Warning: Contains SPOILERS for the FBI: International season 4 premiere.

Following the exit of Luke Kleintank's Scott Forrester, FBI: International has a new Fly Team leader. Jesse Lee Soffer, formerly known for playing Jay Halstead in Chicago P.D., returns to the Dick Wolf universe as Supervisory Special Agent Wes Mitchell. The premiere is titled "A Leader, Not a Tourist" and sees Wes work 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 succumbs 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 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 their history in future episodes.

Screen Rant interviews Soffer about switching from Chicago P.D. to FBI: International season 4, the impact of Mike's death, and what fans can expect from Supervisory Special Agent Wes Mitchell in episodes.

Soffer's Chicago P.D. 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 P.D., FBI: International is also a Dick Wolf show, so what inspired you to stay within this genre, but move on from playing Jay?

Jesse Lee Soffer: Dick Wolf doesn't make bad TV. He's kind of got the market cornered, and when the opportunity came up, it was obviously Wolf and Matt Olmstead, who wrote the beginning of P.D., who was the showrunner originally for the first five seasons of Chicago P.D. And so I was like, "Oh, this is going to be awesome. I get to carve out a new character with Matt. I get to travel to Budapest." There's so much cool in this gig.

What's been the biggest difference between playing a detective and a special agent?

Jesse Lee Soffer: That's interesting. This guy is traveling all over Europe, way out of his jurisdiction sometimes, so we're constantly working with local law enforcement in Portugal or Morocco or Paris. And so there are all sorts of hoops and red tape that they've got to jump through or go under and just break through.

That's a fun element on the show—that he's always doing his own thing and going, "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 doing what we're doing." So that's a lot of fun.

There are, obviously, plenty of stunts, and you're no stranger to using props or firearms. Did you have to go through any additional training, or did you already have it covered?

Jesse Lee Soffer: Yeah, I was pretty trained already. [Laughs] I was saying just a minute ago that Brian Luce, who's the tech advisor and one of the producers on P.D. now, really had us so trained. The joke I made earlier 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's got all this grief. His partner's dead, and he's like, "'I can go home to all that, or I can throw myself into a new job.'"

Jumping into the season 4 premiere, I would describe Wes as someone who's very ionate and quick to react. Is that accurate?

Jesse Lee Soffer: Sometimes, yeah. Sometimes he's quick to react. He flies by the seat of his pants a little bit. 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 Soffer: It only hurts him with Smitty. He's going to get the job done. He's going to get the bad guy, but on his way to doing that, he's going to break some rules, maybe break some laws, and Smitty's going to get really frustrated. So in that way, that might hurt him. But in all the other ways, being impulsive, or going on a hunch, or having an impulse to go somewhere or break a rule, those things all move towards progress and getting the job done.

We only knew Mike for a few minutes, but I fell in love with him from the get-go. How is his death going to affect Wes throughout season 4?

Jesse Lee Soffer: I fell in love with him too. He was awesome. RonReaco [Lee] is such a good actor, did such a great job, and it's such a tricky role too. You've got to have the audience fall in love with that guy for that episode to work, and he really did it. Man, was he great? I can't say enough about that guy. It really hits Wes. It really throws him for a loop.

And then he is presented with this opportunity to run the Fly team, and I think he's like, "I could go home." His girlfriend just left him, and he's got all this grief. His partner's dead, and he's like, "I can go home to all that, or I can throw myself into a new job, into a new gig. Focus on work, move forward, move through it." And that's the choice that he makes.

Soffer Teases Wes And Vo's FBI: International Season 4 Dynamic

"Sometimes she has to put his ass back in line, and he listens, which is nice."

Wes its that he's not good at being alone. Is that something we'll see him work on this season?

Jesse Lee Soffer: He's certainly spending more time alone. I think he has a nice friend and a shoulder in Vo, whether or not he uses that shoulder. They have an interesting backstory. We definitely see him just focused on work for a while, so maybe he is dealing with being alone. [Laughs]

I already love the dynamic between Wes and Vo. We know that 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 definitely play out some of that dynamic and there'll be more backstory, I'm sure, that'll 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? Then here are the tools you need. Sink or swim."

I think having that come full circle in her wanting him to the Fly 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 I am." And so her saying that and her bringing him in, he respects her, and he respects that. 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.

Out of those seven, which one would you say is your favorite?

Jesse Lee Soffer: I have to say the first, 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 great scenes. They're all great.

About 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 brand that follows the elite operatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s International Fly Team. Headquartered in Budapest, they travel throughout 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 U.S. and its people.

Check out our other FBI interviews, as well:

• Eva-Jane Willis
• Jeremy Sisto
• John Boyd
• Katherine Renee Kane
• Roxy Sternberg
• Vinessa Vidotto
• Zeeko Zaki

FBI: International season 4 airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and is available to stream next-day on Paramount+.