Articles & Interviews 2009

This author obviously has issues with Zooey Deschanel; but they seem to like Emily.

From Newsweek.com

Link: http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/pop-vox/2009/09/24/zooey-deschanel-yawn-her-older-sister-emily-is-the-female-macgyver.html



Zooey Deschanel? Yawn. Her Older Sister Emily is the Female MacGyver


I don’t like to say it aloud—I have two sisters and I know how competitive they can be—but in this case, it’s true. Emily Deschanel makes her younger sister, Zooey, look bad. It’s not Emily’s fault she’s so damn good at playing Dr. Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist on Fox’s hit TV show Bones. I mean how do you outshine a woman whose character uses the airbag explosives of the car she’s buried in to try and dig herself out of a grave. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about watch episode nine of season two. Then punish yourself for not knowing by listening to one of Zooey’s songs.)

To be fair, it’s not as though the older Deschanel was always a hot bombmaking geek. (I can call her hot. I’m secure in my womanhood.) But I didn’t know her before Bones. And the chances are you didn’t either. Until 2005, when Bones premiered, her career was made up of smaller roles in major films—think receptionist in Spider-Man 2—or slightly better roles in smaller productions.


She had more than 15 parts before she found her place on primetime TV. And she’s pretty perfect as the intelligent—if hyperrational in an Asperger’s sort of way—Brennan. We aren’t just talking about a woman who eclipses her FBI partner, played by David Boreanaz—one of the yummiest former vampires to ever exist—she also never seems to be phased by the gore-filled storylines: Bloodied child-beauty-pageant contestant in a water-filtration plant in season two. Not a problem. Human remains found in a barrel of wine in season four. All in a day’s work. Having a psychic—played by Cyndi Lauper—lead you to 12 murder victims in last week's season premiere. Hey, it’s what the woman does. She’s strong in a Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman meets Xena sort of way. Hell, she’s the female version of MacGyver.


Maybe that’s why she seems like the better Deschanel. She plays a solid character extremely well. She owns her work, and that’s probably why I can’t stomach little Zooey, who oozes sugary sweetness with her puppy-dog eyes and indie-princess status. Sure, the 29-year-old actress-singer has some talent, with leading roles in Elf and 500 Days of Summer. She’s even recorded an album with M. Ward as half of the duo She & Him, and sang in a commercial for cotton—“the fabric of our lives.” But every role (and almost every song) is about the same. There’s just some part of me that feels like she can’t decide if she wants to be Neko Case or Annie Hall. So it’s not that she’s particularly bad, her sister is just that much better. (And more likeable if you ask me.)

I’m sure Zooey has her partisans, which most likely include any guy who's ever bought a pair of Chuck Taylors (disclosure: I own a pair). And they may have a few choice words for a girl that prefers strong actresses in roles where the female character has a little backbone and some brains. That’s fine. I'd still take Emily Deschanel and bloody murder over the touch and feel of cotton any day.

In Step with Emily Deschanel from Janurary 2009

Link: http://www.parade.com/celebrity/2009/01/emily-deschanel.html

The wildly funny but often ghoulish Fox Television series Bones is back for a fourth season. Tall, beautiful Emily Deschanel stars as forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan, and this year, said Emily, “there’ll be some surprises.”

What’s no surprise is the show’s continuing popularity. Ms. Deschanel plays a witty, sassy character, and her increasingly sexy repartee with FBI agent Seeley Booth, played by David Boreanaz, has kept viewers enthralled. The big news last season: The two finally kissed.

“Things are going well,” Emily told me. “The ratings were better last year than the year before—we’re one of the few shows to say that. More people are watching, and I can’t wait each week to read the new script. Sure, the show solves a crime every week. But we have all of these human relationships, and they and the humor are what make the show work. There’s so much packed in.”

Any scoop? “Booth and I are going to end up in bed this year,” Emily told me. “I have no idea how I’m going to handle that! Brennan will ask Booth to be the father of her child even though she always says, ‘I don’t want children.’ So that’s official.”

