BONES: Michaela Conlin Previews ‘The Doll in the Derby’

BONES hasn’t been shy about sending its characters undercover, and in tonight’s episode, “The Doll in the Derby,” it’s Angela’s turn!

I spoke with BONES star Michaela Conlin (Angela) about filming the episode and what happens in it that even surprised her mother…

Roller derby! That insane uniform! You have quite an episode tonight…
Michaela Conlin: Yeah, those shorts were pretty short, weren’t they? I had the knee pads and the shoulder pads and the helmet [as] life support, basically. That was definitely probably the physical scariest thing I’ve had to do on BONES.

In my own personal life, I’m very klutzy, so I try to stay off of skis and roller skates, and the fact that production was like, “You have to put these on and roll around on a track that’s on an incline with professional roller skaters.” I thought it was pretty funny; I thought I was being PUNK’D.

Did they ask about your skating experience before you filmed the episode? Or was it like, here’s a script, have fun?
MC: It was more that. I think the script had already been written and Steve Beers, one of our producers, was like, “How would you say you are on skates?” And I was like, “Do you want the honest answer?” [Laughs] I told them, “I think I’m going to need more than a day of training.” I did say that. I think they were proposing a couple of days and I was like, I think I’m going to need more than that. We trained for a couple of days, and I got to train with the real Derby Dolls, which was awesome. So that was a whole learning experience in and of itself because they’re so brave and they’re so kind to each other. It’s such a kind, noncompetitive group of women for being so tough. so that was really cool to see into that world.

Were you familiar with roller derby before you read the script for “The Doll in the Derby”?
MC: I actually had been to see them maybe four years ago….I went down there, and it’s a whole scene. So I was familiar with them. So when they told me, I was excited and terrified, simultaneously.

It could have been a bit worse that you knew the sport — you knew what was required from you, so it’s not like you went into it with delusions this would be easy.
MC: Yeah, there was, like, bloodshed…it’s gnarly. They get bruised and banged up and yeah, it’s the real deal…I have to say, after eight years, it was definitely in one of my top five favorites, for sure.

We do have to talk about that Booth and Angela kiss that was shown in the promos…
MC: [Laughs] You know, my mom just asked me about that — she saw the preview last week and she was like, “You didn’t mention that to me!” And I was like, “I like you to be surprised, sometimes!”

Yes, Angela does kiss Booth, but considering Brennan is [her] best friend, I think you can use your imaginations…it’s definitely in service of the case.

Obviously nothing’s going to happen when she’s with Hodgins and he’s with Brennan, but earlier on in the series, did you kind of wonder if the writers would go there with the two of them?
MC: You know, it’s a great question. I had not, actually, just because she is [Brennan’s] best friend; I don’t think Angela thinks of Booth at all that way. I think she lives vicariously through Brennan, but obviously Angela’s married with a child. But she can appreciate an attractive guy! [Laughs] I think she’s always appreciated Booth’s physical qualities, but I don’t think it’s in any way harmful or malicious to [her friendship with Brennan] or Booth and Brennan’s relationship. For this episode, once you see [the kiss] in context, it makes a lot more sense.

What has been the fan reaction to it appearing in the promos?
MC: Everybody seems to be more amused by it than anything, which I’m relieved about. It seems to amuse people more than anyone being concerned about there being a real problem there. [Laughs] Which I’m relieved about. I was hoping it would come across that way…it’s very in line, it’s actually what’s been going on with her these past few episodes this season: she’s a lot of different things. She’s a very fun kind of crazy character. I like that it doesn’t cross her mind as it being an issue because it’s not a real issue for her. It’s not like she’s actually going after Booth. But I love that she’s brazen enough to do that.

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BONES’ “The Doll in the Derby” airs tonight on Fox at 8 PM. And be sure to check back soon for more from our chat with Conlin!

Related:

BONES Writer Michael Peterson on Bringing Neurofibromatosis Awareness Mainstream in ‘The Doll in the Derby’
BONES: ‘The Friend in Need’ Photo Preview
BONES: ‘The Shot in the Dark’ Photo Preview — Brennan Gets Shot!

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