Tonight’s episode of White Collar, “As You Were”, is a big one for Sharif Atkins (Clinton Jones) for two reasons: Jones finally gets the spotlight turned on him, and Sharif will be in the opening credits for the first time! Congratulations! We talked to him about his experiences on the show and what he’d like to see in the future.
But first, Sharif has a message for you:
“I would say solid. Solid because he always has Burke’s back. You can always rely on him and as I am discovering as well, he’s proficient in tech speak. There are just a lot of things about him that you can definitely look to and rely on him if you’re Agent Burke, quite frankly even if you’re Neal Caffrey.”
On Jones’s ideal case, other than hunting for Neal:
“Wow. An ideal case to work on? Something other than Neal. Well, I think the ideal case actually is coming up [tonight]. I think actually it peaked my interest and it definitely had Agent Jones completely and thoroughly involved. A mix of personal, a mix of professional – it kind of brings out the best of him, I think.”
The USA Network crossover he’d love to do:
“One crossover? You know what, I would love to give the young men over at Psych the chance to walk through those FBI doors. I think that would be actually very fun and the rapport they have with each other, you know, that’d be a nice rival with the rapport that Caffrey and Burke have with each other. So that might be fun.”
What he thinks makes White Collar a hit:
“Hey, listen – there is nothing wrong with having a great-looking leading man. So you know what, I think the writers have found the ability of creating an awesome relationship between Bomer and Tim DeKay. I think that’s one of the things that draws the audience in. It’s interesting because the demographics for this show are all over the map. I mean I’ve seen some of every type of person say that they’re absolutely in love with White Collar … But I realize that the humor is excellent and I think the way the writers craft the season where this is this overarching storyline so the mystery is there with that leading guy Matt Bomer … So I think being able to follow along each episode knowing that there is going to be a big bang at the end of the season, for instance, is something that probably attracts smart viewers. I think it’s a smart show.”
His love of his job:
“You know what, in terms of challenging, I don’t know if that’s a word I’d use to describe as far as working with the cast, it’s been great. As far as sort of uncovering the storylines that they put out every week and a half, I think that has been great.So I wouldn’t say anything is necessarily challenging. It’s always a joy to go to work every morning.”
Watch Sharif Atkins in White Collar on Tuesdays at 9/8c on USA!
Photo Courtesy of USA Network
