 [Photo: courtesy of Aquarius PR] |
I have had a wonderful afternoon so far today. I just got to talk to a very fun and interesting actor named Scoot McNairy who has been a guest star on Bones twice already. We talked about his recurring character on the show and what he’s up to these days.
You will probably remember the character that Scoot has played on Bones as the quirky informant named Noel Liftin. He was in The Man in the Outhouse, early in season 4 and also in The Secret in the Soil during season 3. You might also remember the character Scoot played in the movie Mr. Fix It, another time when he worked with David Boreanaz.
The production team for Bones has discussed the possibility of Noel Liftin returning in more episodes to help out Booth & Brennan, so if you want to see the character on the show again, be sure to leave a comment for Hart Hanson or the writing team to let them know!
 [Photo: courtesy of Aquarius PR] |
He has several new movies coming out and we talked about those too. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of Scoot McNairy! He had a lot of interesting insights into working with the cast of Bones, so here’s our conversation:
Q: Do you think you’ll ever come back and work on Bones again?
Scoot McNairy: Honestly, I’m hoping I’ll come back. I love working on the show. I love working with Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz. They’re two awesome people to work with. But I think it’s up to them. They’ve been talking about bringing me back on the show for future episodes, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Q: So you would return if they asked you?
McNairy: Oh, yeah! I did a movie with David Boreanaz called Mr. Fix It. I don’t think he knew that I was coming on the show and them when I did, we had a good time working together. I think it was him that decided to bring me back. So they intertwined the character back into the show. So I’m hoping to see more of that. It’s kind of up to the fans. [Hint: if you want him back, be sure to comment.]
Q: So what do you remember the most about your time on the show?
McNairy: How great the director was that I worked with. It was the same director on both episodes. And working with the cast – it’s just a very, very creative environment. They let the actors have some artistic freedom, to add things or to bring a character on to the show. They’re open to characters and it’s a really great environment because some shows don’t really allow you to do that. But all in all, it was just a really warm group of people that have obviously been working together for a while and it’s a bit like clockwork to them. It’s really nice to hop on a show and have the two leads on the show go over the top to be nice to you and to make you feel welcome and comfortable. That doesn’t happen on many shows. Emily and David are just exceptional actors and really cool people. I mean, if you could get to be a guest star on a show, especially a recurring on a show, you want it to be with those two people because they’re just so nice.
Q: Do you have any good stories about working with them?
 [Photo: © 2010 FOX Broadcasting Co.] |
McNairy: Emily is fun because she laughs at everything I do. It’s nice to sit there when the cameras are on me and to add a couple of things and to watch her crack. I think the last scene I was doing, in the cafe, I said, “This will pay for enemas.” And then to see her laugh, you know? Any time you can make someone laugh, it just brings you joy inside. It’s great fun to think that this person thinks this is funny so they can’t stay in character.
Q: So what about working with David on Mr. Fix It. Do you have any stories for the fans?
McNairy: He was just an unbelievable person to work with. He’s fun and he’s all over the place. He loves sports and he’ll be chatting you up about baseball or hockey, then they’ll yell, “Action.” And he’ll just pop right into character. He’s one of the most professional people I’ve worked with.
Q: Is there anything else about working on Bones that sets it apart from other guest roles you’ve done?
McNairy: The character. I love that character. He’s totally aloof to the FBI and… In the beginning, they catch him, but when he comes back in the second episode, he kind of feels like the FBI needs him. It’s a great character to play because clearly, Noel Liftin is an idiot. But in his mind, he thinks the FBI needs him, so he’s important. He thinks, “I’ll be hesitant about the information I give out because I’m in control here.” And he has no control whatsoever.
And I love that Booth has no patience for my character. He just asks for the information. There’s a nice back and forth there with David and it’s really fun to play with. I think I just threw out some nonchalant line to him, just playing around and he looked at me as if to say, “Hey, I’m Booth. Stop messing around.” They cut a lot of that out, but it was fun to throw a wrench at him and see how quickly he responds, in character. He’s just a really sharp actor.
Q: Ok, so tell us what you’re currently working on. I know you have several movies in production and things are busy for you.
 [Photo: courtesy of Aquarius PR] |
McNairy: Yeah, I’ve got a movie called Far From Home that comes out in March of 2010. It’s a high-budget thriller about a couple that’s stuck down in Central America in the year 2020. All of Central America has been quarantined because of an infection. These two people decide to hike through the infected zone to get back to America. My co-star is Whitney Able.
And I have another movie called The Beautiful Letdown. It’s supposed to be shot in the next two months in Austin, Texas. The director is Jeffrey Travis. Right now, the only person that’s attached to it is Tony Hale, and they’re just in the process of getting the nuts and bolts in order.
I’m co-producing a film called Frank & Cindy and we’ve been working with John Malcovich’s company, Mr. Mudd in order to get that project off the ground. And I have another film that I’m producing that I’m doing with Amy Acker who was on Angel, Alias and now is in Dollhouse.
There’s also In Search of a Midnight Kiss, with Sara Simmonds and it’s about a guy who places a personal ad and finds a girl intent on finding a guy to kiss on New Year’s Eve.
Q: What about the movie Wreckage?
McNairy: That one I worked on with my good buddy, Aaron Paul and Cameron Richardson. We shot it about a year and a half ago and think there’s a re-shoot they need to do before they put the film out there. It’s got an unbelievable cast attached to it.
Q: And it looks like there’s one called Everything Will Happen Before You Die?
McNairy: Yeah, that’s a movie that was shot for a very low budget. Brian McGuire that I worked with on In Search of a Midnight Kiss, he wrote it and produced it. And Bret Roberts, who is the lead in Midnight Kiss, has the lead in that too. It’s a really ambitious film, reminiscent of a Jim Jarmusch film. It’s really out there and it has a great cast attached to it. There on the cutting floor right now, so hopefully that movie will hit the festival circuits later on this year.
Q: You’re going to be everywhere, aren’t you?
McNairy: Well, I’m trying. [laughs] I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing, making independent films and doing my thing.
But let me ask you this. Are Bones and Booth going to hook up?
Lynn: Yes, they are. At the end of the season. And when I interviewed the writing team, back in August, they told me that Brennan will want Booth to be the father of her child.
McNairy: Oh! No way! Well, I just hope there’s a possibility that Noel Liftin will be the Godfather of those kids!
Lynn: It could happen…but Booth would kill you!
McNairy: Either that, or Liftin spied on them!
So, even though I wasn’t that aware of Scoot McNairy specifically before our conversation, I can now tell you that I’m a fan. He’s a very nice, funny and cool guy! And as much as I like indie films, I know I’ll be seeing a lot of him in the future. And, I’d really like to see Noel Liftin come back on Bones. How about you?