Chicago P.D. Alum Jesse Lee Soffer on Starting Fresh With FBI: International

Two years after his departure from Chicago P.D., Jesse Lee Soffer is staying within the Dick Wolf universe for his big return to series television. As the new team leader of CBS' globe-trotting police procedural, FBI: International, Soffer officially moves on from Detective Jay Halstead, the character he played from 2013 to 2022, and begins a fresh chapter as Agent Wesley "Wes" Mitchell.

Discussions did take place between Soffer and showrunner Matt Olmstead, who oversaw the first five seasons of P.D., about whether Jay could feature prominently on FBI: International. After all, the One Chicago and FBI franchises are invariably linked, thanks to a P.D.-FBI crossover episode in 2020. "We joked about it," Soffer told TV Guide. "It was never out of the cards to come back one day." While viewers won't be seeing him flashing his badge as Jay in the streets of Budapest, there is plenty to discover about Wes, whom Soffer describes as unconventional, unaffected, and playing by his own rules.

Ahead of Soffer's debut on FBI: International, the actor opens up about why he signed on to lead the CBS procedural after Luke Kleintank's exit, the differences between Jay and Wes, and why he's okay with forever being associated with his P.D. character.

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TV Guide: Did you ever imagine that you would find yourself leading another Dick Wolf series?
Jesse Lee Soffer: It was never out of the cards, even when I left P.D. It was not out of the cards to come back one day. I love that character and he's always going to be in my bones, and I was really grateful to Dick, Peter Jankowski, Anastasia Puglisi, and everybody at Wolf for the opportunity to direct P.D. And then I was like, I kind of want to go back and start acting again. So it wasn't a huge surprise. The surprise was that it was in Budapest. 

What led you to say yes to FBI: International and decide that this was the show you wanted to come back for?
Soffer: It's a really fun show. It's really cinematic. I played a cop for so long on [P.D.], and Wes is another cop but he has less baggage than Halstead. It just seemed like a great fit. [Showrunner] Matt [Olmstead] called me after I got the offer and we talked about it. I get to bring a veteran vibe of a guy who knows what he's doing and does things his own way. And I get to bring that energy to this team and that was a fun opportunity.

It's been established that the One Chicago and FBI franchises exist in the same universe after Tracy Spiridakos' P.D. character appeared in an FBI episode in 2020. You're playing a completely new character here. Was there ever a discussion — even a fleeting one — about whether you would play Halstead again?
Soffer: Am I allowed to talk about this? [Pauses] We joked about it. And Hailey Upton's character did a crossover on FBI, so hypothetically her character exists in this universe. But the other joke is that, if she ever showed up on International, Wes would be like, "Do I know you?"

How vital was it for you to familiarize yourself with FBI: International before stepping onto set?
Soffer: I watched a lot of episodes. I watched almost the whole run of the show, I think. 

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How do you describe Wes? How do you want to introduce your character to audiences? 
Soffer: Wes is an ex-cop who's been an FBI agent and was Vo's training officer, so they have an interesting dynamic. He was hard on her, which comes full circle because now she's grateful for that tutelage and she's the one that brings him in. He does things his own way. He doesn't always follow procedure, which gets him into trouble, but his attitude is there's no trouble you can't work your way around. He's always going to, unconventionally, get the job done. I love how carefree he is and his easygoing attitude of, "We're just gonna keep moving forward and get the job done." I'm used to brooding a lot and carrying a lot of baggage, so it's a breath of fresh air.

You alluded to it, but how does Wes compare to Halstead in terms of mannerisms, personality, and how he approaches work?
Soffer: They might hold a gun the same way. But I think their attitudes are really different. I think Halstead was more aggressive, more brooding, had darker thoughts, and Wes is more unaffected and enjoying himself a little more.

What kind of leader is Wes since he's coming in to eventually lead the Fly Team?
Soffer: He's a lead-by-example guy. He's doing his thing and he's going to get the job done. You might like it, you might not like it. But this is how it's going to go. 

How would you describe the team dynamic?
Soffer: There's apprehension, there's uncertainty. Smitty is like, "Oh god, he's gonna get us in so much trouble." There are a lot of different dynamics to play out. And the Vo dynamic because there's a backstory and a history there. That ends up being an interesting partnership.

That leads me to my next question. Because he was Vo's training officer, is that a relationship or a partnership people should keep an eye on as it evolves? 
Soffer: Yeah, it's definitely something to keep an eye on. She keeps him in line. But because he operates by his own set of rules, sometimes she's got to talk some sense into him and he lets her. He respects her. He respects the agent that she is now and if she tells him he's out of line, he'll go, "OK, I'm out of line. Got it." It's kind of like a big brother-little sister [dynamic].

Are there any other interesting dynamics that develop in the early part of the season?
Soffer: There's a budding friendship with Raines. There's constant frustration with Smitty trying to hold him back. Wes is a bull in a china shop and she's like, "Put a leash on this guy." But I think she likes him and respects that he gets the job done. There's a fun episode where Tate goes undercover and he promotes her, not literally a promotion, but she gets to do some field work.

How have you adapted to filming in Budapest?
Soffer: We get to film in locations where I'm sitting [somewhere] having lunch, or I'm doing lines with a friend, and we're in this beautiful setting. But the tricky part is I can't find the right protein mix. Like, I can't find my brand and that's the hardest part about the job.

Which locations have stood out to you so far? 
Soffer: We were in Portugal. We're going to Paris. There are rumors of various places in the U.K. we might go. It's such a fun adventure. Two episodes from now, you're like, "Wait, where are we going to be?" It's really cool.

Another perk of this job, right?
Soffer: And really good coffee. Really good coffee in Budapest. I live above a coffee shop so it's a nice perk.

For people who watched you on Chicago P.D. and are now tuning into FBI: International, they may still associate you with Halsted. Are you OK with that? 
Soffer: This is a different thing. Of course Halstead is always going to be in my blood and my bones, and there will always be an association with that [character], I'm sure, for some people. But I hope that the fans watch this and [realize] it's a new attitude, it's a new energy, it's a new vibe, and that's what this is.

Lastly, what do you want people to know about your introduction? 
Soffer: I hope they're excited. The one thing I'll say is, I want people to tune in. More eyeballs, that's what we want. The first few episodes are high intensity, action-packed. It's exciting and this new character, Wes, is carefree, fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants, and doesn't do things by the book. He's carefree about procedure and unaffected in that way. Tragedy strikes and he's even more carefree [moving forward]. It's going to be a treat for the fans. 

FBI: International premieres Tuesday at 9/8c on CBS and streams on-demand the next day on Paramount+.