For many fans, Jesse Lee Soffer will always be Jay Halstead, but his new FBI: International character, Wes Mitchell, has his own story to tell.
“On [Chicago] P.D., Halstead had a lot of baggage by the end of 10 seasons,” Soffer, 40, exclusively told Us Weekly of his former detective character. “There’s someone [who has] gone through a lot of traumatic stuff.”
When it comes to his International character, Soffer said he’s “totally new” with a “different demeanor” and a “different attitude.”
The actor teased that Wes is “enjoying himself a lot, which is fun” for him to play and something that’ll be “fun for the fans” to watch.
Soffer played Halstead from 2014 to 2022, before announcing his exit from Chicago P.D. during season 10. The NBC star made his directorial debut on P.D. later that season in 2023 and has since worked behind the camera on one more episode of the series.
“P.D. is an ensemble — Jason [Beghe]’s definitely the lead and the strong patriarch on that show,” Soffer told Variety of his exit in February 2023, referring to his former costar Beghe, who portrays Sergeant Hank Voight. “I definitely think I’m ready to be a lead on a show and to have my own show. I’d put all of my heart and soul into it.”
Us confirmed in June that Soffer was joining the FBI: International cast for season 4 after Luke Kleintank announced his departure the previous April. Soffer’s Wes will take over as the supervisory special agent in charge beginning with the Tuesday, October 15, premiere.
While Soffer promised that Wes is a “totally new character,” he is working with “close friends” from within the Dick Wolf universe on this project. (Soffer has been a “good buddy” of International’s showrunner Matt Olmstead for years as Olmstead previously worked on P.D.)
“Obviously, I love Wolf films and they’re near and dear to my heart,” Soffer told Us of signing on for the Budapest-based series, noting a “small job perk that can’t go unnoticed” is getting to travel.
Soffer, who spoke with Us from set in Portugal, noted that becoming the lead of a show has “definitely scratched that itch” that he had when he left P.D., which was an ensemble.
“To get this opportunity was like, ‘Oh, no, this was not on my radar at all, but OK, let’s do it,’” he recalled of taking the gig. “[There was] no way of predicting it. No way of knowing.”
Now that he’s in the role, Soffer said he has just “run with it” and having a “really incredible [and] awesome experience.”
The actor acknowledged that there are some “language barriers” working overseas, which is why he has been trying to learn “bits and pieces” of Hungarian. Although Soffer might have some issues with living in Europe, he’s fully embraced the food.
“I don’t know if this is a perk so much, or like a job hazard, but I’ve eaten more croissants in the last month than I have in my entire life,” he said with a laugh. “I think at some point I’m gonna have to stop because it’s gonna catch up!”
When it comes to what fans can expect of his new character, Soffer teased that Wes is a cop from Los Angeles who “had a rougher upbringing.”
He teased, “[Wes] had a pretty big coming of age story at some point in, like, his adolescent years that’s made him who he is today.”
FBI: International season 4 premieres on CBS Tuesday, October 15, at 9 p.m. ET.