Does Emily ever object to story plots or try to rewrite her lines? “My character speaks in such a distinct, technical way,” she said. “Her syntax is so odd. All my lines are difficult. I couldn’t begin to rewrite them.”

Since Dr. Brennan is forever messing around with cadavers, does Emily ever find herself disgusted?

“There have been mornings when I missed my breakfast,” Emily said. Examples? “Once, I had to hydrate a dead hand and skin it, and then try on the skin like a glove.” Ugh! “But the very worst was the episode about an astronaut,” she said. “He lost so much body mass in space, we had to introduce living coral into his bones. That was worse than a tubful of human remains.”

Brady's Bits
Emily certainly has the showbiz genes. Her mother is an actress. Her kid sister is the actress Zooey Deschanel. Her dad, Caleb, is an award-winning cinematographer (and director, who once did a Bones episode). Emily was planning a quick trip to Oregon to see her 93-year-old grandfather, then coming back to the set, because “it’s a five-day week.” Her last name is decidedly French. “My father’s father was from Lyon and was killed in a car crash before I ever saw him,” she said. “But we used to spend summers there and still have cousins in France.” Had Emily yet met Fox boss Rupert Murdoch at the studios? “No, but I keep looking around the set for him,” she told me. “With all the money you’re making for him, he ought to say hello,” I said. “Hey,” said Emily, ”he’s making a lot of money for me!”

Personal
Born Oct. 11, 1976, in Los Angeles. Single.

Why You Know Her
She’s played Dr. Brennan on Bones since 2005. She also appeared in films such as Cold Mountain.

What You Don't Know
She is a vegan, which means that she does not wear leather or fur, or eat any animal products. In keeping with those principles, Emily also is a supporter of PETA.

Pre-season 5 article with David, Emily, Hart and Stephen Nathan

Link: http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7423:set-visit-bones-set-visit-interview-with-david-boreanaz-emily-deschanel-hart-hanson-and-stephen-nathan&catid=44:interviews&Itemid=172


Set Visit: BONES Set Visit Interview with David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, Hart Hanson and Stephen Nathan
Tuesday, 08 September 2009 11:11

Season 5 of the television series Bones, premiering on September 17th, will follow Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) and Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), as they contend with the emotional fall-out resulting from the change in their relationship that was brought about by events at the end of last season.

Brennan's request to have Booth father her child, as well as the strange, profound, almost psychic link they shared during Booth's coma, left both of them wondering what thoughts and emotions the other is experiencing. While Booth attempts to come to grips with these unleashed emotions, Brennan insists the two of them focus their attention and energy on their main job, of catching murderers that no one else can catch.

During a set visit to the show's soundstages at 20th Century Fox, co-stars David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel were joined by show creator/executive producer Hart Hanson and executive producer Stephen Nathan, to talk about what fans can expect from the popular television pairing.

Q: What are you working on today?

Deschanel: I just did a scene with Tamara Taylor, who plays Camille Saroyan, in which she is trying to learn about teaching her adopted daughter about sex. And so, she has this book with a cartoon penis in it. And, I did another scene with Eugene Byrd, who plays Clark Edison. In that scene, he comes back from collecting a bunch of bones from train tracks, and I'm really making him work very hard to gather bones from the victims we are working on.

Q: Emily and David, was the chemistry between you guys there from day one, or is it something that has been developing with the series?

Boreanaz: It's definitely developed, from the moment the two of us met. This is the best twosome in television, as far as relationships of characters are concerned. When I walked into the room and we were testing, there were two other girls. There was this one girl who we all pretty much thought had the part, but when Emily and I worked the scene, there was definitely some magic that happened in the room. And, when you are fortunate enough to catch that lightning in a bottle, you don't really have a sense of where it's going to go or how it's going to transform. You work on it. And, we have been working on our chemistry, since day one.

