FBI star Jeremy Sisto: ‘It was an exciting role I hadn’t played before’

Tonight’s FBI shines a spotlight on Jeremy Sisto, who spoke about how playing Jubal Valentine in the CBS series is taking him in a new direction.

Jeremy Sisto is excellent in FBI, helping to steer the team as Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine. Now tonight’s episode of the CBS series is shedding some light on his character’s personal life, giving him an opportunity to take center stage.

Before the episode airs, Sisto spoke to One Chicago Center about why portraying Jubal is different from many of his previous roles. He also talked about re-teaming with creator Dick Wolf after his three seasons starring as Cyrus Lupo on Law & Order, and working with creatives from Wolf’s One Chicago franchise.

In addition to his performance on FBI, Jeremy Sisto will also be participating in Homeward LA‘s Kick-Off 2019 event to support the Midnight Mission and help the homeless community. You can get tickets for the Apr. 23 event, which also includes Alfre Woodard, Jeff Ross and Patrick J. Adams, by clicking here.

Learn more about Jeremy Sisto and his character in our interview below, then don’t miss the next new FBI tonight at 9 p.m. on CBS!

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One Chicago Center: FBI is your second Dick Wolf series. Was working with him again part of what attracted you to this show?

Jeremy Sisto: I was excited by the idea that he was trying to create a brand new franchise, and I could be at the beginning of one of his efforts. It’s something I wasn’t a part of. I was a part of the end of a 20 year run of what was the beginning of a huge franchise [in Law & Order].

I had experience within the Dick Wolf world and found it to be comforting in a way. Consistent in a way that a lot of the shows that I’ve worked on of late, were not. There’s a tendency these days towards not having one particular voice or one particular overarching set of values on a show. So that can be kind of chaotic.

But when you join a Dick Wolf show, you really understand that there’s going to be a very tested way of making big decisions. And so it was definitely a part of the equation.

Was there also something about Jubal Valentine that originally hooked you?

It was also that role was different. Within the Law & Order franchise, my character was more about being out in the street and interviewing people and tracking down the criminals using my city grit. This was much more about being the person within the mechanism, which is the FBI, and really being the one that is able to make the gears turn smoothly, and is able to utilize all of the technological and connectivity parts of the organization.

it was an exciting role that I hadn’t played before. To be the person in the front of the room that’s connecting all the pieces, the one that has agents in the streets, and he is the brain of it.

And having some more authority, because he’s the Assistant Special Agent in Charge. Was that a fun change of pace for you, even though he’s not the ultimate boss?

I think that’s still another role, that I haven’t yet checked off the list. I’m trying to save that for my 50’s, you know what I mean? (laughs) But this is a perfect role for my 40’s…When I hung out with the real FBI agents, and in particular the one that my character was based on, this was true to life. The hierarchy is present and real and perspective, but there isn’t a sense of talking down or up to anybody.

I liked the idea that my character wasn’t about trying to demand respect, but was just someone who is very clear about who knows what, and who could be useful in what situation. And actually, is in some ways sort of selfless about it. He doesn’t need to be there to get the arrest. He doesn’t need the credit. He really is the person behind the scenes, trying to make it all run smoothly and making sure that the agent on the street is at the right place when they’re going to make the collar.

Tonight’s FBI episode tells us more about Jubal. How much more do we get to learn about him, and what was it like to get that additional insight into his character?

[Wolf] doesn’t want the characters’ backstories and personal lives to overshadow to overshadow, in any way, the main plot of each episode. And that’s partially because he wants to honor the viewers that are just watching an individual episode on their own; he doesn’t want them to feel left out. But he also knows that there’s a hell of a lot of devoted fans, and he wants to give enough to them to let them understand who these characters are. So a lot of the time that comes out in storylines that have to do with our main plot.

So far we know that my character is devoted to his job, and we have seen how he operates during a case and how he treats his coworkers. And now we come to understand, a little bit, some of his devotions outside the office, namely his relationship with his AA sponsee.

A kid that he sponsors is a person of interest in the case for a period of time in this episode. We get to see those areas of commitment that he has blurring the lines between his work life and his personal life. We recognize just how he’s always operated, but now we get to see it in a little bit more of a fuller view and connect it to some of who he is outside the office. It’ll be fun. I’m excited for people to see the episode.

Behind the scenes, an interesting thing about FBI is it’s a melting pot for Dick Wolf alums. You were on Law & Order, and co-showrunner Rick Eid is from Chicago PD and SVU. Then Christine Swanson, who directed this episode, also directed Chicago PD. What was your experience with them? Is there any kind of common language since you’ve all been in this world?

Rick came on halfway through the season and he’s been great. I know he’s got two shows going on right now [FBI and Chicago PD], and he runs both of them. So I’m always really impressed with what a hard worker he is and how he’s able to pull that off.

Christine was really great. I really liked her sensibility. Directors for shows like this, it’s a very, very specific job. There’s certain things that they have to accomplish. And you’re also working with actors who are doing 22 episodes of a season. You’ve got to be able to figure out how to get through to them, to communicate with them in a way that’s not going to stop the process, and it’s going to help and not make things more complicated. I really liked how she operated. She seemed like a really good director and I was happy to have someone like that for this episode.

You’ve now played your fair share of law enforcement officers or ex-officers, between shows like FBI, Law & Order, Kidnapped and so forth. Is there any common thread you can utilize in each of these roles?

One thing is that they’re all way more courageous than I am. I just put on my courageous face. (laughs) There’s definitely a through-line of being focused on an external plot that is the most important thing in any given moment. As an actor, I was often more concerned with what it is to be this person and and how complex a human being can be.

These shows and movies, they’re plot-driven. So you get to see a person in action and you get to see how that character is able to access their better or worse self, given the level of tension and level of intensity that the circumstances bring about. That’s really the difference between doing Kidnapped or Law & Order, and doing something like Six Feet Under or some of the independent [films] I’ve done, like Waitress or Thirteen, where there’s kind of more of an idea of trying to figure out what these people are in the quiet moments.

The big part of this job is just trying to figure out the difference in these people when [they’re] on an intense chase of some dire danger.

You mentioned building a franchise, which FBI: Most Wanted is in development while FBI is pulling in 8-9 million live viewers a week. Has it been exciting to see this show catch on so quickly?

It has been. It really is, again, like being a part of this machine. We’re right at the beginning of the machine and there’s a sense of security in that. I run into people all the time who tell me that this is already in their [TV viewing] rotation. And that rotation means a lot to these people. It’s what they’re looking forward to at the end of the day. So to be a part of that for people is something that I’m proud to be.

For the latest FBI season 1 spoilers and news, plus more on all of Dick Wolf’s other series, follow the Dick Wolf category at One Chicago Center.