As anyone who was fortunate enough to attend the recent Paley Festival panel honoring the hit Fox series BONES can attest to, there was only one downside to a night over-flowing with love and laughter. That downside being, Tamara Taylor wasn’t in attendance. Luckily for this Canadian based TV Addict, Taylor was in her hometown of beautiful Toronto Canada to attend an important charity function. An function that afforded us with the unique opportunity for a little one-on-one time with everybody’s favorite fictional doctor Camille Saroyan. See of yourself, after the jump.
Having missed an amazing event at the Saban Theater we thought it might be fun to bring the Paley Festival to you by starting with a trip down memory lane. Looking back at your first time stepping onto that set, did you ever imagine that BONES would turn into such a success story?
Tamara Taylor: I had no clue. It was just a really lucky break honestly. I think I had come back from doing a little Sundance Director’s Lab or something so I was just not in audition mode, certainly not in job mode. This audition came, and I thought why not? I had seen the show, it was only supposed to be a 12 episode arc and I thought great, that would be awesome. Of course I didn’t think I’d (a) get the job, or (b) be on it for seven years. It was completely shocking. I think the first episode that I shot was the first episode of the second season. I got cast on a Wednesday, shot everything that I was in on a Thursday. So it was like hi everyone, nice to meet you… and now we’re launching in. I’m going to be your boss and I don’t know anyone and this is crazy. Seeing the Jeffersonian lab for the first time was so overwhelming that set is just amazing.
As much as your job is the stuff of dreams, playing the same character on a weekly television procedural can become somewhat of a challenge after a certain period of time. Having already been renewed for an eighth season, how much longer could you see yourself stepping into Cam’s shoes?
It’s interesting because the show has changed so much since the beginning. With two babies now on the show, two couples on the show, there’s so much that has changed that I think we’re all sort of rediscovering our characters or being reintroduced to new parts of our character that we didn’t even know about. so it’s kind of staying fresh for us which is nice. So I think everybody can handle another season or two.
There was a lot of talk during the Paley panel about things that [creator] Hart Hanson would like to touch on before the show goes off the air — things like Angela’s mom, Booth’s mom and Hodgins’ brother. Is there something in particular you’d like to see the writer’s delve into with your character?
Probably her past in prostitution and drugs [Laughs] Cam was formerly a hooker! No, I don’t know, the writers are usually so good about coming up with story lines, although Hart and I had talked about that Cam might have something a little — you got to have something dark in there to do the job that she does.
Coincidentally enough, there was a lot of talk about character’s dark pasts during the panel, specifically Sweet’s abusive childhood.
That was actually one of my favorite episodes and favorite scenes of all time. I loved Booth, Brennan and Sweets in his office, very touching.
Not-so-touching is the big baddie that the writer’s have concocted for BONES’ seventh season finale. How would you compare this serial killer to that of the Gravedigger?
This serial killer is kind of terrifying, I think scarier than the gravedigger because they’re smarter than the gravedigger and almost smarter than all of us combined, which is sort of creepy.
On a slightly more positive note, love really seems to be in the air of the Jeffersonian Institute as of late. Is there anything you care to report in terms of Cam’s love life coming up?
I am paired off, but we never get to see him. I’m still with the gynaecologist. Cam’s just doing her thing, a little lonely lately, hanging out in the lab and awful lot.
Between Emily Deschanel’s real-life baby and the show’s two fictional ones, has the tone of the set changed since the great baby invasion of 2012?
All I can say is our hair and makeup trailer is so lovely. Henry, Emily’s son is a little bundle of yum and he’s probably got the sunniest disposition of any kid I’ve ever met. He’s just a smiley happy boy, so wandering into the makeup trailer every morning and just having this cooing amazing baby is lovely. It puts everyone in a really good mood.
And finally, there’s been so much buzz surrounding the upcoming Hollywood episode that sees Booth and Brennan investigate a murder on the set of the film being adapted from Brennan’s book. That said, there has been so intel released about your character. What can you tease about Cam’s involvement?
The episode is so good. I’m going to show you a picture on my iPhone, but all I can say is that fans will discover that Cam has a colored past that I think she would rather no one know about. It’s hilarious and ridiculous and so much fun to shoot.
New episodes of BONES airs Monday at 8PM on FOX (Global TV in Canada) and stars David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel, Michaela Conlin, T.J. Thyne, Tamara Taylor and John Francis Daley. Catch up on past episodes you may have missed for free online at clicktowatch.tv