Matt Bomer & Tim DeKay – White Collar

By starrymag | December 16, 2014

Q) Well we’re really sad that it’s going to be the finale coming up. What can you tease us in store?

Tim: Well you know what? Why don’t I just tell you how it ends? That way we all know right now. Can you imagine? What can I? Do not walk away and I know you wouldn’t anyway but do not walk away until the final second of the episode. We’ve got some great twists and turns, some wonderful moments between everybody. And I think it fits on all the tones that have made White Collar what it is. There is a great familial sense to this episode, certainly the caper or the heist I should say in this instance is wonderful. And many questions that people have had throughout the seasons about White Collar will be answered.

Q) And was there anything you specifically took home with you from the set that you really wanted to make sure that you had for future?

Tim: There were two badges that Peter Burke had. I took home one. I took home a number of suits because they were just – they were – these suits were built for me by a great different tailors, special tailors. And then there was a painting that was in the hallway. I don’t think anybody has ever seen it. I don’t think it ever aired, a side of the painting maybe. But there was a painting in the hallway, the little vestibule before you entered Neal’s apartment and it – Neal and Mozzie had a – had this scene and I entered halfway through the scene or I was just waiting in that vestibule for my cue to enter. I would always look at this one painting and it’s a great painting of this couple in a horse drawn sleigh in the snow. And short – like within the first few episodes of the first season I thought I’m going to take this home when this show ends because I like it. So I did.

Q) Is there ever going to be a movie of the show or some sort of like prequel?

Tim: I don’t know. That’s a good question. I think in the past I would have said no I don’t see that being a possibility but Veronica Mars kind of broke the mold with that. I’m not going to say that’s – it would be impossible. I certainly would entertain that possibility but right now there aren’t any plans to have a movie. Gosh that would be fun.

Q) Did you like the ending or was there anything that you didn’t like about it or are you satisfied with the ending of the series?

Tim: I’m very satisfied with the ending of the series. One can never be satisfied with the ending of a project that they loved but creatively since we had to end it I feel that we gave a great exciting twist and ending that will surprise I believe everyone.

Q) I talked to you when you were shooting one of the last episodes but I’m just curious how was shooting the last episode in those last couple of scenes? Was everybody kind of welled up with emotion or how would you describe that last day on set?

Tim: It was similar to senior week in high school. But yet I don’t know if you remember but maybe you didn’t. But it was senior week but yet you had a whole bunch of finals still. You still had to do well in the classroom and those were the scenes and you wanted to do well. So but what was interesting was that every time somebody would finish let’s say Marsha Thomason-Sykes for example. She finished a couple days before Matt and I did. And in the past you all – the first AD always makes an announcement ladies and gentlemen that’s an episode wrap on this person and then the whole crew applauds. For every episode it’s a nice tradition that television has. In this instance the first AD would say ladies and gentlemen that is a series wrap on Marsha Thomason or on Sharif Atkins, whomever. And then of course the tears would start flow and each actor was aloud as they wanted to somewhat publicly thank the cast and crew and just share what the series meant to them. So that was lovely. It was just and as I said they saved the last part for – last shot of the series scene between Matt and me and we both got to speak and we were all – everybody was crying. And then they brought out a cake and it was lovely because the cast and crew became such a family. And it was just a joy to go to work.

Q) Now that White Collar is wrapping up I know you’ve already done the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Any types of roles you’re looking to do? Are you trying to kind of veer away from procedural stuff? Or what’s kind of on your bucket list moving forward?

Tim: I’ve done a holiday movie, a Christmas movie that I’m trying to get made that I would be directing in it. And I’ve also been talking to Fox Studios because they have some projects that they would like me to pursue as well with them for television as an actor which are very interesting. So I have those and also there’s a western that I will be shooting this spring where I play it’s a dark character. And I look forward to playing somebody dark and not quite. And it’s – he’s certainly not an FBI agent. Far from it. It’s – so I, as an actor you always look for something where the character is great or the story is great. And some of these projects I’ve got coming up they’re both. So while I will miss Peter – playing Peter greatly I look forward to different kind of roles.

Q) Why do you think Neal and Peter were such a successful partnership?

Matt: Tim DeKay. Because of Tim DeKay.

