By the time this episode aired in December 2015, Thyne had played Hodgins in more than 200 episodes of the show. In fact, he was one of only four actors to appear in every single episode of “Bones.” Needless to say, he was comfortable with the role by this point. But this major event did provide a significant jolt to his comfort level. That said, Peterson further explained that the actor seemed to relish the opportunity. Plus, the crew was committed to ensuring that this was a more authentic depiction of paralysis than you might typically see on TV:
“We don’t want it to be a TV convention version of paralysis. It’s very real. And again, I’m just in awe of TJ’s commitment. The other day, I think it was like wrapping bungee cords around your legs or something, just to experience what it feels like to really have no feelings at all. Our rule right now is that we don’t want it to be like ‘Downton Abbey’ where this miraculous thing happens right away. It just seems silly, and our people know the medicine He will go through the ringer. […] Certainly, when you see Hodgins for the first time, he feels like he can be himself again, and we’re going to throw things at him, throw obstacles at him. That’s his hope, but it’s not going to be that easy.”
Perhaps it would have been easy for some actors to take the easy way out for something like this. But Before joining “Bones,” Thyne had reservations about accepting a long-form role on a television series. A lot of it had to do with not wanting to do the same thing over and over again. That being the case, it seems like something that would excite the actor in him after a decade as Hodgins.
“Bones” is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Hulu.
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