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An Interview with Tim DeKay [Peter Burke, 'White Collar']
By Rachel Thomas, About.com Guide
"Tim DeKay"USA Network Photo: Nigel Parry
February 2010
The cable networks have given us many great series over the last few years, so it didn't come as much of a surprise when USA Network announced plans to deliver another crime drama. Imagine our surprise when White Collar didn't turn out to be your typical crime drama, but a funny, smart, intriguing, sexy action-packed series. Audiences instantly fell in love with the show.
Tim DeKay portrays Peter Burke, the FBI agent who managed to capture one of the world's most successful white collar criminals and turn him into an irreplaceable asset for the bureau. I had the honor of speaking with this very charming and funny actor about how he got started in the business and his role in USA Network's White Collar....
Q: What made you decide to get into acting?
Tim: "I had always loved acting. I went to a very small public school in upstate New York that allowed me to play baseball and basketball and still be in school plays. It was after I graduated from Le Moyne College that I knew I wasn't going to go any further with baseball, but I still kept doing plays and community theater a lot and I realized it was my life -- it's what took up my weekends, what took up my time once I was done working. So, I figured if it's my life, maybe I can make it my livelihood. I went to Rutger's University for grad school and that's what started my career."
Q: What do you think you'd be doing now if acting hadn't worked out?
Tim: "I think maybe I would have been an architect. I love spacial relationships."
Q: How did your role on White Collar come to you?
Tim: "I had just been released from HBO, I had been with them for five years on Tell Me You Love Me and Carnivàle and I was free to go do other projects. The casting directors sent my agents and manager this particular script and said they really wanted me to come in. I read it and thought this was fantastic. I knew that it would depend on how well I read with the gentleman who was playing Neal because he was already cast. I went in and read with Matt and it was instant chemistry. After that, I felt it was my role to lose and if I didn't screw up, the role would be mine."
Q: Did you do anything special to prepare for the role?
Tim: "There was a guy by the name of Tom Barton who walked around with me, he was a technical adviser and a retired white collar FBI agent. He gave me a lot of advise about what these guys go through."
Q: What's ahead for Peter?
Tim: "Some undercover work, which we hope will get a chuckle out of people. There will certainly be more of the Kate-Fowler anthology. We'll also start to see the relationship between Neal and Peter grow and deepen. There are some situations that call for Peter to be not just a co-worker, but a friend to Neal. The writers have given us some great situations where we both save each other."
Q: Peter and Neal have a very unique relationship, do you think this sort of relationship exists within the FBI?
Tim: "I do think it's plausible because of what Tom told me. I don't know if there's an FBI agent and his ex-con partner who find themselves in a hotel room with a couple of French women... but from what Tom was telling me, he said he would develop relationships with these people. He would get Christmas cards from people in prison. There were times when his informant would cross the line too much and he'd have to go to that person's house and tell him to pack up. The line gets blurred constantly. My character gets faced with sometimes doing the right thing that's not necessarily on the right side of the law."
Q: It was revealed in the winter finale that Peter was controlling Kate -- is Peter a good guy or bad guy?
Tim: "It was revealed that I'm not a bad guy. Because I work for the FBI, I can find anybody and I told her to stay away from Neal because he is my friend. She told me that Neal has something the person who is holding her wants. Now it becomes clear that Neal has to get the music box, which is what this person who is holding Kate wants. We'll see how much Peter helps him get that music box."
Q: You've guest starred on many great television series, which role was your favorite?
Tim: "That's very difficult to say, right now I love playing Peter Burke. Certainly playing Jonesy on Carnivàle was a thrill. As far as guest stars, there was a show that was short-lived called Standoff where I got to play a crazy air traffic controller. I loved playing bizarro Jerry [on Seinfeld]."
Q: Do you have any projects in the works?
Tim: "I'm hoping to produce a movie my brother has written. It's a Mexican movie, a bilingual farce and we're hoping to produce it in Mexico this spring.
Q: Anything to say to the fans?
