White Collar: Q&A with Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay

In anticipation of White Collar’s season two premiere next Tuesday, the stars of USA’s new hit show, Matt Bomer (Neal Caffrey) and Tim DeKay (Peter Burke), held a Q&A session with members of the media this week.  Among the topics discussed were their mutual love of creator/executive producer Jeff Eastin, a Neal vs. Bryce Larkin (Chuck) showdown, and wet t-shirts.  Given how highly they speak of one another and their supporting cast, it is apparent that the chemistry between all the characters on the show is not manufactured.

Both Bomer and DeKay are excited about the new additions to the cast and more screen time for supporting actors like Willie Garson (Mozzie, Neal’s loyal co-conspirator).  Marsha Thomason (Diane, the lesbian FBI agent), who Bomer described as “gorgeous” and “a fantastic actress,” also has a much larger role this season.  Viewers will learn some of her backstory in the second episode.  Hilarie Burton (One Tree Hill) will have a guest arc as a “high class insurance repo man” looking to settle a score with Neal.

Garson’s Mozzie takes on a slightly different role in the second season.  He and Peter are concerned that Neal is not coping well in the wake of Kate’s death in the season finale and have teamed up to look after him.  DeKay loves Peter and Mozzie’s new relationship.  What he particularly appreciates about it is that there is no “element of violence” between Peter, Mozzie, and Neal, which gives them a “great flexibility” in how this relationship develops.  Even though Mozzie is a criminal and conspiracy theorist, DeKay acknowledges that they need him sometimes and that Mozzie will go “above and beyond every so often.”

Bomer says that this new relationship has been a fun way for Neal to “bridge two worlds that were very different for him…and to see people who he respects and admires and likes working with in two very different ways come together.”  Peter’s law-abiding influence over Neal and their growing relationship has lead to one of the recurring themes of the second season.  Neal’s “big struggle” this time around is “between doing what’s legally right and what he thinks is just” when it comes to avenging Kate.

One of the main reasons why this show was so successful in its rookie year is that viewers became invested in Neal and Peter’s relationship, which has evolved from FBI agent and the man he put in prison to something much more than a typical “buddy-cop” relationship thanks to Eastin’s writing.  According to DeKay, their relationship is “like any other…[they] care about each other very much…and they’re going to have a good time together.  They’re going to be hurt by each other.”  Bomer adds that the characters have “a lot of differences,” but that they compensate for them “in interesting ways.”  He also goes on to point out that “the one dynamic that’s always shifting and changing between our relationship and between the series at large is that of trust.”

DeKay says that Peter sees Neal as the smartest individual he has met.  He also “respects and adores” Neal’s devotion.  Because of how devoted Neal was to Kate, Peter knows that he can do that for the Bureau and for his friends.

While DeKay runs through a litany of things he hoped Neal would think about Peter (he’s a player, he’s funny, he wears great ties…), Bomer states that Neal admires that Peter is “incredibly intelligent, dedicated, devoted, a family man.”  Peter has the “white picket existence…[Neal] wish[es he] could have, but [doesn’t] really ultimately believe that [he] can.”  But most importantly, Peter “puts up with my bullshit.”

Despite Bomer’s claim that “I don’t let Tim look at me unless we’re shooting,” it is clear from their banter that their onscreen bromance extends into real life as well.  Both actors agree that they always have a good time.  “There aren’t many days when we’re not laughing pretty hard, so how could we complain?” asks Bomer.

Other Noteworthy Items

• Despite rumors that Bomer would be singing in an episode with Diahann Carroll, Neal’s always classy landlady June, such a scene has not yet been scripted.

• To the dismay of many viewers, DeKay will not be featured in a magazine spread wearing a wet t-shirt like his co-star anytime soon.  If the East Coast heat wave continues, however, he says that he will be sporting a wet suit and dripping during a walk and talk with Neal due to all the perspiration.

• For the Chuck fans out there, Bomer believes that Neal could outsmart Bryce, the superspy he portrayed on that show, but in a cage match, Bryce would win hands down.

• Bomer deflected a question about his much-speculated upon private life by saying that it is “a source of incredible happiness,” but that it is personal.  Besides, “it could never live up to the amazing mythology that everyone online has created for me.”

• Neither DeKay nor Bomer like to know about plot twists ahead of time.  The only exceptions are when it is something the character would know about beforehand or if it is necessary to shape their acting decisions.

• Speaking of plot twists, fans can expect to see a big one during the mid-season finale.  DeKay calls it a “page-turner” and Bomer found himself wondering (as he often does) “Where are we going to go from here?”

Season 2 of White Collar premieres this Tuesday, July 13 at 9/8c on USA.

For more on White Collar, click here.

Photographs courtesy of USA Network.