Tim: No because of Matt Bomer. His spirit and his kindness and his grace. I think honestly the key to Neal and Peter certainly it started with the writing. Jeff Eastin wrote these great guys and I – I’ll say that I – Matt and I work extremely well together and we respect each other and we listen to each other and we – I think the fun that we have, Matt and Tim have, working together comes across as Peter and Neal having a good time working together as well. It’s just all inherent in the writing. It’s very interesting to watch these two guys that you would not think would get along and they do. An unlikely partnership as has been said before…

Matt: Yes. I agree with – I echo everything Tim said. It really did start with the writing and I knew from the first time that Tim and I read together that we had somewhat of an understanding of the yin and yang of these two people and what – not only what made them different but what made them want to be the same in certain ways. We were lucky enough to have Jeff who was willing to listen to us and we were able to listen to him and just bounce ideas off of each other and get to riff on those things. And then I think we just had a blast doing it together.

Q) I think Tim might have already answered this but Matt how satisfied were you with the series finale?

Matt: I mean that’s a complicated question because you’re wrapping up so many things in such a period of time. But I would say – you want me to give you a percentage value? That’s a hard question to answer. I was really satisfied in some ways and in some ways I would have been interested to explore other avenues as well. I mean I think there was still directions to go. But I think the way they wrapped it up was really well done in the sense that they didn’t try to tie everything up into a nice bow. They really left some things open ended and left a lot up the viewer’s imagination which I always think is more potent than anything you could put down on a piece of paper.

Q) Matt could you just talk about shooting that last day and those last couple of scenes and how it felt and just what you were experiencing now that you’re looking back on that time?

Matt: It was really emotional. I think and I’m so glad that I think most of us if not all of us were able to process a lot of that in the moment as opposed to just finding yourself driving down a street in LA five months later and bursting into tears. But it was great. I’m so grateful. It’s so easy to focus on how much we’ll miss everybody and I will but I just feel like we’re all so lucky that we got to do this for six seasons and get to enjoy each other’s company for that time and make a lot of relationships. Business relationship and friendships were created that will last a lifetime. So I think there’s a lot more to be grateful for then there is to be sad about.

Q) What’s kind of on your bucket list moving forward? I know you have a lot of projects kind of up in the air. But what are the things you want to make sure you do in the next few years?

Matt: Oh goodness. There’s so many things I want to do. I’d like to really make the Montgomery Clift bio pic happen. I’d like to get a chance to wear two different hats in the business. And I also think it’d be really great to do an adaptation of a great novel. And those are pretty countless. But so any and all of the above.

Q) Matt, do you really know how to pick locks?

Matt: I was fortunate enough to have an amazing consultant over the years named Simon who was real – he was a former con artist and he was really – Simon Lovell. And he was really instrumental in teaching me a lot of sleight of hand whether it was picking a pocket or card tricks or picking a lock. And we actually did have a lock pick on set and or a lock pick set with me on set and he did at one point teach me how to pick a lock. Sometimes I was successful and most of the time I wasn’t. But I have at least one point on the show legitimately picked a lock on screen.

Q) Matt, what are you going to miss the most from the show overall?

Matt: I mean, again that’s a really kind of dense question to consolidate into a sound bite but I would say personally I’ll really miss the camaraderie that we all had on set. Professionally I’ll miss getting to play such a rich character and selfishly I’ll miss getting to wear all those great suits.

Q) I talked to Jeff and he mentioned you guys actually had a lot of input into the finale. So I was just wondering how much – how did that come about? Were you guys just sitting around brainstorming?

Tim: I don’t remember to be honest how it came about specifically but there were some ideas that were thrown around and Jeff seemed to like this one idea which reflects something that Matt had said earlier that it needs to be noted again how open Jeff Eastin was throughout the process to our ideas and how well he listened whether he listened to our rhythms through Peter and Neal or listened to Tim and Matt. But Jeff was always open to that and not precious with his words but open to the ideas and the rhythms that we would suggest for the show. I think that was a key to the show’s success at the beginning.

Matt: Yes I echo those sentiments. We heard a lot of ideas being bandied about and we kind of threw in our two cents and it ended up becoming kind of a soup that everybody had thrown a few ingredients into. So I don’t think Tim or I could take any personal or professional responsibility for it but they were definitely open to our input

Q) And having spent so much time with each other over the past however many years what have you guys learned from each other?

