Warning: Contains spoilers for the FBI: International season 4 premiere.
Following the exit of Luke Kleintank’s Scott Forrester, FBI: International Has a new flight team leader. Jesse Lee Soffer, formerly known for playing Jay Halstead in Chicago PDReturns to the Dick Wolf universe as Supervisory Special Agent Wes Mitchell. The premiere is titled “A Guide, Not a Tourist” and sees Wes working alongside the team after his partner, Mike, is shot in the field. While new to the series, Soffer’s character served as Vo’s training agent, creating a pre-established connection between the characters.
Mike is succumbing to his injuries in the hospital, which further motivates Wes to find his killer and bring him to justice. Soffer shares that the heartbreaking death catches his character off-guard in season 4, pushing Wes to accept the flight team position and throw himself into the new job. Despite the loss of several significant relationships, Wes has a friend to support him in Vo, and the actor hopes to learn more about their story in future episodes.
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Screen Rant Interviews softer about switching from Chicago PD 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 PD training prepared him for his FBI: international role
“The joke I made earlier was that Wes and Jay Halstead hold the gun the same way.”
Screen Rant: Like Chicago PD, FBI: International Is also a Dick Wolf show, so what inspired you to stay in that genre, but move on from playing Jay?
Jesse Lee Safer: Dick Wolf doesn’t make bad TV. He was cornering the market, and when the opportunity came up, it was obviously Wolfe and Matt Olmstead, who wrote the beginning of PD, who was the showrunner originally for the first five seasons of Chicago PD and so I was Like, “Oh, this is going to be awesome, I’m going to make a new character with Matt. There’s so much cool in this game.
What was the biggest difference between playing a detective and a special agent?
Jesse Lee Soffer: That’s interesting. The guy is traveling all over Europe, sometimes away from his jurisdiction, so we are constantly working with local law enforcement in Portugal or Morocco or Paris. And so there’s all sorts of hoops and red tape that they have to jump through or go under and just break through.
That’s a fun element of the show — that he’s always doing his own thing and going, “We’re going to do the job, no matter what, even if we’re not supposed to be here, or we’re not supposed to be here. Do what we’re doing.” .” So this is a lot of fun.
There are of course plenty of stunts, and you’re no stranger to using props or firearms. Do you have to go through any additional training, or did you already have it covered?
Jesse Lee Safer: Yes, I was pretty trained already. [Laughs] I said just a minute ago that Brian Luce, who is the tech advisor and one of the producers on PD now, actually trained us that way. The joke I made earlier was that Wes and Jay Halstead hold the gun the same way.
Mike’s death “throws Weas for a loop” in FBI: International season 4
“His girlfriend just left him, and he has all this grief. His partner is dead, and he’s like, ‘I can go home to whatever, or I can throw myself into a new job.’
Jumping into the Season 4 premiere, I would describe Wes as someone who is very passionate and quick to react. Is this accurate?
Jesse Lee Safer: Sometimes, yes. Sometimes he is quick to react. He flies a little by the seat of his pants. He has an impulse and he goes with it. I would agree.
How does that help or hurt him in this new role?
Jesse Lee Safer: It just hurts him with Smithy. He will get the job done. He’s going to catch the bad guy, but on the way to doing it, he’s going to break some rules, maybe break some laws, and Smithy is going to be really angry. So in that way, it can hurt him. But in all the other ways, being impulsive, or going on a rampage, or having an impulse to go somewhere or break a rule, things all move toward progress and getting the job done.
We’ve only known Mike for a few minutes, but I’ve been in love with him from the start. How will his death affect Wes throughout season 4?
Jesse Lee Soffer: I’m in love with him too. He was amazing. RonReaco [Lee] Is such a good actor, has such a great job, and it’s also such a tricky role. You have to have the audience fall in love with the guy for that episode to work, and he really did. Man, was he great? I can’t say enough about this guy. It really hits Wes. It really throws him for a loop.
And then he’s presented with the opportunity to lead the flight team, and I think he’s like, “I can go home.” His girlfriend just left him, and he’s got all this grief. His partner is dead, and he’s like, “I can go home to whatever, or I can throw myself into a new job, a new gig. Focus on work, move forward, move through it.” And that’s the choice he makes.
Soffer teases Wes and Vo’s FBI: International Season 4 dynamic
– Sometimes she has to put him back in line, and he listens, which is nice.
Wes admits that he is not good at being alone. Is this something we’ll see him work on this season?
Jesse Lee Soffer: He’s definitely spending more time alone. I think he has a good friend and a shoulder in Wo, whether he uses that shoulder or not. They have an interesting backstory. We definitely see him just focused 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 history? Is a flashback possible?
Jesse Lee Soffer: No, I doubt you’ll see a flashback, but they’re definitely playing out some of that dynamic and there will be more backstory, I’m sure, that will come out at some point. He trained her, he was really hard on her, and he said, “Okay, you want to be an FBI agent? Here are the tools you need. Sink or swim.”
I think that it was a full circle in her wanting him to join the flight team, it’s really cool that she’s like, “I appreciate it now, how hard you were on me then because you helped me be the agent that I am .” And when she said that and she took him in, he respected her, and he did. Sometimes she has to put his ass back in 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 the seven, which one would you say is your favorite?
Jesse Lee Safer: I’d 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 and a new energy and a new point of view, all that stuff is always really exciting. So 1 is definitely my favorite. All of them are great. There are some really exciting episodes. 2 is also really high energy, high stakes, really big scenes. They are all great.
About the CBS procedural drama FBI: International
Created by Derek Haas and Dick Wolf
From Emmy Award winner Dick Wolf, fast-paced drama FBI: International is the third iteration of the successful FBI series that follows the elite operatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s International Flight Team. Headquartered in Budapest, they travel across Europe with the mission of tracking and neutralizing threats against American citizens wherever they may be, putting their lives on the line to protect the US and its people.
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FBI: International Season 4 premieres Tuesdays at 9pm ET/PT on CBS and is available to stream next day on Paramount+.