411mania Interviews: Tim DeKay (White Collar)
Posted by Al Norton on 11.05.2009
411's Al Norton sits down for an exclusive interview with White Collar's Tim DeKay
Tim DeKay has been one of TV most in-demand actors for some time now, with starring roles in Tell Me You Love Me and Carnivale and appearances on The New Adventures of Old Christine, NCIS, Numb3rs, The 4400, Scrubs, and many others. He currently stars in the new USA hit series White Collar.
Al Norton: I was a really big fan of your work on Tell Me You Love Me.
Tim DeKay: Thanks. Thank you. That was an intense show to be shooting. It's a different kind of show than I'm shooting now.
Al Norton: I know. It was great to see you actually smile on screen.
Tim DeKay: (Laughing) I know. I didn't get to smile too much on Tell Me You Love Me.
Al Norton: How did you get involved with White Collar?
Tim DeKay: Matt Bomer had been cast as Neil and I was working on The New Adventures of Old Christine at the time. My manager called and said they've got about 12 guys that they want to see to a chemistry read with Matt. I read the script and thought, "this is fantastic" so I went in. Before I went in I saw Matt in the waiting room and he complimented me on Tell Me You Love Me. The second we started doing the scenes I thought, "this is great. This could turn into something." We had a nice chemistry right from the get go.
Al Norton: Not that you ever really know but did you leave the room thinking you had it?
Tim DeKay: I left the room thinking I knew they'd want me back for the network to see me.
Al Norton: One of the things that make White Collar so enjoyable is that it seems to avoid a lot of clichés.
Tim DeKay: Oh, it does. There are times when you realize that you have to do certain things, that we have to remind the audience certain things. We're filming a boiler room episode right now and not everyone knows how those scams work so that has to be somehow conveyed to the audience and you can't get away from that. Every great story has exposition at the beginning.
I think it's the other things that happen, conversely to that, where White Collar trusts the audience, which I am a firm believer in. We trust that they'll get it, especially the little quips between Neil and Peter.
Al Norton: For me the biggest thing that was avoided was that Neil and Peter don't hate each other.
Tim DeKay: You're exactly right. Sure, there are moments where Neil drives Peter crazy, or Peter drives Neil crazy, but at the base of it you realize these two guys do like each other. They have a good time together. Part of them liking each other comes from the fact that they respect each other. They both realize that they are both cut from the same cloth, they both like the hunt. They both love the chase.
Yeah, they don't hate each other. There might be trust issues (laughing)…In some upcoming episodes it will be interesting to see where Peter goes when he has some free time.
Al Norton: How great is it to film on location in New York City, both for the show itself and also for the cast and crew?
Tim DeKay: If you have to arrest someone in Central Park at Bethesda Fountain, no matter how much you could build a fountain somewhere in another location, no matter how much you find a nice grassy park, you can't beat the real thing. To arrest someone at Columbus Circle, right at that big statue…The city is another character in the show. This show is an homage to New York City. It's not like other crime dramas where murders take place in a back alley or on a stoop. First off, there isn't a murder in every episode, and secondly the crimes that take place happen in cool art galleries or high end businesses that overlook that Statue of Liberty. It's very glamorous. It's a blast to shoot in New York.
Al Norton: It must have felt great to see the major promotional push USA has given the show.
Tim DeKay: It is nice to see that. It's always a double edge sword because it's great to see the push but then you think, "oh gosh, I hope we come through." Fortunately the critics have agreed with us, which is another nice thing to see. USA really believes in this show, not just the pilot but all the episodes that follow. That's a nice feeling as an artist, as an actor; creatively you want someone to say, "go do what you do, we believe in you." It feels like USA is a proud parent telling everyone in the neighborhood, "come watch my kid in the play."
Al Norton: Are you jealous that Matt gets to wear the cool suits?
Tim DeKay: (Laughing)…No, I'm not jealous at all. He looks so fantastic in them. I play an FBI agent and am fortunate enough that they put me in Brooks Brothers. My Dad's best friend is a retired FBI agent and he says, "I never got to wear Brooks Brothers suits."
Al Norton: Not that you're not very happy at home but it must be great to come to work and have Tiffani Thiessen as your wife.
Tim DeKay: How lucky am I? In addition to her beauty, she's just great. She gets the show, understands the tone of the show completely. It's always nice to read the new script and see scenes with Peter and Elizabeth.
Al Norton: My guess is the premiere of White Collar changed things but up until that point, was it the Seinfeld episode that people most recognized you on the street for?
Tim DeKay: I think Seinfeld. It may have been Carnivale. A friend of mine once told me, and I think there is some truth to it, he said, "you don't have a household name but you do have a household face." People do seem to recognize me although they don't always know from what. They say, "oh you're that actor guy", and I'll take that (laughing).
Al Norton: You've done quite a bit of theater in your career; what are some of the things that performing live on stage gives you that television and movies don't?
Tim DeKay: The thing about doing something on stage is that it's yours. The curtain comes up and the story is yours to tell for the two hours. At the end of the evening that story has been told completely to an audience, and on some level you feel connected to one of the oldest traditions in the world, and that is storytelling.
The benefit of doing film and television is that it's much more of a collaborative effort right in the moment. When you're doing a scene with someone I feel the energy of the camera department, of the people pushing the dolly grip. They all know we've been rehearsing and the want to get everything just right. The lighting people are making sure the tone of the scene is right. Sound wants to make sure they get as close as possible because the scene calls for whispering and they want to honor that. It all happens while the scene is taking place so you're much more aware of all the energy going in to the telling of the story.
Al Norton: What can you tell me about the rest of the season of White Collar?
Tim DeKay: We continue to solve new and interesting types of crimes, crimes you don't normally see on television. The Kate saga takes some very, very interesting turns that involve all the players. That's all I can say about that.
