After 10 seasons, Bones is showing no signs of age. It’s still a huge hit and watching Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz is as fun as it’s always been.
The two stars got together recently to talk about the new season and the upcoming 200th episode, new characters and how their characters relationship has evolved throughout the years.
Bones airs on Thursdays at 8pm on FOX
Can you first just talk about how Booth and Brennan are going to deal with everything that’s going on, both Booth being in jail and also after that fact?
Emily Deschanel: Booth is in trouble. We’re worried about him. We think he’s not going to survive being in prison. We have different ideas about how we’re going to get him out. Being in prison brings up a lot of stuff for Booth, as David can follow up on. He’s suffering from PTSD because of being there, as well as being tortured, and what not, being in the military and the Army Rangers in his past. He’s gone through a lot in his life.
We’re dealing with a lot when we come back from this season. He’s in prison or jail. We’re working [ph] to get him out. He’s not safe and all these people want to kill him there. It puts a real strain on the relationship even when he does get out of prison and it’s a big deal. It’s not just going to be healed in one episode or something. It has long lasting repercussions. David, do you want to add anything?
David Boreanaz: Yes. I think it’ll last throughout the season. I don’t think it will necessarily be as dark as some people might think it will be. I think the first two episodes really have the sense of how dark it could be where [indiscernible] is and who he trusts with inside of the FBI, how he decides to take things into his own hands, and how Bones deals with that and gets him back.
There’s a great moment in episode two that is a very strong moment between both of them and she really [indiscernible] his case to a point where he has to decide what to do. I’m not going to really say what that is, but it is definitely, it’s a page turner for their relationship and see how that unfolds.
Here’s a question regarding the long run and the staying power of this show. Three years ago, Kathy Reichs was interviewed and she said, “I view the TV version as being something like a prequel to my books. It’s Tempe, the early years on TV. She’s in her 30s, in my book she’s clearly past 40. I like to think that they’re separated in that way. It doesn’t affect what I do.” That’s what she said. I said to her, “Unless the show runs another decade, it won’t be an issue.” To which she said, “Oh no, I don’t think that’ll be an issue. It would be extraordinary to go that many seasons.”
That was three years ago and you’re still going strong. I’m starting to wonder if Tempe, as played by Emily, is going to catch up with book Tempe, perhaps even lap her. What do you say? How long do you think you can keep this good for viewers, good for you?
Emily Deschanel: I agree with Kathy. It’s hard because the character’s named Temperance Brennan, but it’s really based on Kathy Reichs, so my character writes books and the character in her books is named Kathy Reichs, just to confuse things even more. There are definitely similarities between Tempe, Temperance in the show and Tempe in her books; but yes, she’s in her 40s.
I’m about to turn 38 myself, so if we keep going, I may catch up to the book. Maybe, each episode, the writers won’t have to come up with new storylines. We can just start doing episodes based on each of her books and go from there. I don’t know, but that would be a wonderful problem to have, I think.
If we look at the way the last season ended and the way this season is beginning, obviously it’s been among some of your most intense episodes. I’m wondering if you guys could tell us a little bit about what it’s been like these past couple of months filming these episodes and really if you think it’s maybe among your most rewarding work on the series?
David Boreanaz: Well, I know there is some light at the end of the tunnel, once we get through episode 2 and went into episode 3. It was, for me, it was long and arduous from even towards the end of last season, and to go into it this season again, was figuring out this whole conspiracy within the FBI and playing this arc that went on for some time. It’s always difficult when you’re in demand, challenging, when the storyline is of that nature. It’s been fun, rewarding, as well as different.
I think that we’ve really been able to examine the characters’ relationships within when they’re at home and when they’re dealing with the conspiracy, how it ended last season. Things have changed dramatically, and I think that this season we will see that the reward for all of it is going through this fire that they went through in their relationship, and how it affects them and how it changes things and also opens up new doors.
Emily, how about you? How has the roller coaster ride been for you?
Emily Deschanel: Yes, very similar to David, except for the fact that last season, we ended the season with the season finale. David directed that episode and that was incredibly intense. The shootout scene took three days to shoot. We shoot five scenes in a day on the show. It’s not like we take multiple days to shoot one scene. It’s been really intense, that means long hours. That means intense emotions. It takes its toll on you, emotionally and physically.
We’ve come back in a similar space for these characters. I can’t say there were happy times to be shooting these episodes. They’re intense, but in a way, nice to jump into some strong emotions. There’s some really big conflicts that Booth and Brennan have in these first couple episodes that you don’t really see very often. It’s nice to do something different in that way, but it is demanding and a bit exhausting, but I think that there’s new dynamics in this show, taking new, different directions and you’ll see as you see the first few episodes. This season, we’re not just resting on our laurels here. We are taking this to a new level. We always try and challenge ourselves as actors. The writers are always taking things to the next level and doing different things and taking the show in a different place and changing the dynamics of the characters. It does keep it interesting.
