Bones: Showrunner Hart Hanson on Booth's Baby Bro
Tonight a bit more of Booth's past becomes knows as Booth's brother shows up at the Jeffersonian. Expect sparks to fly as Brennan starts to wonder if one Booth is just as good as another!Series creator Hart Hanson says they've been wanting to spring baby-bro Booth on the team for a while because he gives rise to so many delicious situations. One of them is romantic: "There's a spark between Brennan and little brother Booth, as is the way things go on Bones," Hart says. "Since Brennan, in her own mind, can't have the older Booth, maybe this younger one is a good ersatz copy. It turns out not to be true, but it gives us some fun with them."
Jared Booth, played by actor Brendan Fehr, also helps shed some
much-needed light on Booth's past. "Booth's childhood was very tough,
and it's hard for him to say it or admit it to anyone. The story with
Jared makes them both confront what happened in their past."
Part of that past involves their relationship with their father - and it wasn't good. But Booth did have a better relationship with his grandfather, Hanson says - and they've been coming up with dream casting notes for him. "I don't yet know when we're going to see Booth's grandfather -- it will be this season if all goes well. Since David is so much, in our minds, like James Garner, that that would be a very cool piece of casting."
Getting Brenden to play Jared was another nice bit of casting, Hanson says. "God, it is so hard to find somebody who is, in fact, leading-man-caliber who isn't on a show. We needed somebody that we thought Booth would care about deeply, but had a dark side and bore at least some physical resemblance to him. I said while we were doing it, 'Oh, that's it. I'm not casting any more family members. It's too difficult' and then in came Brendan, who I knew from Roswell.
He has grown up nicely. He has some wisdom on his face, some experience on his face and he's a very good actor. It didn't hurt a bit that he and David had conflict on the ice. They both play hockey in the leagues and they've had some conflicts on the ice that comes into their relationship in the show. He just knocked it out."
Part of that past involves their relationship with their father - and it wasn't good. But Booth did have a better relationship with his grandfather, Hanson says - and they've been coming up with dream casting notes for him. "I don't yet know when we're going to see Booth's grandfather -- it will be this season if all goes well. Since David is so much, in our minds, like James Garner, that that would be a very cool piece of casting."
Getting Brenden to play Jared was another nice bit of casting, Hanson says. "God, it is so hard to find somebody who is, in fact, leading-man-caliber who isn't on a show. We needed somebody that we thought Booth would care about deeply, but had a dark side and bore at least some physical resemblance to him. I said while we were doing it, 'Oh, that's it. I'm not casting any more family members. It's too difficult' and then in came Brendan, who I knew from Roswell.
He has grown up nicely. He has some wisdom on his face, some experience on his face and he's a very good actor. It didn't hurt a bit that he and David had conflict on the ice. They both play hockey in the leagues and they've had some conflicts on the ice that comes into their relationship in the show. He just knocked it out."