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Bones uncovered (Emily Deschanel)

By on August 27, 2008
My daughters (11 & 13 yrs) love “Bones.” Season 3 sounds more gory, do you think it’s okay for kids to watch?
I think it definitely should be monitored. I don’t really know what’s right for what age because I don’t have kids, although I was a nanny for a long time. I think it’s up to the individual, but it does get gorier as it goes along and there are some gross scenes. So it may be best to preview each episode and fast forward through the gross scenes. Also there’s some subject matter which may not be appropriate for kids. It really depends…. I have some friends who let their children watch the show, but David Boreanaz (“Agent Seeley Booth”) doesn’t allow his son to watch it. The gory scenes are fake but can be disturbing, even for adults. But there’s definitely a good amount of the show that can be watched by everyone.
Brennan had such a sad childhood, losing her mother and growing up in foster homes. Could you tell us something about your childhood?
Well, it’s very different from Brennan’s. My father is a cinematographer and director so we travelled with him when he would shoot and direct movies, and we lived in a lot of different places. I got my first passport when I was five and a half months old; the picture is so funny. We lived in Italy for a year and a half when I was a baby and although I don’t remember it, I have always had an affection for Italian culture. We also lived in Canada, the Seychelles for several months, in Belgrade and in London. I sometimes attended the local school like in the Seychelles, but in London I went to the American school. Whenever he could, my dad would film commercials in the school year and then movies in the summer. After London, we stayed home and he just did commercials. But it was really interesting going to school in different places and having an education that incorporated so many different cultures. From a young age I got a view of the world that was invaluable really.
What do you, as a woman, think of Booth and what is it like working with David Boreanaz?
Booth’s a dream guy for many women but I like more brainy, witty guys; the squints working in the lab. I feel like I’m a nerd myself so I’ve always liked the nerdier types.David, well he’s like a big kid. He’s a lot of fun but not to a fault. He’s serious when he needs to be. It’s just that he tries to do things to make people feel uncomfortable in a fun way. Working with him is never boring and we have a great friendship actually which I’m so grateful for.

How do you take care of your health when you are working long hours?
I’m always trying to manage stress because I will find a way to stress myself out even if somebody else isn’t. The job is stressful enough so I try to manage stress as much as I can. David taught me to take my time more. I used to feel so rushed about things, I still do, but I try to take a moment for myself. I’m doing yoga again which I really love and I try to eat well. I’m a vegan and I take supplements and vitamins.
There are a lot of action scenes. Did you have any special training to prepare for these scenes?
Yeah, I did. Before the first season I trained with a master in all different kinds of martial arts, from Chinese to Korean, and from Japanese to Filipino knife fighting. It was an overall crash course in martial arts and I really enjoyed it. I also did karate at university but I only did it for a brief period of time. I’m by no means an expert but I really enjoyed doing it.

Do you think that your approach towards Brennan has changed?
Well, I guess my approach is always changing. Halfway through the first season we made a very specific decision to make her more open and to have her become more personable. She is always growing and changing in that way.  I think I’ve become more relaxed in that I know how to play the character but I don’t want myself to get too relaxed; to rest on my laurels, so I’m always trying to help the character grow.
How does Brennan and Booth’s relationship change in the new season?
Well, it gets closer and closer; there’s a kiss. Their friendship grows and there’s a hint of romance. They are always put into situations where their partnership is challenged and you see that even more in the third season. They have to help each other out in a dangerous situation, or there’s an emotional issue that they have to figure out. They are realizing more and more that they are there for each other.  So I think this helps them to open up and develop a closer relationship.

From season 3 you are credited as a producer. How did that come about?
Actually, David had it in his contract to become a co-producer from season 3 and I think that they wanted to be nice to me and give me the same thing. It was also I think a way of avoiding giving me more money. But it’s good because now I have a lot more say in the story lines and in my character’s development.A final question from one of Emily’s biggest fans, my daughter Zola:
When you say a difficult word in “Bones” do you know what it means?
Yes, I do. When I get a script I’ll look up the difficult words in a dictionary and in other reference books I have. Then we also have a forensic consultant on the show and I’ll talk to her about it because sometimes I can’t understand the dictionary definition. So I do understand the meaning of the words as I say them but I usually forget them by the next day.
Photo © Elena Derevstova

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