'Bones': Zooey and Emily Deschanel get in the holiday spirit

When Zooey Deschanel guest-stars on "Bones" Thursday, it will mark the first time she and her sister Emily have ever worked together professionally.

So what took so long?

"I think that we've had different career paths. It seems weird, but it's sort of difficult to schedule," Zooey Deschanel said on a conference call last week. "I've talked about doing a 'Bones' episode for a couple of years now, but it never ended up working in my schedule because with films, you end up getting a job and you have to leave and go somewhere the next week sometimes." 

Zooey also notes that the show "is Emily's set," and she wanted to make sure that "everything was right" before agreeing to do the show.

"I think that both of us like to let each other have our space," she says. "There's always the one thing that I would fear of working with a family member is you always want to make sure you don't bring any silly bickering or anything like that to the set. We don't really do that so much anymore, but you worry that it will bring up your little family things.

"I was hesitant -- not hesitant, but I just wanted to make sure that everything was right. It was really fun. Emily was extremely welcoming and accommodating and very sweet. It ended up being really fun. I was glad I did it."

In Thursday's episode, Zooey Deschanel plays Margaret Whitesell, a second cousin of Brennan's (Emily Deschanel) whom Brennan's dad (returning guest star Ryan O'Neal) invites over for Christmas. The cousins do not hit it off -- which both sisters say is nothing like their real-life relationship. Here's a preview of the episode, along with several takes of the sisters cracking each other up:


For now, this episode is Zooey's only commitment to "Bones," but the door isn't closed to a return engagement: "I don't die at the end of the episode," she notes.

Emily: "Don't give anything away now. I'm joking. We'd love to have you back."

Zooey: "Thanks."

Emily: "Anytime. I think it is open-ended. I think it's open-ended for a reason. We'll see. It took us five seasons to figure out when Zooey could come on the show, and it may take five more seasons [to get her back]." 

Zooey: "Season ten."

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Photo credit: FOX