Interview: Tamala Jones Drops Exciting CASTLE Season 7 News

You can't expect a wedding to go off without a single hitch, even if it is your third trip down the aisle, as it should have been for the epoymous mystery writer on ABC's CASTLE. However, despite the twisting road that lead to the happy day, no one expected the wedding day to end with a flaming car in a ditch, and a missing groom-to-be. Despite the shocking ending to last season's finale, there is still a lot to look forward to in CASTLE's new season.

Recently, I spoke with Tamala Jones, who plays Dr. Lanie Parish, CASTLE's medical examiner and Beckett's best friend. Despite the cast being left in the dark for the entire hiatus, she promises that Season 7 is going to hit the ground running, and there might be something major happening for everybody who's shipping (and writing fan-fiction about) "Esplaine." Jones also talked about a new role that is very dear to her heart.

After reading our conversation, you will be primed and ready to go for tonight's CASTLE Season 7 Premiere on ABC at 10:00/9:00pm CT. For more info on the show, check out their official website: abc.go.com/shows/castle.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me today.

Oh, it's my pleasure.

We don't have a lot of time, so I want to jump right into it. In the season finale, the last image we see is Beckett looking over Castle's car in flames and we know the premiere picks up there. So, how do Kate, Lanie, Ryan, Esposito and everyone else do to trying to find him? Do they break into police mode right away in their tuxes and dresses?

Pretty much, it's Castle. So, we've got to figure this out. There was supposed to be a wedding, it's not happening, his car is on fire. "What is going on?" is the whole focal point right after that situation.

We know that Castle was run off the road on his way to the wedding by that big black SUV, but we don't know who was behind it. Is that a question that we will have answered pretty quickly, or will that become one of the central mysteries of the season, since we saw so much get wrapped up last year?

Oh, we're gonna find out pretty quickly (laughs). The team is on it (laughs)

I have to say I was kind of disappointed about not being able to see the reception, because I kind of got the feeling that Lanie might have been throwing some elbows to get to that bouquet when it was thrown.

That's what I was thinking. I mean, I was ready to go. But, unfortunately, Castle got himself in some kind of trouble, and this is what happens. So, I was a little disappointed. I was expecting Lanie to catch that bouquet and see a wedding, but as wonderful, and genius as our writers are, they left us hanging, and I was sitting through the hiatus like, "Ok, this is torture. I need a script to find out what is next."

How long before the finale was filmed did you guys know that this wasn't going to be a nice, happy end to the season?

They are very secretive about letting us know too much, and we basically get those scripts a day or two before we start a new episode. So, it's like, we get right into it.

What about for this new season? Do they give you any ideas as to what your character might be going through, so you can prepare, or is it completely new each episode; no season outline to look forward to at all?

No outline to look forward to. We are just in as much suspense as the audience until we get that script. But, I've been hearing little things. Definitely going to see a little bit more of Kate and Lanie coming together as girlfriends, which I think is great. And I also heard a little something, I don't know if I should tell you this, but someone told me (laughs), that possibly around Episode 10 of this season, there could be a major turning point for Esposito and Lanie in their relationship.

Finally!

I'm dying to find out what that is.

How far into the season are you guys right now?

We're on Episode 7 right now.

Ok, so you're getting close to that then. Well, we often see Lanie at the beginning of the episode at the crime scene, then later in the morgue, but beyond that, we don't often get to see her involved in the action. Is she going to get to go out and kick some butt a little more this season?

Definitely. Definitely. With the (last) season ending the way that it did; you know, Kate and Lanie are very close; they're like sisters from another mister, so Lanie is definitely going to try to help her best buddy try to figure out what happened. And in doing that, she's more involved in the storylines and what's going on with Castle; even more so outside of that, she's going to be a lot more involved, which I love.

