David Boreanaz

"For those who don’t like the show and were my fans in the past, I think they’ll continue to be my fans because they are such loyal fans and they’ve supported me and I love them to death."

David Boreanaz Bones Up on Drama

Cult fans may be disappointed that their favorite vampire, Angel, is cleaning up crime scenes on his new show instead of dusting evildoers, but David Boreanaz is happy to see the light of day. On Bones (premiering tonight at 8 pm/ET on FOX), he plays a gun-slinging FBI agent who is teamed with a forensic anthropologist to solve crimes involving damaged corpses. While the show is a bit more mainstream than Boreanaz’ fantasy-infused past, the very sweet actor, who is reluctant to discuss his "other show," nonetheless hopes his fans will be willing to take a bite out of his new, nonblood sucking gig. (And trust us, Bones doesn’t suck.)

TVGuide.com: You have a very loyal fan base. Do you think they’ll get hooked on a forensics show?

David Boreanaz: All I can do is do my work. I don’t think about that, I just think about the work. For those who don’t like the show and were my fans in the past, I think they’ll continue to be my fans because they are such loyal fans and they’ve supported me and I love them to death. One of the best things about the show that I was involved with [Angel] is that it was a very cult audience, but it also enabled me to fly a little bit under the radar in the mainstream.... But I can’t please everybody. For every one person who doesn’t like it there are probably going to be 10 people who will, so it is a whole new spectrum for me.

TVGuide.com: I think Bones should have a broader audience than that um, other show.

Boreanaz: I do, too. The forensics and the guns and the cars... it is has got a bit of everything. It’s a bit of a throwback to Moonlighting, with a little of The X-Files thrown in. We’re good to go.

TVGuide.com: What makes Bones stand out from the other procedurals?

Boreanaz: One of the things that appealed to me about this particular show was that Booth, the character I play, is a bit of a maverick - you are going to see that after the first episode. He’s in his own world, and he goes by his own rules. I think the combination of him and Temperance (played by Emily Deschanel) makes for a real character-driven piece rather than just a forensic piece.

TVGuide.com: You and Emily Deschanel seem to have very good chemistry.

Boreanaz: That’s what I hear. When we shot the pilot back in March, we were just starting to get to know each other, and she’s such a sweetheart and such a humble person. She’s the type of stock that is like the good slice of pizza I just had.

TVGuide.com: Well, you are in New York City; it is mandatory to have pizza.

Boreanaz: I had to have a slice. I’m off to Toronto, where we have a premiere of this movie I did called These Girls.

TVGuide.com: What is that about?

Boreanaz: I play a guy who is married and has a kid and lives in a small town and smokes a lot of pot. He befriends a 17-year-old girl and he has sex with her, and her two friends are jealous and they get in on the action. I deflower one of them - it is very funny - and they put me through this whole love triangle. It is very funny and very dark humor.

TVGuide.com: Are you excited to be back on TV with Bones?

Boreanaz: Doing an hour drama is like doing a sentence in [jail] in the middle of July with a bull in the cell with you - it is hard and it is long hours. But people are going to see a different side of me, which is good. I was happy that it got picked up.

TVGuide.com: Well at least your character’s name isn’t in the title. That’s a bit less pressure.

Boreanaz: Yeah! I don’t have to shoulder that burden. It is not on me this time, it is on "Bones" [aka Temperance]. I’ll put it on her, and I’ll just be on the outside talking smack.

TVGuide.com: Will we get to see a relationship between Booth and Bones?

Boreanaz: I think that will develop. The chemistry is there, and they have such high respect for each other’s professions that they both need each other in a crazy way. It brings out this tension and kind of heat and conflict. It is an exciting thing for both of them. He looks at her and values her in a lot of ways - but she drives him crazy, and he knows how to push her buttons.

TVGuide.com: You are very funny on this show. Do you get to improvise at all?

Boreanaz: I do, and they kind of have to pull me back. I’m just one of those guys who is dying to be funny. They caught me at the right time in my life. They allow me to do that, but the words are great and the writers are fantastic. I do like to ad-lib around what is being said.

TVGuide.com: You seem like a pretty laid-back guy. How is it to go to work and put on a suit every day?

Boreanaz: It is pretty nice. I was very particular about the wardrobe he was wearing; it is not the regular garb. He’s got the sniper belt buckle, he’s got the thin ’50s tie. It is a little homage to my man Steve McQueen.