Interview with John Francis Daley (the new shrink)

Bones: Dead Bodies and Psychotherapy
John Francis Daley talks about joining Bones, his Freaks and Geeks past and more.
by Eric Goldman

October 22, 2007 - John Francis Daley started his career at the age of fourteen in a very notable way, playing one of the lead characters, Sam Weir, on the beloved Judd Apatow produced series Freaks and Geeks. The show only lasted one season, but the respect and fandom it holds in TV history has continued to grow since its demise in 2000. Meanwhile, nearly everyone involved in the series has gone onto increasingly impressive careers, and it seems everyone associated with Apatow on that series has been on a notable role in the last couple of years.

Recently, Daley has been seen in films and TV series like Waiting and Kitchen Confidential. He also joined several of his fellow Geeks alumni -- including Seth Rogan, Jason Segal and Busy Philipps -- by becoming a screenwriter, selling a script he co-wrote called The $40,000 Man which is going to be directed by Terry Zwigoff (Ghost World).

This week sees Daley take on a new role, as he joins the cast of FOX's Bones. Daley plays Dr. Lance Sweets, an unlikely psychotherapist who becomes part of the lives of Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Seely Booth (David Boreanaz), whether they like it or not. Hired in a recurring role, Daley will now be fully joining the cast as a series regular.

I spoke to Daley for an exclusive chat with IGN about his new role, his thoughts on the enduring appeal of Freaks and Geeks and his transition into screenwriting.


IGN TV: How did this role on Bones come to be?

John Francis Daley: I got a call from my agent saying that there was a recurring role that they were interested in me for, playing a young psychotherapist. And I said "But I'm only 22!" And they said "Well that's sort of the point." I was very intrigued and I took the role as recurring and now I'm on as a regular.

IGN TV: Like you said, you're still a young guy, and this seems like it's probably the most grown up role you've played yet. Is that fun for you?

Daley: Yeah, it's nice. It's nice to know that I'm able to break out of the kid actor thing and be able to take some roles where my character went to college… which is unlike me.

IGN TV: Is the character firmly established as the same age as you?

Daley: Yeah, he's supposed to be 22. I think for the first time I'm actually playing my age. I think the last time I played my age was on Freaks and Geeks, and that's why I looked like I was nine.

IGN TV: Is his age an obstacle for your character as far as getting respect, since it's a position people probably are surprised top find him in?

Daley: Absolutely. That's what they sort of cover in the first few episodes, is how these people can possibly take this youthful psychotherapist seriously.

IGN TV: He sees both Brennan and Booth together, right?

Daley: Yeah. I've been meeting with them for a few sessions and I've just begun to start following them to their headquarters, where I get to see bodies that are in various stages of decomposition and it's all very new to my character and all very disgusting.

IGN TV: What's that like for you as an actor? I've been on that set a few times and they have some pretty disgusting things going on there.

Daley: It's really interesting to see how they do it. I mean, it's weird to see us rehearsing with this body that has supposedly been dead for years. It's like a cake the way they moisten it every take, to make it look especially gross. So they pay very special attention to their dead bodies, even more than the actors maybe! [Laughs]

IGN TV: What does your character think of Booth and Brennan?

Daley: I think they're a very interesting case, because obviously there's some sort of chemistry between the two that they are unwilling to define, so that's kind of what my character's trying to gauge.

IGN TV: Their chemistry is such a big part of the show and it seems like your character could be an important element in possibly bringing them together.

Daley: Right. Well, it's sort of a couples therapy session for them and for me, which is something that my character is probably more comfortable with than witnessing dead bodies.

IGN TV: How is it working with David and Emily?

Daley: They're great. They're both really, really great actors and people. They immediately made me feel totally welcome when I first came to set and we've been having a lot of fun together.

IGN TV: I'm guessing Booth is probably pretty resistant to the help your character is offering?

Daley: He absolutely is. He does not believe in therapy nor does Brennan, so I'm trying to convince them that I'm here to help. It's a real struggle.
IGN TV: What's it like for all the characters to have you showing up in their world?

Daley: No one really embraces the notion that I'm sort of mentally dissecting them, at least at this point. Hopefully we'll reach some kind of a comfort zone that we can all be happy with. I think my character is eagerly awaiting that day.

IGN TV: The show is a drama but it has comedic moments to it. Is it nice to mix those elements together?

Daley: Yeah, I am able to sort of mix my jumbled psychotherapy talk with jokes, and that's something that I haven't been able to do in a role yet. It's very cool.

IGN TV: It seems like Freaks and Geeks was probably a good training ground for putting comedy and drama together.

Daley: Yeah, definitely. It sort of showed us that sometimes uncomfortable moments of [seemingly] no comedy can be the funniest of all.

IGN TV: Now I wanted to ask you about The $40,000 Man, but first I have to ask what was it in the Kool-Aid on the Freaks and Geeks set that turned you all into writers?

Daley: [Laughs] I don't know. There was some kind of magic dust that Judd gave us the first day. No, I'm just very, very happy to even have been a part of something like this. When I found out that Terry Zwigoff was going to direct it, I flipped out.

IGN TV: How long have you been writing for?

Daley: The thing is actors, a lot of them call themselves writers, and they are in my eyes, but at least this time… Well, I've been saying I was a writer forever and no one really took me seriously. But now I can somewhat legitimately say I was a writer, unless this was all a fluke.

IGN TV: Can you talk a bit about the movie and the concept?

Daley: Basically it's about the guy that came before the Six Million Dollar Man, because we figured there must have been some kind of beta testing before they got to a man that was made of six million dollar parts. So it's about that guy. The beta version.

IGN TV: It seems kind of serendipitous to have the new Bionic Woman on the air. It helps remind people of the concept.

Daley: Absolutely! I think it reminds people of that whole concept and a comedic version of it will be a stark contrast to what's on the air right now.

IGN TV: You'll be busy with Bones of course, but will you be trying to also write as much as you can?

Daley: Yes, and I think that on an ensemble cast like this I have the ability to do that. It's just a perfect job right now.

IGN TV: Going back to Freaks and Geeks, considering you're about ten feet taller now, do you get recognized much for the show?

Daley: I do, I do. People expect to recognize me looking down, but now they recognize me looking up. I don't know what it was that made me grow so fast.

IGN TV: And now you can look down at some of your former cast members who once towered above you.

Daley: I can look down at them, that's right… And that's the goal, really. To look down at people! [Laughs]

IGN TV: [Laughs] You were pretty young doing the show. Did you realize at the time it was something very special, as far as TV is concerned?

Daley: No, at the time I didn't. I had no idea what the hell I was doing at the time. As far as the business, it was the first, big professional thing that I had done, so it was all new and I kind of thought that most TV was like that. Afterwards I realized it wasn't.

IGN TV: I was thinking about how if the show was the hit it deserved to be, it could have just finished this year. Season 8, with Sam graduating from college. Where do you think Sam would be at?

Daley: Gosh, I have no idea. I think probably my life would have gone the same sort of route that [Freaks and Geeks creator] Paul Feig's life went, because it's sort of based on him. And maybe I guess my character would be losing his virginity right now.

IGN TV: On a very special episode?

Daley: That's right!

IGN TV: The fandom has just grown and grown through the years. I assume it must be very gratifying to see more people discover the show?

Daley: Yeah. It was a great experience. It's a shame that it ended when it did, but at the same time it also left that question open - That 'what if' question, which I think is part of the reason why it's still alive today.


John Francis Daley debuts on Bones Tuesday, October 23rd at 8:00 pm ET/PT on FOX

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