White Collar’s Seamless Transition to Season Two

By: Stephanie Sigafoos

Matt Bomer is literally everywhere these days. I mean, have you seen the newest issue of TV Guide? Or The Hollywood Reporter’s Emmy Roundtable video? Did you catch him walking the Red Carpet at the premiere of Shrek Ever After, or his nomination at the New Now Next Awards?

If you missed any of the above, there is one place you’re guaranteed to find Matt and his awesome “White Collar” co-stars this summer – at Silvercup Studios East on Long Island, where they’re hard at work filming Season 2 of what has become one of the most talked about dramas on cable.

During a recent set visit provided in part by USA Network, I had a chance to chat with Matt, Tim DeKay, Marsha Thomason, Sharif Atkins, new addition Hilarie Burton and writer Matt Negrete. What follows are some of the highlights, including (*spoiler alert!) discussion on the Season 2 premiere the media panel watched before our roundtable interviews began.

What can I tell you about the premiere without giving too much away? It begins a few months after the plane explosion that closed out Season One. It involves a federal inquiry into Peter’s actions, including the shooting of OPR agent Garrett Fowler. It features Peter and Neal breaking into a bank (and believe me, not everything is what it seems). It’s directed by and also stars “Mr. USA” Tim Matheson. It also has an ending that’s likely to leave your jaw on the floor.

Want more? Read on to see what the stars and their scribe had to say about the upcoming season…

“[Creator] Jeff Eastin has set up this great duality, where I’m looking into something concerning the accident, Neal is looking into something concerning the accident, and neither one of us can tell each other what we’re doing.  And yet we’re closer because of what we said to each other prior to the accident.”

“There’s been talk of, like, kind of swapping characters for an episode, you know, just to say, “Peter you’ve got to go undercover for this one.”  Look, Peter loves the chase, he loves it.  So to break in — that’s a perfect world for Peter when they broke into the bank (during the season two premiere).  Because he got to go to that side of the law, in the right way, he got to do it.  And so it was perfect, it was fun, it was cops and robbers. But he was kind of playing the robber – yeah he loved it.”

“Last season Peter was affected personally and his conception of the FBI has changed to a degree.  They, you know, they bugged his home, they got into his personal world, and that rocked him. Because he’s not used to, you know, he’s always been a bureau guy … that’s what he always has been. And once Fowler and company changed that and told him that, “No there are bad people in the bureau, and extremely bad people in the bureau.”  That just angered him greatly.”

- Tim DeKay (Peter Burke)

…

“I do think Neal is a little bit obsessive-compulsive in a lot of ways. I think that’s one of the benefits and probably drawbacks of being as intelligent as he is. I think he probably over thinks a lot of things. But yeah, [Kate] was definitely an obsession, but I think in his heart he truly believed that she was the one for him. And whether it’s rational or not at a certain point, is sort of irrelevant for him. So, yeah, I think in his heart and his mind it was love.”

“I don’t want to go so far as to say whether or not [Neal] is playing him [Peter], but I think, you know, like we talked about, the trust issues on the show, nothing can ever be taken at face value. And I think, like any human being, Neal vacillates from time to time. And I’m not going to say he flip-flops, but with him I think the end result is always in mind.”

“In his heart of hearts, I think Neal really wants (what Peter and Elizabeth have), but the question is I don’t think he ever really believes that he can have it. So, I think, you know, there’s a part of him that does want that, but whether or not he’s ever going to be able to change his ways enough to go about getting it, is sort of yet to be seen.”

“One of the real bonuses we have this season is that I now have an advisor, a con artist who advises me on set on a lot of things. So, I am getting a little bit more confident with my pick-pocketing skills, and I can actually pick a lock now. So, watch out.”

- Matt Bomer (Neal Caffrey)

…

“After the first episode the gay community was really like, a little distressed when I wasn’t back in the second episode.  And they came out in full force and — hello! That’s amazing [laughs].  I mean you know, that was a really special thing that I feel really supported by them.  And no I don’t feel any pressure because I just, you know, I honor the work, say the words, do my best and, you know, let the chips fall where they may.”