Matt: That I learned from Tim the kind of person I should be on set. I learned how to be a morning person because I never was thanks to this job. And Tim just is. And I learned a tremendous amount about acting from him. I mean every day I learned something different from him as an actor. But also I think I learned just as much about how to handle yourself on set on a day to day basis.

Tim: I learned from Matt. I really did. I learned his work ethic is unmatched. I’ve yet to see anybody who works harder than Matt. So that he looks really easy on the – when it’s aired. And he is always – he’s never satisfied which is something none of us are as artists are never quite satisfied. There’s always one more take we want. One just oh darn it one more moment that I’d like to work on again. And I’m glad that neither one of us ever allowed or accepted it to be satisfactory, to be – never allowed us to be satisfied. We – the two of us never were. And also I learned another kind of comedy from Matt. I group all these people that I know who have a certain kind of comedy and Matt is so specific and just brilliant and hilarious. I think we all learn from each other. But that’s – the key is to continue to learn and always be open to the next person who comes your way and shares a scene with you.

Q) When you had your last day of shooting was there anything special that you guys did or that they did on the set or on the show?

Tim: They brought out a piece of – a big cake. They brought out this gorgeous cake and black and white and blue icing and it was nice because they scheduled it so that the two of us had a final scene together. It wasn’t the last scene of the episode certainly as you will see but it was an episode – actually it was a scene that was already – that’s already aired. I think it was because it was – it aired Thursday. It was the scene where we’re out on the porch drinking a beer and you say I – you’ve got to join the Panthers. Well you don’t tell me that.

Matt: Oh yes. Maybe it was an additional scene or something that they’d written…

Tim: It wasn’t actually it wasn’t in the last episode. It was an additional scene that needed to be shot right around that Jeff King shot.

Matt: We also were able to give wrap speeches and express our gratitude to our amazing crew and fellow cast members and just have some closure there. And we were able to get our thoughts and thanks all out there

Q) Tim already gave amazing credits to the wonderful writers of the series and if you guys could play writer for a second were there any story arcs or little adventures that you would have loved to have taken your characters on?

Matt: I feel like there are always a lot of directions that your characters could go or would have, should have, could have. But my favorite scenes the writers wrote were typically the walk and talks that Tim and I would have. There’s so much skill involved in a scene like that and the rhythm and being in New York City and filming it on an active street and that’s something that I would be intimidated as a writer to try to even attempt. And our entire staff did such an incredible job of capturing that camaraderie and that dynamic and those were always my favorite. You can always think of things that could have happened or would have happened but I was always really excited on those days to do those scenes because I knew something fun was going to happen and Tim was going to surprise me with something and that we would both have a smile on our face at the end of the scene.

Tim: Yes they were – while they were the most challenging they were the most satisfying once you finished them because you had a lot of – there were a lot of factors that one of which was space. The writers always wrote much more than what was allowed for the dolly track which holds the camera to allow on a block. So we’d – it would be a dance of figuring out when can we stop. When can we – who then starts us walking again? And can we turn a corner? Would it be great to not – to turn a corner or not. All these just great things. And of course decisions having to made – be made within a matter of what seemed like seconds because we were always up against the clock.

Q) In all of the episodes that you guys shot do you have one that stands out as a favorite?

Tim: Well I’d have to say the pilot but I don’t know if that – that almost seems separate. I can’t think of any. There are some moments funny enough that I did not think would be my favorite but there are some moments during the Nazi sub episode that I enjoyed. The Burke’s Seven that was fun. I don’t know. I could. I’m not going to – they were all my favorite. They’re like children to me. I love them each and every one of them…

Matt: Yes it’s like asking me which is my favorite finger. We had six years of compiled memories. I mean it’s tough to pick one thing. I would say if I had to encapsulate one experience it would probably be the pilot because you have a lot more time and you’re establishing all these relationships and everything is so fresh and new. So that was definitely a really magical time but this was just one of those rare jobs where there wasn’t a single day that went by that I wasn’t enjoying myself. If not the entire day than most of it. So it’s impossible to really boil it down to just one episode or one moment.

Q) A lot of people have been saying that they would be kind of okay with the series sort of ending on a cliffhanger and not really letting us know kind of what happens. So what I was wondering if you guys had any like hopes for what your characters would do after the series ended?

