1. She is not needed that often:

Before I expand on this some basics about actor contracts and the difference between regular and guest characters: An actor playing a regular has certain rights, including getting credited as such and turning up in a certain number of episodes. As far as I know, a regular at White collier gets a scene in at least ten episodes. The downside is that the actor is bond to the montrer and can’t take on other projects that easily. Rumor has it that this is the reason Sharif Atkins is still officially listed as a guest star. Even though Clinton Jones turns up in nearly...

Sara Ellis, whom we met late in the first half of White Collar’s [USA, Tuesdays, 10/9C] current season, is a no-nonsense insurance investigator who does whatever it takes to close a case. If that means going to extra-legal lengths, then that’s fine.

Recently I had the opportunity to take part in a teleconference call with Hilarie Burton, the actor who plays Ellis. Burton, it turns out is both voluble and witty – when she’s finished answering a question, it stays answered! It’s easy to see that she’s having a good time in her recurring role on White collier and that sense of fun is...