David Boreanaz Has One Regret About Booth's Character In Bones
There's (understandably) been a whole lot of re-examining things said by the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" TV series cast over the years in the wake of the more recent revelations about creator Joss Whedon's toxic behavior and misconduct behind the scenes. I only mention this because it's hard not to do precisely that when revisiting comments that David Boreanaz made about his experience on "Bones" shortly before its series finale aired in 2017.
Having portrayed the brooding vampire Angel — and, on occasion, his literally soulless evil half Angelus — on "Buffy" and then the "Angel" spinoff series for several years, Boreanaz barely paused before diving right into playing Seeley Booth on "Bones." The FBI agent was, in some ways, just as tormented as Buffy's blood-thirsty boyfriend, though you wouldn't necessarily know it. To be sure, Hart Hanson's procedural was far more interested in the screwball comedy relationship between Booth and his murder-investigating colleague, Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan (Emily Deschanel), than Booth's dark backstory.
"When I read him, I instantly thought of 'Romancing the Stone,' and I expressed that to ['Buffy' and 'Angel' executive producer] Gail Berman," said Boreanaz, speaking to Entertainment Weekly a week before "Bones" wrapped up in 2017. He also called it "a joy" to work with Hanson over 12 seasons, stating that he much preferred working with a showrunner "who was open to creative endeavor, creative possibility, [and] creative outlet" than one who takes a my-way-or-the-highway approach, which he dubbed "a bit maniacal and masochistic." In hindsight, that sure sounds like a dig at Whedon, doesn't it?
In any case, there were times when Booth's troubled past would come bubbling to the surface throughout the show's kind of mind-boggling 246-episode run — just perhaps not enough for Boreneaz's preferences when he reflected on it.
Booth before Bones
Compared to Bones, who used science and reason as her guiding star, Booth was "a loose cannon under control," as Boreanaz put it. The character's emotional yet collected nature made sense. Having been raised by a physically abusive, alcoholic father (whose behavior was undoubtedly in part the result of his PTSD from fighting in the Vietnam War), Booth had a deep fear of turning out like his old man. There were occasions when "Bones" would address Booth's history head-on, like when he reconciled with his mother (who had abandoned Booth and his brother Jared at a young age because of their father's conduct). But again, that just wasn't the show's modus operandi most of the time.
"We didn't really tap into the dark past of his life, so I'll miss not trying to run with that more," Boreanaz admitted to EW. The actor would instead find ways of tapping into that with his props, from the socks he would wear to the very specific items Booth always kept on his person (like the craps dice he held onto as a reminder of his own gambling addiction). Some of these would figure directly into the show's week-by-week arcs, while others, like Booth's watch, were always kept somewhat at arm's distance. "There's so many detail-oriented things that I wish we could have tapped into. We did somewhat, but yes, it was difficult saying goodbye. At the same time, it was very refreshing," Boreanaz added.
Just as Booth settled into himself as "Bones" went on (making peace with his past before ultimately marrying and starting a family with Bones), it would seem that Boreanaz gained a newfound artistic confidence of his own after leaving his days on "Buffy" and "Angel" behind. Bully for him, I say.