We continually work on each episode and each moment, in each scene, to develop that chemistry. And, in order to develop that chemistry, you have to trust the other person you're working with. With that trust comes a lot of things that you can't really share with other people because it's between the two of us, and I cherish that. She is not only someone I work with, but she has become part of my family. I can look at Emily and say that I enjoy the moments I have with her because they lead to me becoming a better person. And, in doing so, I learn about her, hence we get chemistry. I think that chemistry has developed in the last four seasons, in a very strong way.

Nathan: From the writer's standpoint, you can't ever write chemistry. There are so many shows that might be well-written, but if that chemistry isn't there between the two stars, it just doesn't work. We are very, very lucky to have that.

Deschanel: You can have writing that showcases the chemistry that David and I work on, and you can have writing that doesn't showcase it, so writing definitely plays a part too. I wouldn't say that it is just from the actors. But, I think it's important that David and I have a good relationship, off camera, in order for us to have that relationship and chemistry, on camera. That's important to us, as well as working the scenes to always make things better.
Q: Can you have good chemistry and not like the other actor?

Boreanaz: It depends. I'm sure you can look at shows in the past, where the actors probably had great chemistry, but they didn't really have a great relationship. What we do for each other is be there. If I'm having a bad day, or if she's having a bad day, we can talk about it and get through it and use it in our work. It works for us by helping motivate the scene and push the scene along. It also helps us find out something new about each other, so that we do respect those moments.

Nathan: It was there, on the first day. I learned how to write towards it, and they just work on it all the time. We can ask them to do anything, including turning on a dime with the tone. We can ask them to be funny and then touching and then gross, all within one episode.

Hanson: It's a big gift to write to David and Emily. Stephen and I have both worked on shows where you try to write for a couple and you think to yourself, "Oh, this is never going to work." Yes, I think people who don't like each other can have good chemistry, but I think there has to be something. If it's hate, then you have to see if you can translate that. But, we are very lucky that it is not hate. It would be very interesting to see how the chemistry between Booth and Brennan is completely different from the chemistry between Emily and David. But, the minute the camera starts, it turns into that chemistry that works for our show.

Q: Was it an enormous vote of confidence from Fox to pick you up for two seasons?

Hanson: To be honest, there was a lot of negotiation about how we were going to proceed into the fifth season. One reason for the two-year pick-up had to do with licensing fees. That being said, it's great. For us who are making stories, it gives us a nice timeline. And, for the actors, it gives them an idea as to how they can settle into it. I felt like it was a great gesture from the network to us. They didn't have to do that.

Nathan: It really was a vote of confidence because so many shows get picked up for 13 episodes rather than 22. It really made us feel very welcomed on the network. More importantly
to me was the Thursday night timeslot. Every year, it seemed like it was announced that we were going to move to Friday nights, and we didn't have to contend with that this time.

Deschanel: We fought it every year, though.

Nathan: We did fight it every year. Thursday at 8:00 is not the greatest timeslot, but it's definitely not the worst. If we can just stay there and build up our audience, that would be fabulous. And, they seem to be serious about that.

Q: Hart, all last season, you said that Booth and Brennan were going to get together, but we got to the finale and it wasn't real. Will you revisit that, this season?

Hanson: Do you honestly think I am going to answer that question, after what I went through last season?

Nathan: I'm here to say, don't ever listen to Hart. Just don't listen to a word the man says. He lies.

Deschanel: We did end up in bed together, but it was in our minds. Going into Season 5, you will see that that changes our relationship for good. The fact that it was in our minds does, in fact, change their relationship.

Hanson: They look at each other differently. It's quite evident, especially in the first episode, that the relationship has evolved because of that experience.

Boreanaz: Booth is just trying to get his memory back.

Q: Emily, can you talk about Brennan's naivete with the outside world. Are there times you're surprised at what she does or doesn't know?

