FBI: International has a new SSA, and he's a family face to fans of Dick Wolf's TV universe. Jesse Lee Soffer just made his debut on the CBS drama as another law enforcement officer, but not the one he played for a decade on Chicago P.D . He's now Agent Wes Mitchell, a seasoned agent from California who didn't really intend on moving to Budapest anytime soon. He met up with the Fly Team to chase after the people who had murdered his friend and fellow agent, and found a group of agents just sort of flailing with a new boss who was constantly on vacation.
It was quickly established that Vo ( Vinessa Vidotto ) has known Mitchell for a long time, as she was a trainee under him. He was a hardass to her, and to the rest of the team, he's also a bit reckless. He just ran off to talk to suspects without letting anybody else know, and it took the team some time to get used to.
By the end of the episode, it was clear that the Fly Team worked well with Mitchell, and he suddenly had no ties to California anymore. His best friend was dead and his coworker girlfriend dumped him, so Vo asked if he'd like to stay and lead the team in Budapest. Clearly he says yes, and thus begins a new era for International, and for Soffer.
In an interview with Parade , the actor teased what's to come from the new boss.
Related: Everything to Know About FBI: International Season 4
What are you hoping to bring to the team as the new leader?
I think the team that's there now, they're young. Vo started off as a rookie in Season 1. Raines is young, tons of energy. And I think coming off of P.D. and playing a cop for 10 years and coming in with more veteran energy, I think it'll be a nice motivator to congeal team members around him and have a new attitude. That's my hope.
Is it tough going from a police officer for 10 years to being an FBI agent, and having to shed that character you played for so long?
Good question. It's totally hard. A cop thought is a cop thought, you know? "Put your hands up!" When you're throwing commands at somebody, you're like, "I am having the exact same thoughts as the previous guy." And then I have to go, "Wait a second, that felt like [the other guy]. I gotta readjust my brain and have a different point of view." It's a constant focus, just because I did that for so long. Sometimes it feels tricky and I still feel Halstead in there. And then I shake that off and go, "Okay, let's go one more time," and find a different bit of subtext or a different vibe, and that's Wes.
What kind of work have you and the team done to make sure he's a completely different guy from Halstead?
Matt Olmstead, who wrote the beginning of P.D. and is one of the creators of International, is a great writer and a good friend, and he knows how to write for me. It was like, "Okay, this guy doesn't give a shit. He's gonna do what he wants to do. He flies by the seat of his pants. He does not do things by the book, and I think the vibe we're going for is that he's enjoying himself. Halstead was very brooding and had a lot of baggage, and Wes is carefree. He's just kind of flowing. He's fluid, which is really fun to play. It's something totally new.
What's it like for you to make that switch from a buttoned-up police officer to a carefree FBI guy?
It's a definite switch. It's a fun new attitude. Because on P.D. , you're living in character all day, and things are hard and gritty. You've got these dark thoughts and stuff. Wes is enjoying himself more, which is actually easier.
A lot of life changes happen to Wes in this episode, and he's reconsidering his whole life by the end. How does that go throughout the season? Does he adjust quickly?
I think after the first couple of episodes, he's a little wishy washy, like, "I don't know if this is the right move." He's got some grief going on. And then I think making the decision to stay and run the Fly Team is him going, "I'm going to move through this. I'm going to work through this. I'm going to put my energy into this, I'm going to look forward." It happens pretty quick.
Is he bringing any baggage into this, like Forrester was?
Not in the way that I would consider real baggage. He's been through some stuff. He's been an agent and a cop, so he's definitely seen some things, and he's been a part of some things that were heavy and went south. There's storylines and characters from his past that come. But he's got a pretty good head on his shoulders and a good sense of himself, and he hasn't let those things drag him down or hold him back. So yes, baggage, but not baggage that's in his way.
Related: Eva-Jane Willis on Smitty's Big Surprise and Luke Kleintank's Exit From FBI: International
Forrester had so much going on with his mother, and with the way he left I imagine the team is a little messed up. What's it like for them to trust this new guy?
Obviously coming in, there's going to be apprehensions, but I think [Olmstead] did a great job of creating a dynamic with Wes and Vo that Vo got out of West Point and into the FBI where Wes was a training officer, and he was brutal to her. He was like, "Okay, you want to do this? This is how rough it can be. I'm going to put you through the wringer." They have an interesting dynamic right off the bat, and her point of view is interesting. She's grateful for it. She's like, "I am who I am because of that, so I think you should come and run the team." It's her idea, which is a really lovely story point that brings Wes into the fold.
What's their relationship like as the season unfolds?
They have a great partnership. She keeps him in line here and there, because he kind of does things his way. She's like, 'We can't really do that, we're in Europe, you can't cut corners.' We don't even have a right to be in some of these countries sometimes when we're there, so she's keeping him in line and he trusts her. He respects her, and he respects the agent that she is now, and he listens.
Does Wes come up against a lot of issues because of the way he just jumps into things without thinking?
Absolutely. That'll happen a bunch of times this season. He'll jump in, he'll dive in headfirst. He'll show up somewhere where he shouldn't. He'll make a call that we're going into some territory where we shouldn't be, and there will always be consequences, but none that he feels too worried about moving through.
Any arcs you're particularly excited about this season?
There's a fun arc [being filmed] right now. There's a case from Wes' past that kind of went sideways, and an old friend who took the brunt of the heat from that case shows up. They have an interesting dynamic, and Wes kind of brings him into the fold for a minute. They work through some of their issues, and that's a fun storyline.
Any romance coming up? He got a bit in this episode right away, then ended the episode heartbroken.
Right now, Wes is definitely focused on work, I can tell you that. Your guess is as good as mine.
Do you think he's kind of a playboy, or was that relationship he was in the kind of thing he wants in life?
That's interesting. I think he loves his job, and I think that law enforcement's hard. It's long hours and you're married to your work, and I think that's caused problems with him in relationships in the past. I think after his friend gets shot in the first episode, he's kind of just got blinders on, focused on work, at least for the time being.
Now we know all the FBI s take place in the same universe, and Haley Upton once made an appearance on FBI . So how does that work? Are Wes and Halstead doppelgangers?
We've actually joked about it, like, "What if they brought Upton's character to FBI: International ?" Maybe we would see each other and Wes would be like, "I feel like I know you," and she'd be like, "Yeah, you look really familiar. Anyway, here's this case I'm working!"
FBI: International airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBS.
Next, here's everything to know about Station 19 star Jay Hayden joining FBI: International .
Local News
Comments / 0