Warning: Contains SPOILERS for FBI: Season 4 International Premiere.
Following Scott Forrester’s departure from Luke Kleintank FBI: International has a new Fly Team leader. Jesse Lee Soffer, previously known for playing Jay Halstead in Chicago Policereturns to the Dick Wolf universe as Supervisory Special Agent Wes Mitchell. The premiere is titled “A Leader, Not a Tourist” and finds Wes working alongside the team after his partner, Mike, is shot in the field. Although new to the series, Soffer’s character served as Vo’s training agent, creating a pre-established connection between the characters.
Mike succumbs to his injuries in the hospital, which further motivates Wes to find his killer and bring him to justice. Soffer says the heartbreaking death caught his character off guard in Season 4, leading Wes to accept the Fly Team position and throw himself into the new job. Despite the loss of several significant relationships, Wes has a friend to lean on in Vo, and the actor hopes to learn more about his story in future episodes.
Screen speech Soffer interview about the change of Chicago Police to FBI: International Season 4, the impact of Mike’s death and what fans can expect from Supervisory Special Agent Wes Mitchell in upcoming episodes.
Soffer’s Chicago Police training prepared him for his FBI: International role
“The joke I made before was that Wes and Jay Halstead hold the gun the same way.”
Screen Speech: Like Chicago Police, FBI: International It’s also a Dick Wolf show, so what inspired you to stay in that genre but move away from playing Jay?
Jesse Lee Soffer: Dick Wolf doesn’t make bad TV. He kind of cornered the market, and when the opportunity arose, it was obviously Wolf and Matt Olmstead, who wrote the beginning of PD, who was the showrunner originally for the first five seasons of Chicago PD. Oh, this is going to be amazing. I can create a new character with Matt and travel to Budapest.” There are a lot of cool things in this show.
What was the biggest difference between playing a detective and a special agent?
Jesse Lee Soffer: That’s interesting. This guy travels all over Europe, sometimes outside his jurisdiction, so we are constantly working with local authorities in Portugal, Morocco or Paris. And then there are all kinds of hoops and bureaucracy that they have to jump over or go under and just get through.
That’s a fun element in the show – that he’s always doing his own thing and saying, ‘We’re going to get the job done no matter what, even if we’re not supposed to be here, or we’re not supposed to be here. be doing what we’re doing.” So that’s a lot of fun.
Obviously, there are a lot of stunts, and you are well versed in using props or firearms. Did you have to undergo any additional training or have you already done so?
Jesse Lee Soffer: Yes, I was already quite trained. [Laughs] I was saying a moment ago that Brian Luce, who is the technical advisor and one of the producers on PD now, really trained us a lot. The joke I made before was that Wes and Jay Halstead hold the gun the same way.
Mike’s death ‘throws Wes for a loop’ in FBI: International season 4
“His girlfriend just left him and he has all this sadness. His partner is dead and he’s like, “’I can go home and do all this, or I can dedicate myself to a new job.’”
Jumping ahead to the Season 4 premiere, I would describe Wes as someone who is very passionate and quick to react. Is this accurate?
Jesse Lee Soffer: Sometimes, yes. Sometimes he reacts quickly. It flies a little by the seat of his pants. He has a drive and goes with it. I would agree.
How does this help or hinder you in this new role?
Jesse Lee Soffer: It only hurts him with Smitty. It will do the job. He’s going to catch the bad guy, but on the way to doing that, he’s going to break some rules, maybe break some laws, and Smitty is going to get very frustrated. So in that way, it can hurt you. But in every other way, being impulsive, or following a hunch, or having an impulse to go somewhere or break a rule, all of these things lead to progress and getting work done.
We only met Mike for a few minutes, but I fell in love with him from the start. How will his death affect Wes throughout Season 4?
Jesse Lee Soffer: I fell in love with him too. He was incredible. RonReaco [Lee] He’s such a good actor, he did a great job and it’s a very complicated role too. You have to make the audience fall in love with that guy for the episode to work, and he really did. Man, was he great? I can’t say enough about this guy. This really hits Wes. This really confuses you.
And then he got the opportunity to run the Fly team, and I think he said, “I could go home.” His girlfriend just left him and he’s in all this pain. His partner died and he said, “I can go home and do all this, or I can throw myself into a new job, a new job. Focus on the work, move on, move on.” And that is the choice he makes.
Soffer Teases Wes and Vo’s FBI: International Season 4 Dynamics
“Sometimes she has to put his ass on the line, and he listens, which is nice.”
Wes admits he’s not good at being alone. Is this something we’ll see him work on this season?
Jesse Lee Soffer: He’s certainly spending more time alone. I think he has a good friend and a shoulder in Vo, whether he uses that shoulder or not. They have an interesting story. We definitely see him focusing on work for a while, so maybe he’s dealing with being alone. [Laughs]
I already love the dynamic between Wes and Vo. We know he trained her, but will we continue to learn more about their story? Is a flashback possible?
Jesse Lee Soffer: No, I doubt you’ll see a flashback, but they definitely represent some of that dynamic and there will be more backstory, I’m sure, that will be revealed at some point. He trained her, was very hard on her, and said, “Okay, you want to be an FBI agent? So here are the tools you need. Sink or swim.”
I think it comes full circle of her wanting him to join the Fly team, it’s really cool that she says, ‘I appreciate now, how hard you were on me because you helped me be the agent that I am.’ And then her saying that and bringing him up, he respects her, and he respects that. Sometimes she has to put his ass on the line and he listens, which is nice.
How many episodes have you filmed so far this season?
Jesse Lee Soffer: We’re in the middle of episode 7.
Of these seven, which would you say is your favorite?
Jesse Lee Soffer: I have to say the first one, just because it was such a new thing and it felt like a pilot, and it was a whole new character. Finding new beats, new energy and a new point of view, all of that is always very exciting. So 1 is definitely my favorite. They are all great. There are some really exciting episodes. 2 also has a lot of energy, high stakes, really great scenes. They are all great.
About the CBS procedural drama FBI: International
Created by Derek Haas and Dick Wolf
From Emmy winner Dick Wolf, fast-paced drama FBI: International is the third iteration of the hit FBI brand that follows the elite agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s International Fly Team. Based in Budapest, they travel throughout Europe with the mission of tracking and neutralizing threats against American citizens wherever they are, putting their lives at risk to protect the USA and its people.
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FBI: International Season 4 airs Tuesdays at 9pm ET/PT on CBS and is available to stream the next day on Paramount+.