Deschanel: That's one thing that I love about my character. She has no idea who Britney Spears is, or anything pop culture related, at all. I love that because she's filled her brain with entirely useful information that she uses in her day to day life. Why would she fill it with anything frivolous, like Britney Spears? At the same time, I love the fact that characters have contradictions. Brennan did know who Stewie was, from Family Guy.

We all have people in our lives that surprise us, and that makes it so human. That's what I love about Hart and Steven's writing. The characters can have this base, but then contradict the base because that's what people do. From time to time, you see that Brennan does know certain things, like for example, she's a fan of John Wayne. She watched him growing up.

Q: One of the fun things about your character is that she is such a straight arrow, and then she gets put in such weird situations. Is that fun for you?

Deschanel: Those are some of my favorite episodes. I especially loved the circus episode because Brennan is not someone who gets carried away with things. You would not expect her to enjoy performing like she did. We get to see different sides of our characters, when we go undercover in an episode, so I think David and I both love doing those episodes. Brennan doing the high-wire act and enjoying performing surprised her too because she didn't expect to enjoy it so much. It's a contradiction to the character that I just love, and I also love to play it. We always have the most fun doing episodes like that.

Boreanaz: I had fun as the Russian knife thrower. I wanted to do the whole show as Russian.

Deschanel: I was freaked out because I didn't know if I could do a Russian accent.

Boreanaz: I decided that, two days before we stared shooting the episode.

Hanson: And then, we had to find a big mustache for him.

Deschanel: Those are the kind of things that just come out, organically. David will say, "I want to be Russian," and then it will happen and there will be discussions about it. Hart and Stephen, and all the writers, are very adaptable. Something will happen at the last minute, and they will say, "Okay, we will write that." It is this organic, living, breathing organism with all these people working together and making it happen. That's the fun experience we have doing the show.

Nathan: Every time I go to set, I end up texting back to my computer, ideas that I get from them. David will have six ideas, and I'll be thinking, "I can't text this fast."

Deschanel: David always has amazing ideas. I just love his thought process.

Boreanaz: It's great. It's an open, informative, creative environment. To have a say and have someone like Stephen say that they are open to those ideas, makes it a better opportunity for us, as actors, to explore those areas.

Nathan: One of my favorite ideas that David came up with, that we haven't had a chance to do yet, was taking flying lessons with a little person. David said, "I think Booth should take flying lessons with a little person," and then he acts it out, and you laugh and decide whether to put it in the show or not.

Hanson: I think we were out to dinner and on our second bottle of wine, when that idea came up.

Boreanaz: Wow, I can't even remember that.

Q: David, how is Booth's brain at the start of the season?

Boreanaz: It's an interesting thing that is going to happen with him. What I really want to maintain with the arc for him, which we are threading in each episode, is to have the thought that he does have a memory of certain things, but he is not adept to other things that he thought he was.

For example, in the last episode about plumbing, he is ordering a plumbing for dummies book because he can't remember how to plumb his own kitchen sink. He is upset that he has to pay someone $800 to do it, so Brennan is like, "Why don't you just do it? You're so adept." Well, that was before the coma.

He has to re-visit things that he was very good at, and that really allows the character to examine where he's at, if he likes doing it, and getting his grasp of that material back in his system. We will slowly see that development with his character through the episodes, whether it's putting on his belt buckle again, or whatever. We have a great part, in the first episode, with the socks. He doesn't remember wearing the socks. They are all little touching moments that I want to have incorporated through the season, that may be larger or smaller arcs.

Nathan: I think it's a matter of re-discovering his character and, in that process, re-discovering Brennan. That's why, even though that event might not have been technically real, it was very, very real for them, as characters. It makes them see each other differently. The event that happened is real for them.

Boreanaz: It makes Booth want to re-invest his time and energy into a relationship with Brennan because he doesn't remember certain things. They are now back to ground zero again. They are probably even worse than ground zero.