Tim: "Thanks so much for tuning in. We've got a lot more exciting, funny and smart episodes coming up."
source: http://tvdramas.about.com/od/whitecollar/a/timdekayint.htm
By Rachel Thomas, About.com Guide
"Tim DeKay"USA Network Photo: Nigel Parry
February 2010
The cable networks have given us many great series over the last few years, so it didn't come as much of a surprise when USA Network announced plans to deliver another crime drama. Imagine our surprise when White Collar didn't turn out to be your typical crime drama, but a funny, smart, intriguing, sexy action-packed series. Audiences instantly fell in love with the show.
Tim DeKay portrays Peter Burke, the FBI agent who managed to capture one of the world's most successful white collar criminals and turn him into an irreplaceable asset for the bureau. I had the honor of speaking with this very charming and funny actor about how he got started in the business and his role in USA Network's White Collar....
Q: What made you decide to get into acting?
Tim: "I had always loved acting. I went to a very small public school in upstate New York that allowed me to play baseball and basketball and still be in school plays. It was after I graduated from Le Moyne College that I knew I wasn't going to go any further with baseball, but I still kept doing plays and community theater a lot and I realized it was my life -- it's what took up my weekends, what took up my time once I was done working. So, I figured if it's my life, maybe I can make it my livelihood. I went to Rutger's University for grad school and that's what started my career."
Q: What do you think you'd be doing now if acting hadn't worked out?
Tim: "I think maybe I would have been an architect. I love spacial relationships."
Q: How did your role on White Collar come to you?
Tim: "I had just been released from HBO, I had been with them for five years on Tell Me You Love Me and Carnivàle and I was free to go do other projects. The casting directors sent my agents and manager this particular script and said they really wanted me to come in. I read it and thought this was fantastic. I knew that it would depend on how well I read with the gentleman who was playing Neal because he was already cast. I went in and read with Matt and it was instant chemistry. After that, I felt it was my role to lose and if I didn't screw up, the role would be mine."
Q: Did you do anything special to prepare for the role?
Tim: "There was a guy by the name of Tom Barton who walked around with me, he was a technical adviser and a retired white collar FBI agent. He gave me a lot of advise about what these guys go through."
Q: What's ahead for Peter?
Tim: "Some undercover work, which we hope will get a chuckle out of people. There will certainly be more of the Kate-Fowler anthology. We'll also start to see the relationship between Neal and Peter grow and deepen. There are some situations that call for Peter to be not just a co-worker, but a friend to Neal. The writers have given us some great situations where we both save each other."
Q: Peter and Neal have a very unique relationship, do you think this sort of relationship exists within the FBI?
Tim: "I do think it's plausible because of what Tom told me. I don't know if there's an FBI agent and his ex-con partner who find themselves in a hotel room with a couple of French women... but from what Tom was telling me, he said he would develop relationships with these people. He would get Christmas cards from people in prison. There were times when his informant would cross the line too much and he'd have to go to that person's house and tell him to pack up. The line gets blurred constantly. My character gets faced with sometimes doing the right thing that's not necessarily on the right side of the law."
Q: It was revealed in the winter finale that Peter was controlling Kate -- is Peter a good guy or bad guy?
Tim: "It was revealed that I'm not a bad guy. Because I work for the FBI, I can find anybody and I told her to stay away from Neal because he is my friend. She told me that Neal has something the person who is holding her wants. Now it becomes clear that Neal has to get the music box, which is what this person who is holding Kate wants. We'll see how much Peter helps him get that music box."
Q: You've guest starred on many great television series, which role was your favorite?
Tim: "That's very difficult to say, right now I love playing Peter Burke. Certainly playing Jonesy on Carnivàle was a thrill. As far as guest stars, there was a show that was short-lived called Standoff where I got to play a crazy air traffic controller. I loved playing bizarro Jerry [on Seinfeld]."
Q: Do you have any projects in the works?
Tim: "I'm hoping to produce a movie my brother has written. It's a Mexican movie, a bilingual farce and we're hoping to produce it in Mexico this spring.
Q: Anything to say to the fans?
Tim: "Thanks so much for tuning in. We've got a lot more exciting, funny and smart episodes coming up."
source: http://tvdramas.about.com/od/whitecollar/a/timdekayint.htm
