FBI: International: Jesse Lee Soffer Compares New Role to Chicago P.D.’s Halstead, Mulls Upton Run-In

Chicago P.D. alum Jesse Lee Soffer finds himself in a different corner of the Dick Wolf Televisual Universe when CBS’ FBI: International kicks off its fourth season this Tuesday at 9/8c.

Big Brother Finale Recap: Did the Right Houseguest Win Season 26?

The FBI offshoot said a proper-ish goodbye to Scott Forrester with its May finale, shortly after the Fly Team’s boss suddenly vanished. Weeks later, TVLine broke the news that Soffer would be en route to Budapest, to take on the role of Supervisory Special Agent Wesley “Wes” Mitchell.

TVLine spoke with Soffer about his new gig in the DWTU, how P.D.’ s Hailey Upton might react if she resurfaced overseas and met Wes, and more.

TVLINE | When you first got called about this, did you feel like you were being punked, being asked to join a different Dick Wolf TV Universe?
No, not at all. I kept in close contact with a lot of old bosses and Dick Wolf personnel, and obviously [ FBI: International showrunner] Matt Olmstead is a good friend, and he was the creator of P.D. So, when this came about and Matt was a part of it, I was not hugely surprised, but pleasantly surprised.

TVLINE | Is this a case where Matt calls you, or Dick calls you? how does that actually happen?
A little of column A, a little of column B. It was everybody kind of saying, “Hey, is this something that we can do? Does this feel good to everybody?” It was pretty cool.

TVLINE | Because Tracy Spiridakos, of course, crossed her P.D. character over to the original FBI for a hot second, so she exists in this world.
That is true! That is true. Who knows? You, hypothetically, could see a Spiridakos crossover onto FBI: International .

TVLINE | And then she sees Wes and does an epic double-take.
Yeah, “Do I know you? I feel like I recognize you…. Weird!”

TVLINE | Most simply said, how would you compare Wes to Jay Halstead?
They’re definitely very different, especially [compared to] Jay when I was exiting the show, and he was a very dark, very heavy character. With a lot of baggage. He had really been put through the wringer, was very brooding, and needed to go find himself. You can lose yourself when you’re close to Voight on Chicago P.D . Wes, meanwhile, is kind of a free bird. He’s doing his own thing. He’s a little unaffected, and just enjoying being himself. He’s good at his job and he likes it — though he’s a little unconventional.

TVLINE | Talk about the circumstances under which FBI: International viewers first meet Wes.
In the first episode, Wes’ partner gets shot, and the offenders flee to Budapest; they’re part of a robbery crew. While Wes’ partner is in the hospital, he is a man on fire, and takes it upon himself to head out to Budapest, link up with the Fly Team, and go after these guys.

Tracker's Justin Hartley Breaks Down the Season 2 Premiere -- and Tees Up Jensen Ackles' Return in Episode 2

TVLINE | I know it’s early goings, but have you seen Wes enjoy any particular dynamic with any of the Fly Team members?
Definitely. There’s a nice bit of history that Matt [Olmstead] carved out for Wes and Vo (Vinessa Vidotto). Vo was one of his trainees when he was a field training officer, and when she got out of the academy, and he was one of the first agents that she met. He was really hard on her back then, so they have an interesting dynamic — and she’s actually the one that ends up kind of pulling him in and saying, “Why don’t you come run with our team?”

TVLINE | Does Forrester’s name come up at all? Is anyone still smarting form his exit, like, “Be gone, new guy. You’re not Scott”?
Oh, oh, no, no, it’s not like that. There’s an interim boss who’s running the Fly Team, and that guy is, like, on the wine-and-cheese circuit just enjoying working in Europe, and they’re like, “We need a real leader. We need somebody who wants to do this job.”

TVLINE | Perhaps most critically, does Wes get to meet Tank?
Wes does get to meet Tank fairly soon. Tank takes a liking to Wes, they’re very cozy right away. [ See exclusive first look above .]

TVLINE | If you win the dog over, man, that’s half the job.
That’s half the battle.

TVLINE | What sort of things will we learn about Wes? Any family? Where he’s from?
Wes is an ex-LAPD officer. He did that for a while before becoming an FBI agent, so he likes to kind of do things his own way, he’s not always by the book. He doesn’t always follow procedure, which Smitty, obviously, gets pretty frustrated with, so they have to navigate that relationship. Also, Wes grew up in the foster system in L.A. and ended up adopted by a police officer, and that’s why Wes becomes a cop.

TVLINE | Any hints at his romantic past or status?
I think I can say this: Wes is currently in a relationship. You do meet Wes’ lady in the first episode, and that will be a cause for future drama. Let’s just leave it at that.

Want scoop on FBI: International , or for any other FBI TV show ? Shoot an email to InsideLine@tvline.com , and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line!

NCIS: Origins Review: Winning Cast, Ongoing Mystery Element Elevate Slow-Burn Prequel Spinoff