Absolutely. You talk about being more involved beyond the case of the week, and the show will always have its procedural elements, but what has always impressed me with CASTLE is; there's always that question of "Will they or won't they?" in a lot of shows, and so many have the MOONLIGHTING effect, that when they finally do, the show loses some of its edge, but to me, your show has only gotten better since Castle and Beckett have finally admitted their feelings and moved forward with their relationship. What is it about the show that has allowed that forward moment to grow, when so many other shows falter?

I think it has a lot to do with the writing. They are very good at giving you a little leg, and then taking it back; very good at teasing. Giving you a little bit of what you're expecting, then twisting it on you, and giving you a whole new turn. I love that, and I think it also has a lot to do with the dynamic of the cast, and the energy we have between each other. We're always, before the scene, working the scene out, trying to come up with little extras that will give it some more of our character; we don't have to do much, because our writers pretty much have it covered.

So, I think it is the writing and the cast members; we have a great dynamic.

Absolutely. Well, you mentioned that you might have heard some rumors about Lanie and Esposito coming up later in the season, and you said that you didn't know yet what that might be, but if you had your choice, what would you see in the future of their relationship?

I think, if I had my choice, Lanie would pick up on what's going on with Tory and Esposito; like, "Is there some flirting going on? What is that? You know, you have a choice to make. It's me, or it's Tory, and you better pick me, or I'm going to be your worst nightmare." (laughs)

I don't think if he chose Tory that that would go over well with the fans either.

(Laughs) But it would give it a nice spin, if he dipped out a little bit, and started dating her, behind Lanie's back a little bit. It might be a nice twist.

It's like you said, give a little leg, and then pull it back. It could be a little bit of a tease, so I wouldn't put it past your writers.

I know we don't have a whole lot of time left, but I wanted to ask about your involvement with the Brain Aneurysm Foundation. How did you become the organization's new national spokesperson, and what will you be doing with them moving forward?

I am a brain aneurysm survivor, and I hide that for a long time, out of pride and embarrassment, but at this time in my life, and this age in my life, you know what? Let the pride fall down by the waste side. What happened to me, if I share that experience, I can save some lives. The whole point of me getting involved is to get the story out there that brain aneurysms don't have age limits; they can happen to new-born babies all the way through teenagers to elderly people, when most people think it is just an elderly thing, and it's not. I had mine when I was 23.

So, this organization and myself, we are very much on getting the information out there, and educating people on what a brain aneurysm is, what causes it, and we are trying to raise money to do research to see if there is anything that we can do that can prevent that, and what we can do to detect that earlier.

Right now I say, add a CAT Scan or an MRI to your regular physicals. That's not part of your physical when you go and get one, you have to ask for that. I think everyone should consider their head a very important part of their body; everything starts with the head, and we don't check that off enough. If I had done that, they probably would have seen it, and been able to stop it.

Mine actually ruptured, people normally die from ruptured brain aneurysms. So, it's a blessing that I'm here, and I have to share my story.

Absolutely, well, we are glad that you are in good health now. If people want to learn more, or contribute to the foundation, is there a website to best do that they can check out?

www.bafound.org. That's the place you can go online to get information and donate also. They have a donation option there, and I'm going to have one too on my website, pretty soon, so I will be tweeting about that.

Before we finish, coming into the new season, if you could wrap up what the fans can expect from the new season in a nice little package, what would that be?

I think I've told you everything I know, because they're like secret ninjas in the night in that writers' room; they will not let you in. But you aren't going to want to miss a single episode of Season 7. Everything we've shot so far has been so amazing, so exciting. And, I'm excited, I can't wait to see more of what we are going to do.

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CASTLE kicks off it's seventh season tonight at 10:00pm/9:00pm CT on ABC. For more on the season, visit CASTLE's official ABC page.

Are you dying to see what happens to Castle, and who ran him off the road? Let me know what you think in the comments below, or on Twitter @BWWMatt. Also, don't forget to follow @BWWTVWorld on Twitter and Like us on Facebook for all of the latest TV news, reviews, and recaps.

Photo Credit: ABC

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