“I go undercover (in a future episode) playing a high class hooker in Costume National shoes, which is never a bad thing.  And I get quite a bit of gun work on the show as well, which is really fun for me because, “Hi I’m English I’ve never held a gun.”  I held a gun on Las Vegas but that was in a shooting range so it was very controlled, it wasn’t like, you know, I get to shoot people.”

“You know, if I give the story away people might not watch.  But — I can’t say (what the fallout is with the music box).  But Peter does trust Diana implicitly and she’s very involved (in upcoming episodes).”

- Marsha Thomason (Diana)

…

“I think it ends up being a balance (of Jones helping Peter and Neal with more “unofficial” business this season), because as much of a world we’re creating, you still kind of want some sort of legit tie, you know. So, I think it’s a balance. I think it’ll be where Peter probably will kind of get his hands dirty a little bit more and then my character and the Marsha character will sort of balance that out, so that the FBI just doesn’t look like a bunch of half crooks or anything like that.”

“(Jones and Diana) do have a bit more interaction. I mean as a matter of fact, you are here on a day in which this episode kind of affords us the opportunity to sort of play off each other a little bit more — so, yeah, episode four or five. You guys stay tuned. You got to watch the whole thing, and none of that [Hulu] either. Watch the thing. Watch it when it comes on.”

- Sharif Atkins (Agent Jones)

…

“I am playing the part of Sara Ellis.  She works for an insurance company, she recovers stolen goods, basically white collar crimes.  So if somebody steals a really expensive car, she’s the repo man.  So it’s fun to play someone with an edge, someone that’s a tough girl but also is very bejeweled [laughs].  So it’s a different kind of character for me, I’m having a really good time with it.”

“I’m not going to give anything away.  But it seems that Neal has a past with everybody and I feel very fortunate to be one of the woman that he has crossed paths with, whether that’s in a good way or a bad way.  Yeah, I mean he certainly has made his mark on the city of Manhattan.  And, yeah, I think we come in with a little bit of a history and add some layers to when our characters see each other again.”

“I’ve just shot my second [episode], there’s a third one that I’m in and then there’s a question mark as to whether or not my option will get picked up.  So, you know, I’ve got my fingers crossed.  I have had a lot of fun. This has probably been the job where I get up in the morning and I’m most excited to go to work.  One, because the pages change, you know, they’re constantly finding clever ways to script a scene.  And I guess some actors might be a little nervous about the dialog changing so often, but I love it.”

- Hilarie Burton (Sara Ellis)

…

“The thing is, there’s a really cool moment I love in the (season 2) premiere of just like a little handshake, which is a small little thing. But for Neal, who’s used to like being the con man to being a smooth guy, I think that really says a lot about where he is in the first episode, sort of emotionally. And so, it’s interesting that, like I love the fact that in that episode it’s Peter who sort of picks up on that. He knows Neal probably better than Neal knows himself in a lot of ways. And that’s what makes me also really appreciate that dynamic that they have. It’s almost like they know each other better than each other wants to admit the other one knows each other, and that’s always a fun dynamic to play out in stories.”

“[Neal] basically he just wants answers, and so I think a lot of what we’re going to explore in second season is him trying to get to the bottom of what happened, was this an accident, was it not? And if it wasn’t, like who could possibly be behind it?”

“I think that my favorite element is the relationship between Peter and Neal. I think it’s just so fun and original, and they’re so different. And just the idea that they’re almost two sides of the same coin in a lot of ways. They see eye-to-eye, but yet they’re completely different, and I love the idea that they, like I said before, I think they know each other so well, and like Neal wouldn’t want to admit that Peter knows him that well, and Peter wouldn’t want to admit that Neal knows him as well as he does. So, there’s a fun sort of odd couple dynamic that I really enjoy.”

- Writer Matt Negrete

Don’t forget – White Collar premieres Tuesday, July 13 at 9pm EST (followed by the premiere of USA’s all-new original series Covert Affairs.

Posted by Adam Wright on June 23, 2010. Filed under Features, News, Preview. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry