Jay Haden as Agent Tyler Booth.
Nellie Kiss/CBSJit’s Hayden“S’s” Tyler Booth made a splash during his FBI: International debut — and according to the actor, the performance is only the tip of the iceberg.
Warning: Spoilers below from FBI: The International Season 4 Episode 7.
“I don’t think there’s a member of the Fly Team who isn’t tired of Booth,” Hayden, 37, exclusively said Us Weekly ahead of his first episode of the CBS series airing on Tuesday, December 10.
During Tuesday’s episode, Charleston FBI agent Tyler Booth (Hayden) enlisted the help of his former partner Wes Mitchell (Jesse Lee Sofer) — who is now Fly’s team at Special Agent in Charge Budapest — while trying to track down a fugitive on the FBI’s most wanted list.
Jay Hayden is joining FBI: International for a four-episode arc, and his character, Tyler Booth, is ready to excite and ruffle some feathers. Hayden, 37, spoke exclusively to Us Weekly about his character’s “checkered past,” teasing that Tyler is a “former partner” of Fly Team leader Wes Mitchell (Jesse Lee Soffer). “They did some good things (…)
Although Tyler and Wes butt heads in the event, they got their man, and as a result, Tyler was allowed to stay with Fly Team overseas while he decided his next steps.
“I think Wes would be really happy for his ex-partner to toe the line and do this the right way. There will never be a better opportunity (to get back on track),” Hayden said us about Wes’ hopes for Tyler and his career advancement.
The actor teased that he’s “not sure Tyler is capable” of drawing in the lines.
Jesse Lee Soffer as Supervising Special Agent Wesley “Wes” Mitchell.
Joanna Linda/CBS“Then to make things a lot more difficult because the cases become a lot more intense and extreme and personal for Wes, which opens the door for him to maybe not follow his friend as much,” Hayden explained, noting that the pressure on Wes can lead to Tyler “giving him advice that he doesn’t necessarily need or maybe doesn’t benefit Wes’ good side. Angel Wes.
When Wes took over Fly Team at the start of season 4, he made it clear that he was results-oriented. Since then, on several occasions, he has blurred the lines when it comes to following established protocols. Now that Tyler—whom Wes says he owes—is in town, those lines will become even less clear.
“You saw the way Tyler reacted when it got personal for him. If it gets this personal for Wes, how will he react?” Hayden asked, referring to Tyler’s daughter, who was involved in his latest case. “How would he react with an old friend in his ear chirping, ‘You know how we’re going to do this.’
To many fans, Jesse Lee Soffer will always be Jay Halstead, but his new FBI: International character, Wes Mitchell, has his own story to tell. “There was a lot of baggage on the (Chicago) PD Halstead by the end of 10 seasons,” Soffer, 40, exclusively told Us Weekly about his former detective character. “There is someone (who has) (…)
Tyler and Wes previously hinted at the pair’s controversial past, which led to a professional blowout between Tyler and Wes continues to climb the FBI ladder. Their relationship, as deep as it is, may not serve them well moving forward, according to Hayden.
“I think because it gets extremely personal for the Fly team … I’m just not quite sure (Tyler’s presence) is always going to be helpful,” he admitted. “I think that will make it more difficult.”
Hayden revealed that a “bad guy from a previous story is coming back” to haunt the team, leading to “difficult decisions” for Wes.
Jay Haden as Agent Tyler Booth, Christina Wolfe as Special Agent Amanda Tate and Carter Redwood as Special Agent Andre Raines.
CBSThese choices are exacerbated by having Tyler under his command. “I think you’ll see him struggle even more with Tyler around,” Hayden teased.
Despite all the upcoming suspense (fans can expect to see Hayden at least four episodes this season) Tyler will stay grounded to some extent as his college-age daughter returns to the US
“I think that’s one of the big pillars of Tyler’s character,” he said us. “His relationship with his daughter, his love for his daughter, that’s his (most) important thing in his life, being close to her (and) protecting her.”
FBI: International has a new team leader in Jesse Lee Soffer, Supervising Special Agent Wesley “Wes” Mitchell—and he’s coming with a gun. “It’s a completely different role,” Soffer, 40, told Us Weekly exclusively about Wes, who replaces Luke Kleintank’s Scott Forrester as Fly Team supervisor for Season 4. “There’s more of, (…)
The bad guy from Tuesday’s episode threatened to expose risque photos of Tyler’s daughter to get to him. However, Wes was behind Tyler and helped him avoid this traumatic scandal.
“You see how he reacts when this guy goes after his daughter. Then any semblance of upholding the rule of law goes out the window and you don’t really blame him at all,” Hayden said, calling it a “redeeming factor for all his bad behavior.”
While Tyler has already agreed to live abroad, Hayden said that pull your daughter and her safety will not disappear. “Tyler will be joining the Fly Team, but his relationship with his daughter and his closeness with her will still continue to be a factor,” he concluded.
FBI: International airs on CBS Tuesdays at 9pm ET.
