Tiffani Thiessen stars as Elizabeth Burke in the new USA Network original series White Collar premiering Friday, October 23, 2009 at 10/9C.  White Collar is about the unlikely partnership of a con artist and an FBI agent who have been playing cat and mouse for years. Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer), a charming criminal mastermind, is finally caught by his nemesis, FBI Agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay.) When Neal escapes from a maximum-security prison to find his long-lost love, Peter nabs him once again. Rather than returning to jail, Neal suggests an alternate plan: He'll provide his criminal expertise to assist the Feds in catching other elusive criminals in exchange for his eventual freedom. Initially wary, Peter quickly finds that Neal provides insight and intuition that can't be found on the right side of the law. The beautiful and steadfast wife of FBI agent Peter, Elizabeth Burke (Tiffani Thiessen) understands her husband's work ethic. As Peter's confidante, she stands by her husband as he tracks elusive criminals and offers fresh perspective whenever he needs it. Elizabeth's support never wavers, even as she juggles her home life with a demanding career in event planning. All she asks for is a little attention in return.

Thiessen began modeling at the age of eight and soon went on to star in the television series "Saved By the Bell" for five seasons. At the same time, she made her feature film debut in "Son In Law" opposite Pauly Shore. In 1993, she showed her range when Aaron Spelling cast her in "Beverly Hills 90210," where she portrayed the multi-layered Valerie Malone for five seasons.  Thiessen was recently seen in "What About Brian" and in a nine-episode guest starring role on NBC's "Good Morning Miami." In 2003, she starred the Fox series "Fast Lane" with Peter Facinelli and Bill Bellamy, directed by McG. She also guest-starred on the NBC hit comedy "Just Shoot Me" in a three-episode arc, portraying a columnist who becomes romantically involved with David Spade's character, and appeared in a recurring role on the ABC comedy "Two Guys and a Girl."

Her other feature film roles include the comedy "Ladies Man;" the independent film "Speedway Junky" with Jesse Bradford, Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Daryl Hannah; "Love Stinks" with Tyra Banks and French Stewart; and the horror/comedy spoof "Shriek! If you Know What I did Last Friday 13th" opposite Tom Arnold.  In 2005, Tiffani started up her own Production company called Tit 4 Tat Productions while directing her first short film entitled "Just Pray" the same year. "Just Pray" went on to win many awards at top film festivals around the country. She is also set to direct "Hung," produced by Anne Clements.

MediaBlvd Magazine, along with several other publications, was recently invited to the New York City set of USA Network’s White Collar, and participated in a panel session with Tiffani Thiessen to talk about the new show, her character, and other projects.

 Panel> How did your audition process go for this part?

 Tiffani> When I first auditioned for it, they hadn’t cast the role of Peter yet. Tim had not probably been in or maybe he had been in. But they hadn’t cast the role of Peter. So, they were just loosely looking at possible Elizabeths. And then I was put on what they call a short . It’s so funny. I’ve been doing this for 26 years. I can’t tell you how many short lists, and have been on. And nothing ever happens. But it’s just part of being an actor. And so they said they were going to do the process of finding the role of Peter and cast the role of Peter. So, they were going to wait and hold off on the wife, which makes sense. So, they finally cast the role of Peter with Tim DeKay, which I was ecstatic about because I have been a fan of Tim’s for a very, very long time. And so I remember calling my agent going, “Okay. So, what’s happening?” He’s like, “Well, they kind of wanted to go in a different direction. They’re going to start seeing—and these are the people that—the girls that they’re testing for.” And they were literally testing girls five years younger than I was. And I was like, “Okay, this is interesting.” I mean  Tim and I already have a little bit of an age difference, but like you put another five years. And I go, “That seems strange.”

 So, I guess  and Tim can be the person to say this, which I am sure he has told you, I guess they went through a lot of different girls, a lot of young girls. He said like most of these girls, they could’ve been his daughter. Like he was like, he could not believe it. And so they finally came back. I got a phone call like a couple months later and they were like, “We want you to do a chemistry read with Tim DeKay.” And I was like, “Yes. It’s back on!” I went in. We had chemistry from day one. He’s an amazing actor, and he’s such a great guy, as you guys, I’m sure, got to see. And I went in, tested for it once. And there’s a very funny story with USA that it takes USA a very long time to make a decision on somebody. And I think I broke the record because I got the call three hours later that I got the job.

