David Boreanaz

We ask the stars of Bones your burning questions!

David Boreanaz, aka FBI agent Seeley Booth on Bones, leaps like an overgrown puppy onto the sofa in the office of Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan. “That tofu hamburger you got me was tasty,” he raves to Emily Deschanel during a break on the set of the second-season drama.

Deschanel, who plays a forensic anthropologist, is a real-life vegan who avoids caffeine and sugar. She gives her costar an I-told-you-so smile, and it’s clear their on-screen chemistry is based on genuine affection. “Did you know we’ll be answering questions today that were submitted from the readers of TV Guide?” she asks. “How cool is that?” he replies, tagging on a question of his own: “Do you have to be really hungry if you’re not vegan to like something vegan?” Deschanel rolls her eyes. “See,” Boreanaz says, “this is what makes the characters work. This is improv - this is the way it goes down!”

Who’s the biggest ham on the set? The moodiest? The glue that holds the cast together? -John T., Santa Barbara, Calif.

Emily: David is the ham. No question.

David: Emily is the moodiest. She has her moments. Together we are the glue. We’re not a crazy crew - we’re a cohesive unit. When we started, it was some relatively new people coming into a show, and they were very humble. The humbleness will probably stop after this comes out.

You all work such long hours. What gets you through the days? -A. Letsome, Washington, D.C.

David: I stare at Emily’s eyes, and it’s like the galaxy. I just watch and observe many, many moons.

Emily: You shouldn’t quit your acting day job to write poetry, but thank you. I think that we both are passionate about what we do too.

When you are among your fellow cast mates - Michaela Conlin (Angela), Eric Millegan (Zack), Tamara Taylor (Cam) and TJ Thyne (Hodgins) - what are you the first to do? -Erica Stein, via e-mail

Emily: David is the first to protect everybody. I’m the first to trip and spill something on myself.

David, what did you think when Emily called your character a "man whore" in TV Guide (Aug. 28)? -Chris Lee, via e-mail

David: Wait until the upcoming episode where she’s with Agent Sullivan!

Emily: I didn’t sleep with that person! I go to coffee with him. It’s not even a date.

David: Oh, really? Do you have coffee at five-star hotels? It’s not just coffee.

Emily: He thinks that going to coffee with someone is worse, just because it’s a fancy restaurant, than sleeping with two women in the same episode!

David: Let me tell you something: I have a past with these women! I have a relationship! One is the mother of my child, OK?

Some of the terminology on Bones is pretty scientifically advanced. Do you always understand what your characters are saying? -Holly Frongillo, Shrewsbury, Mass.

Emily: I always know what I’m saying when I say it, but that doesn’t mean that I know what I was talking about if you ask me the next day. But I am building up a body of knowledge about bones.

David: I played the Milton Bradley board game Operation before I started the show. But it’s really all about the rubber gloves.

Emily: It was really hard to put on rubber gloves at first. Now it’s like second nature.

David, do you wear your own T-shirts on the show? -Margo Bostedo, Glen Ellyn, Ill.

David: No, but I always wear my own socks.

Emily: I put on socks from wardrobe, because I don’t want to get my own sweaty. I don’t even wear my own underwear. Kidding!

Will we learn more of Booth’s sniper past in the show? Will we learn the reason behind Bones’ mistrust of men? -Debbie Stevens, Frederick, Md.

David: There is more to come. Booth is going to therapy, and he’s getting a little nutty. You’ll see how messy that is going to become.

Emily: I don’t know if it’s ever spelled out, but delve into the history of Brennan’s family and you can draw your own conclusions. My family abandoned me when I was a teenager, my brother left me, my mother was murdered, and my dad is a bad guy. So why would I trust a man at all?

I noticed there is a Pittsburgh Steelers mug on Booth’s desk. Who is the Steelers fan? -Linda Harding, Pittsburgh

David: Booth is a little blue-collar, so he likes Pittsburgh. I do too. I used to be a ball boy for the Steelers.

Emily: I like Daunte Culpepper. He plays for the Miami Dolphins. David: What position?

Emily: [Flustered] I know he plays football. I just say what David tells me to say about sports. [Culpepper plays quarterback for Miami.]

Can Bones carve a turkey? -Corrine Riordan, via e-mail

Emily: Bones can do anything, but Emily would try to convince her to carve a tofu turkey.

Do you want Booth and Bones to get together? -Tina Steele, Waterford, Conn.

David: It’s not like I’m going to be on that mattress anytime soon with her.

Emily: I think that they belong with each other, but it’s more interesting to watch us dance around our attractions. They have to figure some things out before they are really meant to be with each other.

To read more about Bones, pick up the new TV Guide, on sale Thursday.