Congratulations on 200 episodes. What can you share about the 200th?
David Boreanaz: I know that we’re prepping now and we start shooting that in October, so it’s going to be pretty big.
Emily Deschanel: Yes, it’s going to be big. I don’t know how much we can say about it. They’re still figuring out some details; we know some of what’s happening, but I know we want to keep it a bit of a surprise for everyone. It’s going to be a big episode. It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be very different, but still great characters. You’re going to see a lot of some you might not have seen in a little bit. It’ll be great.
David Boreanaz: Yes, it’ll definitely be a throwback to a time when things were a little bit simpler and light, but yet something that’s a flair of classic, how should I say, film expose of love and laughter?
Emily Deschanel: David’s directing that episode, so we’re super psyched about that.
David Boreanaz: Yes, it’s going to be fun. I think it’s going to be a great opportunity to enjoy the 200th episode but on top of it, give something back to the fans, that they’ll watch and go, “Oh my God, that and this,” whatever this and that may be, just hold on. It’s going to be a lot of fun.
Emily Deschanel: This and that and this.
David Boreanaz: Emily is going to look so beautiful as she always is, but classically beautiful.
Emily Deschanel: You’re going to look very handsome.
David Boreanaz: Thank you.
What can we see or what can you tell us about some of the struggles that they’re going to have and what their relationship is going to be like as the season evolves?
David Boreanaz: Well, they’re going to have to deal with their different types of reactions to certain things, because of where Booth is in prison and coming out. Bones is going to really have to reevaluate their relationship in a way that is—why is he acting this way and I’m not quite understanding it? Booth takes some things in his own hands and there’ll definitely be some conflict that’s there.
I think there will be a tipping point at the end of episode 2, that will look at it and see that it’ll obviously bring them closer together. Throughout these seasons, we’ve always maintained their relationship and always gone back to their relationship. Yes, there will be some conflicting moments, some emotional moments, as well as trying to figure each other out again, because things are going to be much different when he gets out.
We haven’t heard much about your characters as parents this season. Are there any plans to add a brother or sister? Are there any other pregnancies? How is the parenting going along?
Emily Deschanel: We do deal with different things, parenting-wise, from choosing what school our daughter should go to, to how we deal with when our daughter starts swearing. Like any normal couple, we have different opinions on it and different approaches to it. You’ll see that this season. We’ve got Daisy pregnant and is going to have a baby, so that’s a really big, exciting thing. I think we’re good with that. No plans for any more.
Do either of you make suggestions, based on your own parenting experiences about things that the couple could go through? Does the drama that happens at the beginning of this season, does that impact anything in the family area?
Emily Deschanel: It definitely impacts the relationship and therefore the family. I haven’t made many suggestions. David, you can tell them if you’ve made suggestions about things you’ve experienced as a parent to use in episodes. I have to say, I’ve come across what you’re dealing with at school, choosing a school for the child, now we’re even looking at elementary schools for our daughter because she’s a little older. We’ve moved ahead in time.
With preschool, my son I certainly was similar to Brennan, in that I’m researching as many schools as possible and maybe have different criteria than she has. I find it interesting, when we address the parenting things, because I do see some similarities to my own life. I don’t know if, David, you have too?
David Boreanaz: Anything to do with travel hockey and travel, I’m in.
There was an interview with Gavin MacIntosh and he said that he’s going to be playing a recurring role in season 10. I noticed he was the same age as Ty. Is Ty still going to be playing Parker or will Gavin be taking that over? Can you talk about that?
David Boreanaz: Yes, I think that it’s one of those things with the characters that we have seen develop with over the past few seasons, and we’ve always seen when and where we can actually show Tyler, as far as those storylines are concerned. It’s been, especially leaving after season 9, where we can fit them in and how we do that. I think Steven Nathan has more of a plan for that, as far as when and how we can use that situation. To address it directly, I think it’s just depending upon how it fits in story-wise. It’s going to be fun to see how that unfolds.
Now that Booth is suffering from PTSD, will this open the door maybe for the audience to learn more about his past trauma?
David Boreanaz: I think that we will. I think that through the challenges that he has, being in prison, trying to get out of prison, trying to deal with the people in prison, and obviously trying to deal with his life outside and how his relationship is with Bones; I think that you’ll get an insight into how he reacts to certain things and maybe why he’s not the same when he comes out when he’s with Bones, and how she may tiptoe around him and not understand him certainly.
I think that that will creep in and out throughout the season. I don’t want to say that it’s going to be really heavy arc. I think that we’ll play it out in the beginning of the year and realize that these characters are there for each other. What’s great is that we solve crimes and we do it in an open-end kind of style. We start the shows and then we have these great storylines that these writers provide for us and we [indiscernible] with the characters. I don’t think it will be a major, major, hard season that way.
