David Boreanaz

With the second series of Bones underway on Sky One, what better time could there be to catch up with one the show’s stars, in the shape of Pennsylvanian actress Michaela Conlin?

For the uninitiated out there, Bones revolves around a team of specialists trying to solve crimes and catch killers based on the clues left behind in the skeletal remains of the victims.

Acting alongside David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel in the gory drama, Conlin plays Angela Montenegro - an artist who constructs three-dimensional recreations of a victim’s face from their decomposed remains.

We chat to her about life on Bones and whether the gruesome content makes her flesh crawl at all...

How has your character changed since the start of Bones?

"That’s a good question. Angela has begun a relationship with Jack Hodgins, who’s the bug guy in the lab. I think she’s gone from chasing lots of different men to being chased by one guy, which is a big change for her. Part of her identity in the first season was her going out and partying and experiencing life and trying to bring that in with her. This season the writers and producers are focusing more on her having a relationship within the lab, and the complications that that brings."

Is it true that Angela’s upcoming romance with Hodgins was suggested by you?

"Sort of. Hart Hanson had that in their back pocket for much of the show, and they started writing scenes for TJ and I (who plays Hodgins). I think they liked them - I had made a suggestion that Angela settle down with someone or have some of relationship with someone. I didn’t specify Hodgins, but it was sort of an organic process. It happened from a few different angles.

How open are the producers to suggestions from the cast?

"They’re very open. Hart Hanson is one of the coolest, smartest producers I’ve ever worked for. He’s very open to ideas, he says no when he should, he says yes when it would work for the show. For the experience I’ve had on TV - he’s the most knowledgeable...his openness as a policy is well applied, and sometimes says no, and a lot of times says yes. A large part of the characters come from his brain."

Can you tease British viewers as to what to expect in the new season from Angela?

"There’s a lot of chemistry on the show this year, I’ll just say that. Fun little romances all over the lab, I’ll just give you that."

Is there anything you’d like to see happen to Angela in the future that you might have already put out there to the producers?

"Yeah, I mean, they’re starting to - not from my suggestion, but of their own accord - the writers have started having Angela be able to go and talk to some of the victims and be her own investigator, which is really, really nice. It’s gotten me working with a lot of the guest stars that Dave and Emily normally get to work with, which is nice. And you know, the the romance thing is always a little fun too."

Does the filming schedule allow you to pursue other projects away from the series?

"It’s very difficult. The shooting schedule is 12-14 hours a day. I did a movie this past summer, a feature that’s coming out in the fall, which happened to sit in our 8-week hiatus. The projects that you’re going for have to fall in the hiatus. The show is such a big priority in my life, for now I’m concentrating on that. But we have a hiatus coming next summer, and it would be wonderful to do something different - but I did do a movie last summer so that went well."

Stage, cinema or television - which medium do you prefer as an actor?

"I think all of them are wonderful. I was trained on stage at NYU in New York City, I did a lot of theatre then. I came out here and I did a large amount of TV and a small amount of movies. I’d really love to use them and start doing more films, if the series ever should end. I’d love to do another play, I’ve learned so much from all of them."

Bones has proved to be quite popular over here in the UK on Sky One. Do you receive any British fanmail?

"I do actually, I did just get a big [load]; they don’t give us our fanmail as it comes, they collect it in a big box in the office and then we get deliveries once or twice a year. I just got a bundle and I saw a few letters actually, I have to go through it and return some emails to London, Britain...where I’ve never been to actually - I’m planning a trip, I’d love to go there. I heard the weather was pretty miserable in December, so I guess I shouldn’t go [right now]."

It is pretty awful, but you should come across here and maybe do some publicity for the show?

"I think so, yes."

Do some of the more gruesome storylines on the show affect you as a person?

"Now, that’s a good question. What’s interesting is that I didn’t notice how affecting working with the bodies was until we took a break last year. I sort of realised that God, there’s not an extremely realistic rotting corpse in my mindframe for a few hours a day. It was nice to have a break from it. I think we’ve all gotten a little bit more used to it and learnt to deal with it, but they’re getting so realistic - they’re even better this season! It’s definitely creepy - Angela deals with a lot of the holographic computer statistics side of things, so I’m not in it as much, I’m not in the rubber gloves handling the little scalpels as much, but I do definitely see it and it’s disturbing!"

Did you do much scientific research in preparation for the part?

"I actually talked to two good friends of mine who’re artists, who are really interesting - they’re a professional painter and a sculptor. They were actually very helpful - Angela really is an artist first, she’s a forensic artist. She’s quite accredited, but she’s really an artist within the world of scientists. So I thought that was a really good place to start. And then I’ve spoken a lot with our wonderful technical adviser Donna Client, who is a friend of ours and has...been really, really helpful to me. Just how to deal with [it]."

What’s been your favourite episode from the beginning?

"I would have to say the Christmas episode from Season One was my favourite to shoot. We were all together on the sound stage for the eight day shooting schedule. This storyline was in the lab, it was probably the most fun."

Do you ever intend to take a more active role behind the camera?

"How interesting you ask that - just starting this season. Normally, we get a different director each week on the show. I’ve learned a lot from watching them. In a few years, I’d be pretty interested in producing and directing, I think it’s really good - there’s so many stories to tell, I’d like to be a part of that."

Do the cast tend to spend time together after filming?

"Yes. Emily is a very close friend of mine. TJ and Eric...we’re all very close. We don’t really have much time, because we’re working all the time. We really genuinely all get on."

When you’re filming, are you kept in the dark about the plot twists?

"Yes, normally. Sometimes they leak some of the information out, but stuff is...not kept top secret, but we never normally know what we’re going to be doing until we get the scripts on our doorstep."

For those who’ve yet to see an episode of Bones, what would you say the show has to offer them?

"It’s a good question. I hate to say it’s a dark, character-driven show. It has a lot of chemistry between the actors and storylines, it’s got a really unique point of view in that it’s witty and dark at the same time. It is a procedural show - there is a crime which she solves - but the characters’ lives are a very large part of the story."

What are your favourite shows at the moment in the US?

"I sample a little bit of everything - a bit of House, a little bit of Prison Break. I love Project Runway, it’s my favourite show! What else do I watch...a bit of Heroes the other night. You know, we’re very busy, so we don’t get to watch a lot of TV. The Daily Show, not too much, actually."