Ryan Cartwright on Vincent Nigel Murray's [SPOILER] last night on 'Bones' -- EXCLUSIVE

Image Credit: Michael Becker/FOX

SPOILERS AHEAD: Ryan Cartwright was in Toronto when he called EW, almost 16 hours after his character Vincent Nigel Murray took a bullet intended for Booth on Bones. And he was quite cheery for a man who’d just died.

He has every reason to be, though. Not only did his character manage to capture the hearts of fans in just a few spotty episodes, but his Syfy channel pilot, Alphas, ensures that Cartwright (pictured, right) has a place to call home post-Bones. Not to mention, he gets the satisfaction of possibly being the man who is responsible for finally getting Booth and Brennan together. In our exclusive chat, we cover this and more with our dearly departed squintern. 

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So last night, you had me bawling. I was inconsolable.
RYAN CARTWRIGHT: [Laughs] That’s great. Or, wait, I’m sorry, I guess.

Don’t be! It was great. Have you seen the episode yet?
No, I’m going to watch it tonight. But I saw my death scene because I had to go in and do some ADR [i.e. dialogue replacement], which was weird. I had to go in and do my terminal breath and record my final gasps. It’s a weird thing to go do on a Sunday afternoon. But I have yet to see the full episode.

When you were on scene filming it, what was the environment among the cast?
It was just miserable. It was what you’d think. And it was so well written, it would have been easier if I was shot and died straight away. But to have to do a death bed scene where you’re begging to stay alive — it’s a bit uncomfortable. I think the rest of the cast and crew were happy to get off the train and get back to the giggles.

But I can’t imagine there weren’t some real tears on set during that.
I think there were a couple of lip-quiverings. And the editor came up to me the next day and gave me a hug because she said she’d been crying all day piecing it together.

In terms of Vincent himself, he was such a randomly beloved character. When you first came on as him, did you ever anticipate the squinterns getting a following?
Oh, no. Not at all. Originally, he was in one episode, and I was like, “Oh, that’s a great character.” And since it’s been a fantastic little Christmas gift every time he came back. I had no idea that it would blow up the way it did. It’s been fantastic for me.

Well, speaking of Vincent’s rotating schedule, a few fans noticed that he’d been on for a few episodes, and then he made his “peace” with the confessions. So some saw it coming, I think. Were you expecting it?
Something had been mentioned in passing. And people had said one of the squinterns were going to go. So I felt it in the wind.

Well, if you were going to die, at least you died for a reason. You could be the reason Brennan and Booth finally got together!
[Laughs] Yeah, however I can help. If that’s what it takes.

Do you know whether or not they went through with it?
Oh, no! I only get the scripts of my episode.

So you’re on the ride with the rest of us.
Yeah, I’m with the rest of you.

So in sum, how would you characterize your time on the show?
It’s kind of summed up on the blooper reels. It’s a lot of laughs. Everyone there loves doing the show. It’s a lot of giggles.

Favorite Vincent scene?
Oh, I saw the one the other day where I was confessing to Emily that I had told people we were in a relationship. That made me giggle. And any scene I had with John Francis Daly, because we sat there giggling like little school boys all day.

So I know you’re working on a show now for Syfy, Alphas. What can you tell me about it and about your character?
It’s going to be a real treat for Syfy fans. And hopefully some Nigel Murray fans will have a look, too. I play a guy called Gary Bell who’s an American and he’s a functioning autistic fella. And he has the ability to see any electromagnetic wavelengths, so he can read what’s on your cellphone, tell where people are, look through security cameras, and whatnot. It’s basically a group of us, the Alphas, who have these special abilities beyond the edges. And this [character] Doctor Rosen [played by David Strathairn] and us are a therapy group. And what’s happening now is that the government is having to use us to track down other Alphas. And some people with these abilities are the bad guys. We have to help track them down.

That sounds much more action-packed that Nigel Murray is accustomed to. Do you get to do fighting and stunts?
Yeah. I was just biting a guy’s neck the other day. And my bony, British body is covered in bruises. There’s quite a bit of action.

Well, we can’t wait to see it. But we are going to miss you.
There’s always re-runs.

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