On the Phone with Bones’ Emily & Zooey Deschanel

Fact: Emily Deschanel prefers to sleep in on Christmas while Zooey prefers to get up early. That’s just one of the details we learned when sisters, and now co-stars, Emily and Zooey Deschanel participated in a conference call with reporters last week to promote Zooey’s guest turn as Brennan’s cousin on the December 10 episode of Bones.

Emily and Zooey Deschanel, together on screen for the first time / FOX

Working together for the first time “was fun,” says Zooey. Emily recalled that the first day they were on set, they filmed a scene with just the two of them and Ryan O’Neal, who plays Brennan’s dad. Talking about acting, it sounded like although they’re in the same profession, the sisters are pretty laid back about it. As Emily says, they’re “supportive, but not fanatical.” Emily originally wanted to be an architect or engineer and went to school with that in mind while Zooey started acting first. Although each primarily works in a different medium (Emily on television, Zooey in movies), they try to keep up with each other’s projects as much as they can.

When someone asked if there are other sisters or siblings that they admire, the Deschanel sense of humor was on full display. “The Kardashians, of course,” deadpans Emily. “And the Olson twins,” chimes in Zooey.

Zooey’s character on Bones, Brennan’s cousin Margaret, is nothing like Zooey in real life. The relationship between Temperance and Margaret “doesn’t mirror our relationship at all,” say the sisters. When asked if there’s any sort of flirtation between Margaret and Booth, the answer is a resounding “NO!” Sounds like Brennan’s claim on Booth is pretty obvious. And speaking of the romance between our leads, Emily addressed how the show is handling that relationship fairly head on this season.

"It’s almost like a new relationship," says Emily Deschanel.

“We’re in the fifth season of the show where the two characters have this chemistry together.  Yet nothing has happened and I think that it’s a great way to explore this relationship and take it to another level without actually necessarily having some physical connection, I guess, to put it that way. I think it’s clever.  I like this aspect. It takes the relationship in a new direction and it takes it to a deeper place.

“The fact that both Booth and Brennan had that—well, Brennan wrote the book while Booth was in the coma and then Booth had the coma dream that was inspired by the book.  The fact that it didn’t happen in reality almost doesn’t matter that much because it happened in their minds and they can’t get it out of their minds, especially we’ve been exploring Booth because his feelings are a little more on the surface.  I think it’s an interesting dynamic and I welcome it.  I think it’s a clever way to deepen the relationship and explore the couple in a new relationship in a way. It’s almost like a new relationship.”

Zooey Deschanel guests on Bones

What else is coming up on Bones this season? Richard T. Jones guest stars in an episode that examines the Kennedy assassination as only the Squints and Booth can, and Diedrich Bader returns as Booth’s boss. Will he attempt a to draw Brennan’s attention again? Emily doesn’t say, but it sounds like an opportunity to move Booth/Brennan relationship along a bit more.

As we prepare to sign off, the sisters report that they have no plans to record any duets (Zooey is half of the She & Him folk duo, and demonstrated her musical talent in Elf), but they do hope to act together again. It may take another five years, but Emily tells Zooey, “We’d love to have you back.” For her part, Zooey says that, “it was really fun to watch Emily work. I enjoyed it and I’m excited to see the episode.

“The Goop in the Girl,” the Bones Christmas episode featuring Zooey Deschanel, airs Thursday, December 10 on FOX. See more photos from the episode in the Gallery.