Deschanel: Brennan knows his memory is recovered, on some level.

Q: Does Booth's memory loss spill over into his job?

Boreanaz: It might, which would be fun. The subtext that I would ultimately like to bring to the scene, organically comes out and can make it more of an interesting connection between these two characters, whether it's knowing how to interrogate someone, or just the little nuances that are really ripe to discover with this character.

Q: David and Emily, what made you decide to take on the added responsibility of a producer title?

Boreanaz: It's definitely something that you want to do, being more a part of the whole of what goes on. You want to find yourself available to go to production meetings or prep meetings, and you want to find yourself available to go in at certain times, even if your not working, to discuss ideas for casting, wardrobe choices for certain people and ideas for how the camera works, as far as D.P. meetings. Ultimately, it was about putting in input to the cause, that makes sense and works as a whole. Taking that leadership on, as a producer, is keeping the boat together creatively, and understanding the ins and outs of where we are at financially with the show, where we stand budget wise, what we can and can't do, or how many days we can or can't go out. You become more aware of when you can add to the conversation. You develop an understanding of what it means to be a producer.

Nathan: It's the greatest thing ever because you spend a certain amount of time and energy protecting actors from some of the realities because you want them to be putting their creativity on the stage and be protected from a whole bunch of crap. But, the minute they become producers, you can spread the pain a little bit. It's really great to go in and say, "Here's why you have to do this." Both David and Emily have been really great about being aware of what will happen. I think all actors should be producers.

Deschanel: I think of it as an extension of the collaborative nature of the show, from the beginning. It can be logistical, it can be big-picture stuff, it can be story stuff, it can be character stuff, it can be a lot of different things. We are limited because we are on set, every day, working many hours, as actors. We can't go scouting or plan the budget, but we do look at what's going on, and we are aware of problems and try to help fix them.

Nathan: I'll say, "Do you really want to know this?," and neither one of them has ever said no yet, which is amazing to me because I don't want to know it. I wish someone would ask me if I really wanted to know it.

Deschanel: As an actor, you crave that responsibility, and the more information we have is exciting to us because sometimes people want to keep actors in the dark. It's like, "Don't tell them that. Just let them be pretty," and that can be frustrating. I'm really good at being pretty, but come on.

Q: Hart, given the reaction of a lot of people, to the fact that the spoiler at the end of Season 4 didn't turn out to be quite what they expected, do you think you will do that again?

Hanson: Oh, yeah. It's my job. But, I never know when to lie or when not to lie. I've learned my lesson. You want people reacting to your show. The best thing for me is when -- and this sounds awful, but it's true -- the audience fights amongst itself. Then, I feel like we've done something right. I feel that, if everybody loved everything, all the time, they would be bored in one season. I could be wrong, but that's just my feeling.

Deschanel: The audience who wanted to see Booth and Brennan together also didn't want to see them together. It's a push and pull ‘cause you want to see them together, but what will happen to them if they get together? That episode was a way to do both. It disappointed some people, and it got some people excited. We care about what the audience thinks and wants, but at the same time, they are contradicting themselves.

Hanson: The audience doesn't just want one thing

Nathan: I think they want to want to see them together, and we're doing pretty well with that.

Q: What do you think the revolving door of assistants has brought to the show, and will that continue this season?

Hanson: Yeah, we are going to continue that for a while. It's one of those things, when you adapt to what happens, organically, in a series. We thought we were going to have a bunch of people come in and see how we liked them, and then we would pick someone. But, we cast these wonderful people, and they opened up stories in the lab. The ones we have now are very, very good and I worry, all the time, that we are going to lose them because we don't have them on series deals, we have them as guest stars. They are amazing. So, I think we will keep doing that, until it starts to feel like we should do something else.

Boreanaz: We are also investigating doing it with the FBI now, which I think is really interesting because we haven't seen much of the rookies in Booth's world. It would be really interesting to see the revolving door of FBI assistants. What's great about the experience of working with these guys is that they open up the realm of possibilities.

