'White Collar' star hypes new episode

"White Collar" co-star Tim DeKay is pulling double duty on the hit USA series this week. The actor will not only attempt to keep up with Matt Bomer's Neal Caffrey in front of the camera, he'll also be sitting in the director's chair.

Juggling both responsibilities is no easy task, as the actor told Zap2It in a recent interview regarding tonight's new episode. "I think the biggest challenge for any of these episodes is the clock. The writers always write a wonderful big episode, so it seems, and you always want to be able to have a lot of coverage," DeKay said. "You think of all these cool shots, but there just isn't enough time in the day. So, the biggest challenge is ... you tell the story in the 'White Collar' fashion, and make sure it's snappy, it's fun, it's clever, and all those other adjectives we can think of for the show."

The episode, entitled "Empire City," finds the con man/G-Man team on the trail of a money laundering racket, which leads Peter and Neal to the famed Cotton Club of New York City. "I will tell you one of my favorite moments for the episode that I directed was ... Diahann Carroll sang two songs at the Cotton Club, so I got to direct her to sing a couple songs," the actor said.

The episode will also delve into a new dynamic in the often testy working relationship of Caffrey and Burke, as Peter's wife Elle (Tiffani Thiessen) gives Neal her blessing to lie to her husband if he feels he may be in danger.
"Neal and Peter have never lied to each other to their faces," explained DeKay. "Now, one might argue that there's been many lies of omission, there have been a lot of lies, insofar as not coming forth and telling the other person what's going on. But regardless, if Peter has ever asked Neal a point blank question, he has never lied to his face. But in this particular instance, Neal was given the green light by Peter's wife to lie."

DeKay continued, "It's great that we have it that there is always that dynamic. Peter and Neal are always on the case enjoying each other's company; although, they'll never admit it. Two dear friends, best friends, and yet there is always a secret. There's always something going on. There's a chess game going on and they're not quite revealing everything that needs to be revealed. And most of the time that -- those reveals are not given to each other because they think it's benefiting the other person by not telling them."

Don't miss a new episode of "White Collar" tonight on USA!