Unlike her former co-star David Boreanaz, who just signed on to headline CBS’ Navy SEAL-themed drama pilot, leading lady Emily Deschanel will not be diving back into the job market so soon after wrapping her 12-year stint on Bones.
“David texted me the news and I wrote back, ‘Amazing. Good on you,’” the actress recalls. “I’m just so impressed that he’s willing to do that right now. But that’s not where I’m at. I’m at a place where I need time to grieve and process the show ending. I’m still recovering.”
Luckily, Deschanel agreed to briefly pause her post-Bones detox to answer a few questions about Tuesday’s series finale.
TVLINE | Was any part of you disappointed that Brennan regained her full mental faculties? It could’ve been interesting had the show ended with her being forced to chart a new path for herself.
I hear you. Ultimately, she came to a place where she was OK with who she is with or without her intellect. But, yes, sometimes I don’t want the endings to be too happy. I was glad that Hodgins didn’t get some miracle [cure] where he walks again. I’m a huge fan of Downton Abbey but when they had [Matthew] walk again I was like, “Come on.” [Laughs]
TVLINE |What do you think Brennan would do with her life without her intellect?
She would probably conduct some kind of market analysis to find out what job she would be best suited for with her [compromised] brain function.
TVLINE | I think you just came up with a spinoff — Bones: Market Analysis.
[Laughs] I love it!
TVLINE | What was it like seeing the lab get destroyed?
It affected us more than you would think. It was emotional. It was a gut punch and a sobering reality check because it acknowledged that this thing was ending. It was also disturbing. The art department did such an amazing job of destroying the lab,bBut it was a very unwelcoming space to work. We’re so used to putting our stuff down. Well, I was. I’d have my bags and my chairs and my water bottles… I’d have all my stuff, but you couldn’t put anything down on the ground. [Laughs] I had my kids visiting. My husband came to visit. And the air quality in there was not good, because there was black soot everywhere.
TVLINE | What was the most emotional scene from the finale shoot?
The scene where I had to talk to all the interns. Not only was I going around to each one and reminiscing with them [as Brennan], but it was my last scene with all of these actors who I’ve worked with over the [12] years. I did not want to be super emotional for that scene, but it was so hard not to just bawl.
TVLINE | Has it hit you yet that this 12-year experience is over?
It comes in waves. It hit me for sure when I finished [shooting the finale]. What I miss now is the people I worked with, the actors and the crew. I’m mourning that I don’t get to see those people every day. It will never be the same. I’m in the process of mourning the show itself. I think that will take longer to mourn, to kind of know what the show was for me and how it fits into television history.