 Panel> How would you say you’re best able to relate to your character?

 Tiffani> Well, I think just myself  being married. I’ve been married almost four and a half years now. A lot of times on TV, and even movies, you see these relationships that don’t work. It’s always about the ones that don’t work. And it’s the drama and it’s the this. It’s nice to see a relationship on TV that does work, and they’ve been together for a long time. And they really do have each other’s best interest at heart.  And I feel like I  my husband and I have that. My husband is my best friend. I tell him everything. And our characters, Elizabeth and Peter, I feel, are kind of the same way. We come from very different worlds on the show. He’s an FBI agent, and here I am doing high profile events, doing like the Vanity Fair parties, couldn’t be more different.  You see the dynamics of how we really just care about each other. It’s not about what we do for a living, it’s about what we do at home and about each other and the priorities that we put for it.

 Panel> You brought up the event planning business because we did read in the character bio that she is this event planner. They don’t have a whole lot in the pilot.

 Tiffani> No, because at first, funny enough, I was supposed to be an accountant. That’s how it was written. And then what they ended up doing in the pilot is they never mentioned what I did for a living because I think they wanted to kind of explore me in the character. And so, actually, after we knew that the show was getting picked up, I sat down with Jeff Eastin, the creator, and I said, “I have an idea.”I said, “I want to run it by you and see what you think because you haven’t come up with any ideas yet, right?” And he was like, “No, we’re really wide open to whatever.” They didn’t want her to be in an office. And we’re shooting in New York City. It’s like what better way to show even more of the City?  I said, “She’s an event planner.” He’s like, “Oh, I like that.” And I was like secretly I’ve always wanted to be one. So, I was like, “Cool and perfect.”

 Panel> But with the event planning, since she does these such high profile events, how does that work with Neal, because it seems like that’s right up his alley?

 Tiffani> And it’s true. We’re not even—well, we’re actually just exactly halfway throughout the season. And there’s been some times where you see what I do for a living kind of come in, in an episode. Definitely one episode you see it. But it’s still new. I mean any new show, you guys know, anytime you see new shows, it’s really about trying to really explain and explore the characters.  And so it’s going to be an ongoing process, I think, for them to kind of figure that out. I just knew this story—this kind of career would be an easier way to kind of pull things together for them if they had the chance to do that. Well, we’re still starting out. You’ll definitely see it. I mean the thing about it is, yes, the high profile, the people I might be working with could be an interest for Neal. You just—you never know.

  Panel> Would you be interested in directing an episode for White Collar?

 Tiffani> Oh, absolutely! I wouldn’t say no, absolutely not. I mean I would love to. First seasons are always the hardest to kind of get your feet wet with everybody that’s on the show and stuff like that. So, I would love to. They know my interest. I would absolutely love to.  And, yes, Hung, I was actually supposed to shoot the end of this year. But now that I’m shooting this show, it’s got pushed back.

 Panel> How has it been working here in New York versus L.A.?

 Tiffani> You know, I’m sure a lot of you guys probably have been to Los Angeles. It’s very, very different. But I’ve been coming to New York since I was young. I love New York City. I love that you guys have seasons, just to be able to put a coat on and a scarf. We don’t get to do that in L.A. But on the ‘but’ side of it, my family is in L.A. So, it’s all of us, actually. All of our families are in L.A. We didn’t make the big, big move just yet. I think for first season, you just never know. But I have a sneaky suspicion this show’s going to go for a while. I usually am not wrong. So, we’ll see.

 Panel> Would you get your family, and bring them out here?

 Tiffani> Well, funny enough, I wouldn’t make it fulltime. But we would do six months year, six months in L.A. And I’ve always wanted to be bi-coastal. So, I’m kind of getting that wish granted. So, I’m just having to convince my husband a little bit more. He’s from Texas. New York is a little much for him. But the more he comes out here, the more he’s actually liking it. And so I just convinced him that we’re going to bring the dogs out for the last month.

 Panel> You said that you’re finally getting to play a grownup on television. And I think people feel like they’ve seen you grow up on television.

 Tiffani> So have I, the bad hairdos, the bad makeup, and the bad clothes.

