White Collar's Matt Bomer Confirms 'Real Conversations' About Revival

Vlada Gelman
·3 min read

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Neal Caffrey is very much plotting a new White Collar con.

“There’s nothing that I would want more than to be on a set with this group of people again,” star Matt Bomer shared during a virtual White Collar reunion on Thursday via the Stars in the House YouTube channel. “There are real conversations happening. There seems to be a lot of excitement about it. What form that takes and how it plays out and whether all the creatives involved can work it out and make it happen is yet to be seen. But we’re all really optimistic and hopeful.”

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Buzz about a potential return of the “blue skies” series, which aired from 2009-2014 on USA Network, ignited this week when creator Jeff Eastin tweeted, “Had a great convo with Matt Bomer. We have a plan to bring #WhiteCollar back. So, as Mozzie might say, ‘To quote Steve Harvey, ‘The dream is free. The hustle is sold separately.’ It’s time to hustle.” Bomer — who told TVLine in February that he believes the cast would “be there in a heartbeat” for a revival — responded with “🧐👍.”

Leading men Bomer and Tim DeKay (who played Peter Burke) were joined on hosts’ Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley’s web show (in support of The Trevor Project) by co-stars Sharif Atkins (Clinton Jones), Hilarie Burton (Sara Ellis), Willie Garson (Mozzie), Marsha Thomason (Diana Berrigan) and Tiffani Thiessen (Elizabeth Burke/Mrs. Suit).

Read on for highlights from the reunion’s reminiscing:

* While Bomer was convinced that DeKay was the guy to play Peter (“It has to be him!” Bomer exclaimed after reading with his scene partner), his own audition process was an “uphill battle” because they originally wanted someone in their forties and British for the role of Neal, Bomer revealed.

* Unlike with some shows, “We were actually all very sad when it ended,” Thiessen admitted.

* Garson confirmed that Mozzie did, indeed, know that Neal was alive at the end of the series. In fact, at his request, a scene was shot of Mozzie walking with a one-way ticket to Paris sticking out of his pocket to make it explicitly clear. Ultimately, producers felt the Queen of Hearts playing card was a big enough hint.

* In Season 1, Bomer wanted to always wear Neal’s ankle bracelet, even if viewers couldn’t see it in the shot. But over time, the device became uncomfortable and frequently fell off. “My dream was, somehow, they would figure out a way to make it my mic pack as well,” Bomer said.

* After a “horrible experience” on a certain teen drama, Burton was “very hesitant to sign on to do anything again,” the actress said. Thankfully, her agent, who also represented Bomer at the time, assured her White Collar was a “really lovely” and “special” place to work. “So I gambled on it, and they completely retaught me how television was supposed to be and what a set was supposed to be like,” Burton shared, adding that it’s her favorite job she’s ever done. “It was healthy [and] loving and really supportive. It has set the bar so high for every other job that’s come after… It took care of me in a way that a job had never taken care of me before.”

* Garson has a black-and-white photo of late co-star Diahann Carroll (aka June Ellington), who died in October 2019, in his home. Awww.

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