show. If I
wanted to classify the show as a comedy, I would, and I will continue
to put more comedy into it. The show is cute and it’s fun, and you just
don’t see that on television today with procedurals and hour
dramas. It’s great to be a part of that. I love working with
Emily on the weekends. I take those ideas into scenes, to find those
improvisational moments and find what drives each other crazy, whether
it’s a song, a gesture or a movement, while we are dealing with a
case. It’s not about the case for me. I don’t give a shit about
the case.
MediaBlvd> Have you noticed that the characters have a lot more depth, since the show started?
David>
Emily and I are coming in with the material and saying, “We’re not
going to do a straight procedural show.” I don’t believe in that,
so I’m not doing it. To me, our show is about these characters and, as
long as we continue to study these characters, and continue to think
outside the box, that’s what the show will be about.
MediaBlvd> Is the romantic comedy aspect of the show something that you’ve worked to develop?
David>
Honestly, we strive to find those moments. Emily and I work on
our characters on the weekends, so that we can find the moments to do
that. That way, if we’re doing a scene, we can interrupt each
other, or go off on tangents. That, to me, is fun. We spend two
to four hours on the weekends working just on that. It’s a great
way to find out about your character and stretch those boundaries.
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David Boreanaz & Emily Deschanel at the San Diego Comic Convention on July 15, 2005. |
MediaBlvd>
When do you think things really started clicking between you and Emily,
in regard to your characters’ relationship on the show?
David>
When we started the pilot, I wasn’t working with Emily. It was
encouraging to know that I could be with a co-star who was humble
enough to say, “Hey, let’s work on this and make it something
different,” instead of just walking through the lines and talking about
John Doe #123. I don’t give a shit about John Doe #123.
What I care about is what she did last night, or why she has a problem
with religion, or her issues about hormones. To me, that’s
everyday stuff that you see, that you can apply to the storyline that’s
going on.
MediaBlvd> How do you sell that to the producers?
David>
It’s tough to sell. At first, it was very difficult, when the
show started and the network was trying to make this a
procedural. We stayed with our characters and continued to push
the comedy element, and we want to continue to push it further and go
down the lines of Moonlighting, where they talked over each
other and didn’t stop. We’ll get notes from the powers that
be. I’ve got a belt buckle that says “Cocky” on it, and a note
came down the other day that said, “They’re having problems with your
belt buckle.” I said, “Well, they can have problems with my belt
buckle, but I’m not taking it off.” That’s the kind of stuff that
we fight. But, I got it in. I refused to take it off, unless they
came over and took the damn belt buckle off themselves.
MediaBlvd> What kinds of issues does Booth have?
David> We’ve just scratched the surface. He’s
getting all messed up. There’s going to be some way-out stuff
coming up on the show. I can’t even imagine where we can go, and
it’s great. To be allowed to do that is fantastic.
What has the addition of Stephen Fry been like?
David>
He’s crazy. I didn’t know exactly who Stephen Fry was, when he
started on the show, and everybody was like, “Wow, you don’t know who
Stephen Fry is?” I showed up on set and was like, “Oh, you’re the great
Stephen Fry, and I’m the guy who needs therapy, so let’s figure this
shit out right now.” He’s electric. He’s going to bring
something really unique and credible to the show, and we’re very
excited to have him.
MediaBlvd> Have you directed an episode of the show yet?
David> No, but I’d love to. That would be great.
MediaBlvd> Did you do a feature film during your hiatus?
David> I did a movie with Alan Cumming that’s coming out at the Austin Film Festival, called Suffering Man’s Charity. And, we’ll see what happens this year, during hiatus.
MediaBlvd> Did you have a celebrity crush growing up?
David>
For some uncanny reason, it was Dorothy Hamill, the ice skater.
I’m sure it was the hair. And, Farrah Fawcett. I had that
poster of her. The nipples were amazing!
MediaBlvd> What kind of music are you into now?
David> I have the whole Sirius Satellite Radio
package, so I jump from the ‘70’s to the ‘80’s to the ‘60’s to
standards. I’m really enamored of this whole Sirius thing.
I think it’s great. I can go from garage music to classics.
I listen to a plethora of music. I’m pretty eclectic with my
tastes.
MediaBlvd> How do you balance working and being the dad of a 4 ½ year old son?
David>
It’s great. I’m allowed to use my experiences in life for my
characters, and now I’ve learned how to be a dad. It’s quite a
trip. I enjoy the roller coaster ride with it and I encourage
myself, moment to moment, to be with my son, so I can grab those
moments and those ideas.
MediaBlvd> Are your parents active grandparents?
David>
They’re very active. They love being around, and coming to
town. We were back home for the holidays, so it was great.
