BONES: Michaela Conlin on Angela’s Growth, the New Squintern, and More

BONES’ Angela has quite a ride this season: in addition to going undercover a few weeks back, she and Hodgins have lost all their money thanks to Pelant’s tricks, and she’s been increasingly unhappy with the death and misery she has to face in her everyday job.

I spoke with Michaela Conlin (Angela) about Angela’s internal struggles, Hodgins/Angela, the newest squintern, and more…

Angela has been going through a lot this season as she struggles to figure out what she wants from life. Is that at all difficult for you because you know she isn’t going anywhere and live out these big dreams of getting away from death?
Michaela Conlin: I think it’s interesting because as you know, we’ve done many, many episodes, and I think the thing that distinguishes our show — and continues to distinguish our show — are there are these characters who are still trying to figure out who they are as people beyond these roles they have in the Jeffersonian. Those are their jobs, and they are full people within them. And I think [BONES creator] Hart [Hanson] and [executive producer] Stephen [Nathan] definitely really give us the chance to do that [growing] and I think this is a very good example of that.

I think there’s a larger topic and that’s women’s roles have changed a lot, and I think women not only want to be wives and mothers, but they want to have jobs and get fulfillment and do things that are also theirs alone. I think it addresses a lot of those things; she was very different in terms of what she was doing in the beginning of the series and to where she is now. And I think it’s normal for someone to have a freak out.

I think the good thing is — the real thing beneath all of it — is she loves Hodgins. And I think she sometimes pushes back, the younger part of her pushes against that [by saying] “I want to do art!” But I think she’s very in love with him and very actually happy there. I think this resistance comes up in terms of that. That’s how I’ve chosen to think about it. I like that we get to do things that are subtle and real. I think that’s right.

So it’s not like you’re thinking she’s destined to be unhappy for the foreseeable future?
MC: God, I hope not! [Laughs] Look, I’ve had a lot of seasons where things have not been status quo: I had a girlfriend, I had a boyfriend from Fiji…well, first he was missing and then we found him, and then I was with Hodgins, away from Hodgins. I don’t know if she’s ever been content. There would be no story then. I mean, I think this is the most internal we’ve seen her go; a lot of stuff [in the past] has dealt with relationships. And I think now that she has one, this is more about her and what she wants. I like that they’re not slaves to their job, that they’re really good at. It’s very good we’re getting to see that.

One of the phases she did go through in the past was her relationship with Wendall. I loved that they brought that up recently in “The Doll in the Derby.”
MC: I really thought that was clever, because it was an art-related thing. I love that they brought that up [as a reminder], especially with the Cam and Arastoo [relationship].

I love that element of the show. Everyone is a viable [romance] candidate!

Speaking of the romance, we know that Angela knows about Cam and Arastoo’s relationship. Will she be involved more in keeping that secret going forward?
MC: Angela loves being in everybody’s business, that’s the fun part of the character, so we definitely do see a bit of that: her trying to sneak around and figure out [the latest] even though it has nothing to do with her. She just likes to be involved. It’s really Hodgins and Angela, really, as we saw in the episode where it was [first] revealed. It’s the two of them having to keep a secret. It makes for a lot of fun scenes in the lab.

And given how she is in others’ business, has she dropped the thread about wondering what was going on with Booth and his “medical” appointments?
MC: You know, that’s a really good question. Emily [Deschanel (Brennan)] and I were just saying in the last few episodes we haven’t had any heart-to-hearts or any Angela/Brennan scenes. I remember when we shot that episode, I talked to Hart about that, and they had a reason for it [not getting resolved], but they didn’t tell me.

Hm. And how is she handling the loss of Hodgins’ money?
MC: Isn’t that interesting? TJ [Thyne (Hodgins)] and I were just talking about that on set…we don’t really know yet! We haven’t touched upon that yet in the ones we’ve done since. People mention it, but there isn’t anything we’ve done yet that could show us. I’d like it if we could see a tiny apartment of their now, since we only saw one room of their house.

It would be interesting to see them like that! Is there any fun marriage stuff coming up for them?
MC: There was a really fun experiment we just did that was really fun that was very Angela and Hodgins.

Interesting! How are things with the new squintern (Brian Klugman)?
MC: Yes, there is a new squintern! He’s hysterical. We didn’t have too much together, but we did have a scene together. He’s very interesting. I think people will like him. He’s very different than the other guys and fits very well.

Is Angela amused by him?
MC: She’s definitely amused and he’s also very brave. He’s very overly confident and says what he feels, whether it’s appropriate or not. And I think that part of Angela is like, “Oh, this is interesting. Let’s see what happens here.” I think she appreciates that part of him. I think other characters are annoyed by it, but I think Angela finds it kind of refreshing. [Laughs] I think she pretends she does her own thing, but she’s a total nerd at heart.

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BONES airs Mondays at 8 PM on Fox.

Related:

BONES: ‘The Fact in the Fiction’ Photo Preview — Meet the New Squintern!
BONES: Michaela Conlin Teases ‘The Shot in the Dark’
BONES: Emily Deschanel Teases ‘The Shot in the Dark,’ The New Squintern, Directing, Booth and Brennan’s Relationship, and More

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