David Boreanaz Talks "Bones," Part II

Fan favorite David Boreanaz will be forever TV legend as Buffy's vampire love Angel, both in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and the spinoff "Angel." Now he's FBI agent Seely Booth, bantering with Emily Deschanel's forensic anthropologist Temperance "Bones" Brennan on Fox's "Bones." After a layoff since November, "Bones" returns to Fox tonight in yet another timeslot - Mondays at 8 - and Boreanaz got on the phone with a few reporters Friday afternoon to talk about it. Here's more from the interview, starting with the otherwise easygoing Boreanaz getting amusingly snippy about whether "Bones" is "on the bubble" for renewal...

(Read part one of the interview.)

Question: I'm going to ask about show being in yet another time slot...and with "Bones" being mentioned by some people as a bubble show, is that something that worries the cast and crew, that people won't be able to follow anymore?
Boreanaz: I'm sorry, are you saying that our show is on the bubble?
Question: I'm not, but I've read a few things-
Boreanaz: Where'd you read that?
Question: I don't remember-
Boreanaz: Well you can't say something. If you're saying our show is on the bubble, I'd love to know the source of that one. You can't just say to me the show's on the bubble and you say you don't know where it came from.
Question: I read a lot of different sources.
Boreanaz: Well that's a pretty big source to say to an actor on a show, or for me to say your column is being canceled and you ask me where I read that and I say I read a lot of things. I don't get that question. But to answer your question, I don't think our show is on the bubble. It's a very successful show, we're a different show, we're a cult show, a show that prides itself on relationships and we've proven that if we're on Tuesday or Wednesday or even Monday our fans will follow us...

Question: Is it ever hard to keep some of the darker or sadder storylines...from affecting you?
Answer: I always go back to Brennan and Booth and our relationship if it gets too crazy. ... We can go and banter over a crime scene and then go uh oh this is pretty heavy stuff we're looking at. It's an interesting balance for our show. Anything with children is very difficult, obviously. There are scenes that can be horrific, but you just have to block that out.
Question: Are there moments when you're squeamish about the actual bones, the actual gross bodies?
Answer: Not me. I know there are times when I'm so tuned into her, so tuned into the character work that I forget about what I'm standing over to be quite honest. Booth's perspective is that he's squeamish to begin with, so that does help when I have to go there.

Question: The dialogue between you and Emily, is that imrovised at all?
Answer: We work on every episode on the weekends with (an acting coach). She helps us find a lot of those moments. We work on the scripts on the weekends for every scene, every moment during the week. We come in with an improvisational arc so we know where we're going to take things. ... The beauty of our relationship (is) our chemistry is really solid, and it's only getting better. We did a scene yesterday that was so much fun, we really started pushing each others' buttons. It's really fun to have the ability to go there with a co-star who does that with you. And also, we have the freedom zone of the third season. Instead of thinking, 'This show has x amount of seasons left, so I don't have to work hard,' this is quite the opposite. Now we have the freedom...to do this stuff, to go to these places that you weren't allowed to in the first season.

Question: Is the couples therapy for Bones and Booth (with John Francis Daly as Dr. Lance Sweets) going to continue throughout the episodes?
Answer: With Lance, he just fits perfectly, a) physically and b) with what he brings to the table and how it affects their relationship. And I think thats a stronghold to go to therapy and helping to bring us together. I  think it's a great idea.
Question: Is Booth's mocking of his age and everything you or is that scripted?
Answer: That's me. (laughter) That's me. It's funny because we'll do a lot of improvisation, and in that therapy session you have to do one that's scripted and then...it's just so much fun. Those "young"  comments - I've got to come up with some new stuff.

Question: There's been a rumor that you guys would be shooting some episodes in England and or bringing back Stephen Fry (as therapist Dr. Wyatt)?
Answer: I know that there have been some talks about that. Hope that happens. I'm pretty confident the trip somewhere will occur for a couple shows. As far as Stephen Fry is concerned, I know we'd love to have him back on the show. He's great to work with, he was a great character. Even to see him interact with Sweets WOULD be great.

Question: What are some of your favorite things about Booth and what are some of your not necessarily favorite things about him?
Answer: His stubbornness can be kind of unattractive at times. His seeing things one way and not the other can be annoying. ... (But) he's a real blue collar guy, he's always been that type of guy that I've really embraced. I keep learning a lot from the character. It's been an  interesting process with him. I embrace his socks because I wear the same socks. I embrace a lot of the stuff he does. He's more Catholic than I am, and I wish I was more of a practicing Catholic but I'm not. I  guess that's one thing I don't like about myself sometimes, that I'm not very religious.