Tim: Well I certainly don’t want to give you any spoilers but I will say this. I know exactly what my character would do right as soon as the episode goes to black. I know exactly what happens the next day for Peter Burke.

Q) I was just thinking kind of along the lines of like if we sort of never found out either way what happened and completely kind of unrelated to what’s actually going to happen. You’re like wildest hopes or ideas for what they would do?

Matt: I’ll tell you I think the writers did an incredible job creating somewhat of a cliffhanger. But also giving well. How can I say this to them? Also giving the audience a little bit to chew on.

Q) I know you guys kind of talked about Neal and Peter’s relationship already but I don’t think that there’s a relationship like theirs anywhere else on TV and it’s kind of one of my favorite relationships on a TV show. So what I was wondering was what your favorite thing about their relationship was?

Matt: My favorite thing was that as different as they were there was a mutual respect between them and there was always something that the other person had that the other – that Neal – there’s always something that Peter had that Neal wanted. I don’t want to be too bold. So there was as different as they were they kind of stretched each other’s boundaries and also respected certain aspects of the other person’s life.

Tim: Yes I think I don’t if I’ve ever said this but it just hit me now listening to Matt is that and I don’t mean this in a certainly a romantic sense. But the two of them were very attracted to each other’s lives. They both found each other extremely interesting.

Q) So just kind of a mutual sort of infatuation as it goes.

Tim: I know that’s why I had to preface it with that. But like I don’t think I’ve ever used that kind of – that word but I think it’s true though. They – I wouldn’t say infatuated but I would say very interested and attracted to what they were doing.

Q) Matt, Tim told us what he took from the set. Could you tell us what you decided to keep? What memento that you took away from White Collar?

Matt: Yes I took a painting of a like harem from Neal’s apartment. And what else did I take? I took the bust of Socrates and gave it to Jeff Eastin as a wrap gift. And then I don’t remember what else I took…

Tim: Did you take the preacher skating?

Matt: No Willie wanted that. So I gave it to him. There was a beautiful picture of this preacher ice skating. It was kind of turn of the century in a top hat just kind of in his own solitary reverie ice skating around a pond by himself and I always very liked that picture. What else did I take? I don’t remember.

Tim: But because Willie is so religious you gave it to Willie.

Matt: I took there’s a great antique map of Manhattan that Neal had on his wall and I took that as well.

Tim: Did you take that (Chief DaMorcta)?

Matt: No they didn’t give me any suits. I think they auctioned them all off to make a dollar and left me in the cold. But over the years I certainly can’t complain. I definitely mutilated a few out of Neal’s wardrobe.

Q) Do you have any final words for your fans or any kind of message for the fans of White Collar?

Matt: Oh I think this entire final – look we have the most incredible fans for the show. We really do. I mean we probably had 42 different time slots over the course of six seasons and this incredible group of people stood by us and supported and followed us wherever the network put us on and after they put us on. And their outpourings and expressions of support over the years have really for me bolstered me during difficult times or when the workload was really intense. And I just from through this entire season was for them. And I just hope that they were able to have some kind of closure with the series and to enjoy these final six episodes and get to spend a little last six hours – to get to spend another six hours with these characters. And I just hope that they’re happy with the way things turned out.

Tim: Yes I share those sentiments as well. What a great group. It’s just such a wonderful feeling I get from many of the fans who have tweeted or Instagrammed or been on the set and shouted out something across the street. They’ve been incredible and certainly have been a big part of this wonderful journey that we’ve been on for the last six seasons.

Q) Matt could you tell me your favorite bromance moment with Peter?

Matt: There’s the one moment that really sticks out to me is the finale of the first season and I always thought that the strongest the bromance got when Neal’s about to leave and go off with Kate in the airplane. And he’s basically saying goodbye to Peter. And in that moment I think he really – he realized that for the first time in his life he had a friendship with someone who was actually remotely stable and had a healthy sense of boundaries and someone who he knew he could learn a lot about being a good human being from. And which is an experience I don’t think he got with a lot of people in the world. And so that moment was probably my favorite bromance moment to play.

Q) Do you think with the ending of the series is there any chance of a movie?

Matt: Oh that’s way above my pay grade. I mean honestly if they came to us with the proposition then I would definitely want to do it just to get the chance to work with Tim and Willie and Marsha and Sharif and Tiffani again. But I have no idea.

 

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*