 Panel> Your major characters have been so different. I mean there was Kelly who was everybody’s sweetheart. And there was Valerie who was nobody’s sweetheart. And now you’re playing this adult wonderful support. But is that something you purposely tried to not get caught in the stereotype?

 Tiffani> Yeah, I mean I think you do no matter what. I think you do no matter what because it’s the business, you know. I think we all, as actors, fear that. I think there’s always going to be a little bit of that no matter what. But I think, yes, when I read the script, I was automatically like really into the script and the role.  Like I had mentioned, I think one of the first questions was, just being that I’m finally playing somebody more of myself, which I really kind of liked, and kind of honing in on something that was a little more closer to home for me.

 Panel> What characteristics did you bring to the character that weren’t originally in the script?

 Tiffani> Well, I think because when it was originally written, it was like this kind of more woman who is an accountant, kind of nine to five kind of girl. And I think I definitely brought in that whole new energy. And I think that was the reason why I brought the idea for the event planner and stuff because I don’t see myself as a nine to five girl, which also works well, I think, with Peter because he doesn’t have a nine to five job either.  Some days he does, but a lot of days he’s having to do lots of crazy stuff with Neal. So, I think that was good that I was able to kind of bring that energy with myself just being cast in it, and then also the ideas that I brought to the role to Jeff and everybody involved with the show.

 Panel> How do you like being on the USA compared to the other network or cable experiences?

 Tiffani> You know, I’ve said this to quite a few people, and a lot of people have asked me, this is the first cable show I’d ever done in the 26 years I’ve been doing this, and I absolutely love it. And you’re starting to hear this a lot more because there’s a lot more cable out there. But it’s a smaller pool. So, they tend to—they’ve been very, very supportive of our show and us. And that’s a nice feeling because not everybody’s like that. The bigger networks and the bigger studios don’t tend to give you that kind of, special kind of feeling. And we feel very special. This is very nice.

 Panel> Where do you see your character going, or where do you want your character to go over the course of the series?

 Tiffani> You know, it’s interesting. I’m not the star of the show. And to be totally honest with you, I’m very happy about that. I mean, I came on the show knowing that it was the two—it’s the two guys. It’s their show. And I and Willie are supporting characters. I’ve been a lead in a show for a long time and, honestly, didn’t want the 17-hour days anymore.  So, for where I want to see the character going, it’s kind of a—I can’t say I want her becoming this huge piece of this show. I want her to still be supporting. She’s this kind of light part of the show that I like. It’s the home piece for Peter’s character, which I like. I think you will see her on her own as well with her career and stuff, which is great. But you’re not going to see a ton of it because the show’s not about—you know, it’s called White Collar. It’s called White Collar for a reason.  It’s hard to answer that question. I love the relationship that they have, Peter and Elizabeth. So, I think it’s more of just about exploring that, and what 10 years of that relationship’s going be maybe for the next 10 years. Kids or whatever that means, I don’t know.

 Panel> Do you think she’ll have any involvement helping him with his whole missing girlfriend situation?

 Tiffani> I think you might possibly see that, yeah. I think being I’m the girl on the show, I’m the female voice in that sense that you’ll see—you know, you see Peter coming to me for that side as well as just another look at things. But certain cases, you’ll find there are scenes with us where I’m like, “Well, did you think about doing this?” And he’s like, “No, I actually didn’t.” It’s a common thing sometimes when you live in a career for so long that sometimes you don’t think about things that other people see on the outside. So, you’ll see a lot of that. But, yes, when it comes to Neal, I think, especially with the Kate storyline—you know, I have a soft spot for that storyline I think, personally, or Elizabeth does. And for Elizabeth to think that Neal can’t be with the one that he loves, I mean that makes her—you know, it makes her sad. So, I think you’ll start to see a lot of that, yes.

 Panel> I think what’s good to see is that it’s not a jealousy type of situation. It’s definitely more of a fascination that he has.

 Tiffani> Yes. Oh, very much so. Yeah, there’s no jealousy about it. It’s more of the unknown for him. It’s a very unknown thing. He’s younger. He’s been on the run his whole life. Everything’s very fast for him. And I think this life is very like, “I mean you know she’s going to be home at this time? And you know he’s going to be home at this time? You call each other this much?” I mean it’s like—he just doesn’t get it. But he’s fascinated by it. I think deep down, I think he thinks he wants it.

