THE FINDER: Mercedes Masöhn Dishes on Playing Isabel and Pranking Geoff Stults

There’s a brand new episode of THE FINDER Thursday night, and what better way to celebrate that than with a little hint of what’s to come on the show?

I talked with THE FINDER’s Mercedes Masöhn (Isabel) about her role, Isabel’s relationships with Walter and Willa, how she pranked her co-star, Geoff Stults (Walter), and more…

How are things going on THE FINDER?
Mercedes Masöhn: We’re constantly cracking each other up [behind-the-scenes] and I think that shows!

I have to say, one of the things that I love about Isabel is that she’s strong and tough, and for me, it’s so refreshing to see a female character like that. There’s a bunch out there, but the great thing with [THE FINDER creator] Hart [Hanson] is that, as BONES fans know, the characters are all well-written and rounded. And I hope that [the audience] embrace us as they’ve embraced BONES. They’ve been such great fans to [BONES] and we’re hoping to join in the family, if you will.

Well, and you had John Francis Daley (Sweets) crossing over and a few other BONES actors are involved in upcoming episodes…
MM: TJ Thyne (Hodgins) and John F. Daley, I love. They were both on. And then David Boreanaz (Booth) directed episode 8. He’s an amazing director! Who knew? Who would have thought that Angel, Buffy’s love interest [on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER], was an awesome, amazing director? I had so much fun with him.

That’s good. There’s also this very interesting tension with Isabel and Walter, because they’ve skipped over the whole “will they, won’t they?” dynamic and are simply sleeping together.
MM: They are, but will they realize they’re there for each other versus fighting it all the time? Because of my career, because of his hang-ups, we refuse to really relax into the relationship. So we’re constantly trying to figure each other out like a cat and mouse.

He does get in trouble and I do get very frustrated when I have to bail him out. So there are times when we exchange information, when I tell him what I know about a case that he doesn’t know and vice versa, so we do help each other out in that sense. He does drive me a little bit crazy, because [there are times] I have go to jail to bail him out and I have my own career ambitions. So we walk that fine line.

Exactly. And obviously Willa hasn’t stopped with her delinquent ways. What does that mean for her relationship with Isabel?
MM: Isabel does not trust Willa at all. At all. She’s at the wrong end of things. The girl’s a gypsy, she steals, she’s a con artist. But there is an episode, and it’s one of my favorites, where the two understand each other over a mutual…interest. So there’s a bond and Isabel warms up for a little while. I love that as the episodes are going on, they’re warming up to each other.

Will that make the inevitable betrayal all the more painful?
MM: They are so secretive about the finale. I have no idea. They won’t tell me anything. But they said there is big news, big news.

Hm. Are you in every episode?
MM: I’ve only missed one episode. Number six, though I don’t know where that will air. One of the things that Isabel is very conscious of is she wants to be the attorney general, so at night she goes to law school. So there’s one episode where I’m off studying to get my law degree

Your costars Geoff Stults (Walter) and Michael Clarke Duncan (Leo) are notorious for pulling pranks on each other, but have they dragged you in to that, too?
MM: Oh my God. Are you kidding me? You never know what to expect. Just watching them is fun enough, but there’s always little things going on. I don’t want to out them, but one of the things I did was during a scene with Geoff and I, we had one of those cooking timers that ring [when they go off]. And I did my scene and I was wrapped for the day and I went home and I put [the timer] on 30 minutes and hid it — I wasn’t even there! — knowing it’s going to ring in the middle of the next scene which is with Geoff. All of sudden I get a text that says, “You suck.” Apparently they couldn’t find it. The whole production had to stop as they were running around looking for it, and I had the greatest laugh in my life.

Have they also dragged you into the pullup contest for flubbing lines?
MM: I end up doing squats because I have a very weak upper body, so I’ve been told. I try and keep up with the boys so Maddie [Hasson (Willa)] and I are doing squats.
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THE FINDER airs Thursdays at 9 PM on Fox.

Related:

THE FINDER: Michael Clarke Duncan on Leo’s Relationship with Walter and Those BONES Crossovers
THE FINDER: Geoff Stults, Michael Clarke Duncan and Maddie Hasson Tackle ‘The Finder Challenge’
THE FINDER: Geoff Stults Talks Cast Changes, Walter’s Romances, Having to Take Off His Clothes and More

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