Q: Will you bring in any new ones?

Hanson: Yes. I know we will bring in at least one more, and we have ideas for two, but I don't know if we will bring in two this year. If we lose one of our regulars, possibly we will bring in two. The trick is that they have to be well-rounded characters, in their own right.

Deschanel: They've written such well-rounded, interesting, quirky characters for all of them. They are just so unique and interesting.

Hanson: It's good for us because we want to bring all of them back. We argue about who the favorite is, all the time.

Season 5 of BONES premieres on September 17th

Article Emily did with Health Magazine in 2009

Link: http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20411537,00.html



Fox's Emily Deschanel Dishes on Being Vegan, Going Green

Bones star Emily Deschanel spoke with Health magazine about her passion for planet Earth. In this web-exclusive interview she talks about her eco-friendly lifestyle—and how you can go green, too.

Q: What's one simple change Health readers could do to go green?
A: Be aware of what you're doing in every way. Turning on your light impacts so many things—it affects the environment and uses fossil fuels. Instead of thinking, I need to change this immediately, start thinking about how you are and what you're doing in your life that you can do better.

Q: Do you ever get disappointed with yourself by forgoing going green?
A: Yes, especially with take-out food. I keep telling myself that I should bring containers to the place and have them fill it up. It's inconvenient, because if I want them to deliver to my house, I have to look at the pile of containers, and I get disappointed in myself. There's got to be a better way.

Q: In L.A. there are a lot of resources for vegans, like you. Any advice for going vegan in a small town?
A: You can do it anywhere, but you may want to just start by being vegetarian, or eating less meat or less dairy. And that's good for your health. There are so many studies that show eating meat and dairy products leads to a lot of cancers and heart disease.

Q: Do you have to be a greenie to win your heart?
A: My boyfriend eats mainly vegetarian, but he's not totally vegetarian. He ate everything when we first started going out. I did not try to change him, but, I think after he went to enough animal events, and was around a lot of loud vegans, [laughs] he picked up some habits.

Q: What causes are you most passionate about?
A: Animals are what I'm most passionate about. I think that so many people don't care about animals, or they put people first. And I value them both equally. I'm working with the Humane Society and with Farm Sanctuary, which is a farm animal sanctuary, but there's a lot of animal organizations that I believe are doing really good works.

Q: How do you juggle it all? Is there a secret to balancing everything?
A: I think it's important to take time for yourself, even if it's five minutes. If you can get 20, that's amazing. Every day, find time for yourself, to really let go and relax. I love taking a bath and lighting candles. I just do breathing exercises, even for a few minutes. And that really kind of centers me.

Q: When and where do you feel happiest?
A: I feel happiest when I'm surrounded by friends or family. Around the holidays I had friends over, and we were in my dining room eating food and drinking wine and sharing stories. I also love driving up the coast and looking at a beautiful sunset, even though that sounds so cheesy.

Organic Living with Emily Deschanel -- March 2009

Link: http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20411552_1,00.html

It’s one thing to talk the eco-friendly talk. But as Bones star Emily Deschanel climbs out of her Prius, it’s clear that this is a woman who also walks the walk. Although her character, Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan, is a buttoned-up anthropologist focused on the small, crime-solving details in life, Emily, 32, sees the much bigger picture.

The Los Angeles–born actress is a devoted crusader for environmental causes. She prefers organic cotton, hemp or vintage clothing, wears cruelty-free makeup, and rarely goes anywhere without her nontoxic SIGG water bottle. Emily spends much of her downtime speaking for a planet that can’t speak for itself. Here, she shares her best eco tips and the simple pleasures that keep her so down to Earth.

Q: What are the most everyday ways you’ve gone green?
A: I’ve been vegan for 15 years, and it turns out it makes a very big impact on the environment to eat fewer animal products, which cause more greenhouse gases than all of transportation combined. The United Nations did a study just over two years ago, and that blew my mind. I started thinking that if people are vegetarian for one day a week, that makes a huge difference!