 Panel> People were saying that they were also glad that it’s not like a whole love triangle thing.

 Tiffani> You’ve seen it so many times. You’ve seen it over and over, and I’ve played it over and over. So, yeah, I’m glad too. Believe me, I’m glad.

 Panel> Have you ever worked with Diahann Carroll at all?

 Tiffani> I have not personally. But I have got to see her, and she is one beautiful, beautiful woman. Man, I hope I look that good when I’m her age. She’s amazing. She’s striking.

 Panel> Do you think the age difference seems big between your characters?

 Tiffani> I think people forget how old I am though. I think that’s a really big thing because people don’t realize I’m almost 36. Like I’m not some spring chicken, you know? And you know what’s so funny, and can only relate this to my own personal life, my parents are almost eight years apart, literally.  And Tim and I are literally nine years apart. I think it’s nine.

 Panel> Okay. It’s not like an awkward age difference, but I mean it’s--.

 Tiffani> Right. No. Absolutely! And I think it’s also because our careers are so different on the show too. Like I’m always dressed a certain way. You didn’t see it so much on the pilot because I’m mostly at home in the pilot. But you’ll see much more that I’m always dressed up. And he’s in this like blue suit, and gray suit.

 Panel> How do you think these two people got together?

 Tiffani> Well, I mean, again, I can only speak from experience, like it’s my own husband. I mean it’s funny, Tim, weirdly enough, is a lot like my own husband. It’s very strange. I mean they’re both tall, dark haired. They’re kind of—I want to say rough around the edges, but they’re like guys’ guys.  I don’t know. Speaking from my own personal what I love about my husband is I love that he’s a guy. We couldn’t be more different—couldn’t be more different. But I think sometimes that’s what works in relationships is that you balance each other out. And I think that’s what happens with Elizabeth and Peter. And I look at my parents too. My parents couldn’t be more different. My Dad’s out there in the dirt, and my Mom’s inside. I mean that’s just kind of how--they’re just very different lives. But I think it’s that kind of dance that they do that makes it work.

 Panel> Are you working on any other projects right now, or is this all consuming?

 Tiffani> No. Just because I’m here in New York, and the times that I do have off, I go home. I try to go home. I’m hoping to hit a flight tomorrow morning. But now they’re telling me I might have to shoot on Friday. So, we’ll see. But, no, not right—not at the moment. And I’m totally okay with that. Again, like I’m not in my twenties anymore. I don’t need to work every day, 16, 17 hours a day, because it’s grueling. I mean these guys, I give it to them, because I’ve done it a million times. It’s hard. It’s really hard to get up and work those kind of hours and be on your feet all day and memorize the lines that we’ve memorized. It’s tiring. I’m surprised it hasn’t aged me as much as it has.

 Panel> What’s your guilty pleasure show, the one that you have on your DVR?

 Tiffani> I can’t even believe I’m going to say this. My really bad guilty pleasure show is any of those Housewives shows. But the only time I watch it—and I hope this doesn’t come off badly, so please type it the correct way—is when I’m really sick and on the couch, [laugh] because I just watch it because it doesn’t make me think.

 Panel> Which cast did you like?                                                                             

 Tiffani> Well, I liked Orange County the best because I’m from—I’m literally from Long Beach, which is right butt up against the Orange County. So, I know those kind of girls. Like I grew up with girls like that. It’s hilarious.

 Panel> That’s geographic because I think around here it’s like New York, New Jersey.

 Tiffani> Well, and that makes sense. I’d watched them quite a few times. But the OC one, I think it’s because it’s one of the original ones and it’s just what I know.

 Panel> Any interest on making an appearance on the new 90210? Did they approach you?

 Tiffani> Not at all. No. I watched the pilot, and it’s very different. It’s not even 90210 or the people who have gone back to the show. I’ve always been someone to never look back. I’ve always been someone just in life in general, and that always makes the same when it comes to my career. I always like to move forward. And so, to me, it’s like I played that character for a long time. I don’t need to play that character again. It’s retired. And I’m so glad. And I couldn’t be more blessed and feel blessed to be on the show that I am now. And I love—I love the people that I’m working with. I couldn’t be more ecstatic about it. So, everything happens for a reason.