I love the banter between Booth and Brennan at the end of each episode of “Bones.” Is that ad libbed?
–Elka Wolinsky, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Sometimes the banter is ad libbed; sometimes it is scripted, according to David Boreanaz, who plays Special Agent Seeley Booth. But as the series heads into its ninth season on FOX, more and more of it is improvised by the actors.
“Because of the number of seasons that we’ve done, how these characters have developed, our working relationship, and how we are there for each other as actors, we improvise more now than we did in the second or third season when we were still trying to develop a show and a relationship,” the Buffalo-born actor, 44, says. “It’s fun now that we are able to go around the words that they write and get into it [with each other].”
Boreanaz, who loves old-time detectives like Dick Tracy, is still enjoying playing a modern-day lawman, albeit one with the FBI, and plans to stay with the show into its 10th season for sure. He credits the writing and the unique relationship between Booth and Brennan, as well as that between him and Emily Deschanel, who plays Temperance “Bones” Brennan, as reasons for staying.
“People say, ‘How can you be in a show for eight seasons and not get bored of it?’ For us, it has always been about the characters’ relationship and being able to be trusted in situations that are changing and evolving. That’s what makes it exciting.”
In looking back at the past eight seasons, Boreanaz has some favorites episodes, including the couple’s first kiss under the mistletoe, donning disguises, and any scenes where they are going at each other — fighting or bantering.
“I love those types of scenes,” he says. “Also, the undercover work is always fun. There’s Buck and Wanda at the circus, which was a great episode. Then there was Tony and Roxy in Las Vegas. I loved them, but it took Emily a long time to get her nails on!”