Q: Are there any ways you wish you could be more green?
A: Well, I want to do solar panels on my house. I think it’s important to speak up for the environment because the Earth is not saying something. [Laughs.] I mean, it is, but it is saying things to us in its own way. It makes a big difference to recycle. It makes a big difference to use recycled products. It makes a big difference to reuse things, to not use the paper cup—and each time you do, that’s a victory.

Q: What’s the best (and worst) part of living with your sister [actress Zooey Deschanel]?
A: The best part is I can just pop downstairs and have a cup of tea. The worst part is trying to figure out parking. [Laughs.] But she’s traveling all the time and we have different schedules, so we’re not bugging each other unnecessarily.

Q: How would you say you two are most alike and most different?
A: We have a similar sense of humor, and we like to do the same things like hiking or taking a dance class or doing karaoke. I’m three years older than Zooey. We fought like crazy when we were younger—like, we were physically fighting! Now, we can understand each other’s lives. I love having a sister. It’s a great relationship that you don’t understand unless you have one, I guess.

Q: Zooey is engaged [to Death Cab for Cutie singer Ben Gibbard]. Are you the maid of honor?
A: Yeah.

Q: As a performer, does that still make you nervous?
A: Very nervous. Public speaking is the number-one fear … even over death!

Q: What’s your dream evening in?
A: Ahh, hanging out with my boyfriend. Probably getting takeout. I like Indian food. Last year for Valentine’s Day I tried to cook, and we didn’t eat until midnight! I think it’s best left to the professionals.

Q: What’s your favorite way to spend downtime with him?
A: We’ve been taking a lot of bike rides. It’s nice to have something to do together that’s physical. I think it’s important to remember that to exercise you don’t have to run a sprint.

Q: You’ve been inspired by fellow actor and environmentalist Ed Begley Jr. What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from him?
A: If I leave a light on in my house, which I try not to do, I always say, “Ed Begley, you gotta turn it off.” If I don’t turn it off, my assistant or boyfriend will say, “Ed Begley!”

Q: Does he have any idea that you chant his name at home?
A: I haven’t told him yet. But he’s a great example of someone really living the life. He has a very good book, Living Like Ed. It’s so interesting to read about all these green products, like a master switch so you can turn off all your lights at once when you leave the house, but it doesn’t turn off your refrigerator or whatever else needs to stay on … like your TiVo!

Q: Going green can get pricey. Have any favorite thrifty tips?
A: Buying used clothes is cheaper. And going to a farmers’ market is a lot cheaper than going to a pricier health-food market.

Q: What would you say is your proudest green achievement?
A: Getting the head of Fox, Peter Liguori, to go vegan. We were at a party, and I said, ‘You’d make a big difference by just trying it for a week.’ I sent him food, and he really stuck to it.

Q: What is your proudest life achievement?
A: I guess doing this role and keeping a level head. It was hard at first. There was a lot of pressure. And I had a kind of a breakdown my first year—it wasn’t a breakdown breakdown, but I became very upset.

Q: Is there anything you feel that you’ve learned from that tough period?
A: When I got upset, I realized that [it was because] I was put on The Pill. And that made me incredibly emotional. I had gone through a breakup just before I started this job, and working 15 or 16 hours a day was stressful. It wasn’t like I was the same person under some stress.
I was a different person! Hormones can definitely affect your emotions.

Q: So you stopped taking The Pill?
A: I stopped it. You need to listen to your body. I think it’s so important to know yourself. For me, that’s being as natural as possible. I personally don’t like to take any medication, even if it’s, like, for a headache, unless I absolutely have to.

A: Do you have any natural remedies for a headache?

A: I always ask myself, “Have I had enough water?” Dehydration is a big cause of headaches. And I look at my tension: “Am I holding tension in my neck?” If so, I’ll go out and get a massage.


