Emily Deschanel & David Boreanaz Had To Follow An Important Agreement On Bones

When actors work together for an extended period, there's bound to be disagreements and fallouts. "Bones" stars Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz seemingly knew that going in, as the pair made an agreement early on that would keep them relatively drama-free for the show's entire 12-season run. When they landed their respective roles, the pair established a pact that would give them space if needed.

In a 2019 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Deschanel revealed what that pact entailed. "We spent more time with each other than we did with our own spouses — with anybody else, really — and we fully acknowledged that we would drive each other crazy," she explained. "We gave each other permission to walk away at different times, or just say, 'You're really bothering me right now,' or 'You're annoying me, I have to get away from you.'" With this simple rule in place, "Bones" avoided unnecessary conflict between its leading stars.

According to the actor, neither of them actually used this fail-safe too often because they were open and honest throughout their time on the Fox procedural. In fact, David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel famously worked well together and have each spoken positively about their time on "Bones." According to the latter, much of that has to do with how she was treated by her co-star from the outset. "He respected me from the very beginning, and I will always appreciate that," Deschanel explained. "We had a great relationship."

While Deschanel had never been a series regular on television before, Boreanaz had become a breakout star on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" before leading his own spin-off, "Angel." By the time "Bones" debuted in 2005, the actor hadn't let the fame get to him. "He never tried to tell me what to do," Deschanel reflected. "Never tried to school me in any way or make me feel like I didn't belong or like I was learning and new."

It also helped that Boreanaz had a playful side on set. "For some reason, it became a joke that if someone was acting badly, you give them a Diet Coke," she added. "I don't drink soda, so if somebody brought me a Diet Coke, I knew it was because [Boreanaz] would tell a PA to bring me a Diet Coke as a joke." Even after all that, they rarely had to enact their rule.

If it weren't for that initial agreement, the set might well have been a much more tense place considering Deschanel and Boreanaz spent 12 whole years side by side before "Bones" was canceled in 2017. Thankfully, they navigated their time well enough so that the biggest "Bones" moments were on-screen rather than off.