Q: You’re vegan—are you an ideal eater?
A: Oh my god, I’m not a perfect eater by any means, and I don’t believe in starving yourself. I believe in eating healthfully and being balanced—and being balanced in your mind as well as in your body. Because I think you can become obsessed with being a certain size, but what is being healthy? It’s exercising and eating well, but also not obsessing about those things!

Q: What’s your favorite natural beauty trick?
A: I tried something that a facialist recommended: You take a strawberry, bite off the end, and then rub the strawberry around your face. It’s like a nice enzyme treatment, and there’s a natural scrub from the seeds.

Q: Do you think our society puts too much emphasis on using artificial means to look younger?
A: Absolutely. I think it’s dangerous, actually, when people have this expectation of looking a certain way that’s just not natural. Who cares what you look like if you’re not enjoying your life?

Q: Do you plan to age gracefully?
A: I hope that I don’t feel the need to look like somebody different, because no one ends up looking really younger; you just look … odd. But who am I to say what someone should do? And who am I to say how I’m going to feel as I’m aging? But [the TV show] Nip/Tuck makes me want to never go under the knife.

Q: When and where do you feel happiest?
A: When I’m surrounded by my friends and family. Around the holidays I had some friends over, and we were in my dining room eating food, drinking wine, and sharing stories. I love looking at a beautiful sunset, too … and that sounds so cheeseball! But I like to be surprised by a sunset, I guess, when you never expect it.

Ausiello article about the season 4 finale ... Emily talks about how protective David was of her during the filming of the sex scene.

Link: http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/05/06/deschanel-on-bo/

Emily Deschanel on Booth-Brennan sex: It won't break 'Bones'
by Michael Ausiello
Categories: Bones

Emily Deschanel admits she finds all the hype surrounding Booth and Brennan’s hookup on Bones next Thursday a little mystifying. “It’s only a few minutes on camera,” she says, “so it feels weird to talk about it so much.” I couldn’t agree more. And to prove it, I’m not going to ask Deschanel… wait a second, did she say a few minutes?! Let’s dish, sister friend!

A lot has been made about what affect the sex will have on Booth and Brennan, but I’m curious what the whole experience has been like for you and David.

EMILY DESCHANEL: It probably strengthened our friendship, even though this kind of thing can probably ruin a friendship. Honestly, he was such a sweet guy. He was more supportive and concerned for me before we started filming than I would be. He had meetings about it. He’s like, “I don’t want anyone around.” He practically kicked out everyone — even the people who had to be there filming! And it’s a fairly tame scene. He was so protective of me; it was very sweet, actually. He wanted to make sure I felt comfortable. Of course, he also made jokes.

It must have been awkward.
DESCHANEL: It was awkward, but we were prepared for it. I laughed
really hard during our kissing scene last season; it’s just really
weird to kiss your co-star. I laughed this time in rehearsal, but I was
really proud of myself for not laughing when we actually shot it. And
honestly, it is a job. There were technical things we had to worry
about.

How drastically will the sex alter the Booth-Brennan relationship?
DESCHANEL: It definitely changes the dynamic between the characters.
But it’s done in a very clever way. [Series creator] Hart Hanson wrote
the episode in a way that gets these two characters together — which a
lot of the audience was waiting for — but doesn’t dissipate the sexual
tension between them and, therefore, ruin the show.

Can you say whether Booth’s medical issues are a factor?
DESCHANEL: Let’s just say there’s definitely a twist. It’s not a dream,
but there are twists. And there are [other] twists at the end of the
episode that will be shocking as well.

Does the finale end with a cliffhanger?
DESCHANEL: A little bit, yeah. It’s not a matter of life or death, but
it’s kind of huge. There’s a cliffhanger and it has to do with Booth
and Brennan relationship. It puts their relationship in jeopardy.

Is anyone leaving the show?
DESCHANEL: Not anyone that people love.