After screening the second episode of Season 6, Collider got the opportunity to chat with Sisto about still discovering new sides to his character Jubal, the father-son relationship, revising an old case, shooting the episode’s big action sequence, losing one of their team and his thought that they’ll likely revisit that at some point, working with this ensemble cast, how he enjoys getting to join FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted for crossover episodes, and what’s still to come this season.

‘FBI’s Jeremy Sisto Has Great Trust in How the Creative Team Explores Jubal’s Personal Stories

JEREMY SISTO: It is encouraging, and it makes my job more enjoyable as an actor. I also have great trust in Rick [Eid] and Dick [Wolf], of course, and everyone choosing to tell Jubal’s personal stories. I trust that they know what the audience wants, so it makes me happy that there is still more that they want to uncover. One of the storylines that we are always trying to express or tell is that it is a real challenge to have this job and have a really complicated personal life, or to do something as important as parenting while also having this job. I’m really happy, and I feel really proud that it seems like the audience is still tuning in to see different sides of Jubal. He is a really interesting character. The writers have really had a good time exploring him, his past struggles with addiction, his broken marriage, and so many different aspects of his parenting.

It’s something that we have been getting little bits of, here and there, throughout the run of the series, so it makes sense, in a moment like this, that Jubal would have a bit of self-recognition, which would have been too convenient if it hadn’t been brought up before. This series has done a really good job of laying that groundwork over the seasons, to get to this point.

With this case, it doesn’t feel like it was a bad call, but instead was just the wrong call. It’s easy to see why, if somebody is missing, and you have no leads, and you can’t find them, they could end up being presumed dead.

Because you do get used to the rhythm of the cases and working with the team, is it nice to have those moments where you get the interactions with your son’s mother and your son, exploring that family dynamic?

SISTO: Yeah, it’s nice. I’ve had as much experience doing that kind of stuff in my career as doing this more decisive decision-making, active stuff. My personal life is much more filled with ambiguity and relationships are more complicated, so I definitely appreciate that I’m able to tap into that a little bit while I also appreciate that my main job is a much more decisive and active version of acting.

‘FBI’s Jeremy Sisto Believes the Death of Hobbs Will Be Revisited

This season already feels like a big season and we’re only two episodes in. How did you feel about the way that things were handled with the death of Hobbs? What’s it like to have a big moment like that happen, and know that it’s clearly going to have to be revisited at some point?

The ending of episode 2 was particularly interesting because even though the case is resolved, it’s not resolved with a neat bow because trauma can be so deep that the victim is not emotionally ready to just step back into their old life.

SISTO: It’s obviously one of the more traumatic things that we all witness. Every time something like that happens and there’s some kind of rescue or escape, you have to understand how long the road will be to recovery and healing. It’s intriguing and it’s really heartbreaking. It’s a pretty heavy episode for that reason and that’s why I thought it was a nice juxtaposition with the drinking storyline. It’s disturbing and hard to put your head around, but it’s ultimately not as big of a deal as it seems. To have that juxtaposed with this idea of a kid who’s really gone through an awful childhood was very sad.

SISTO: Yeah. First of all, the actors who played the father, the girl, and the kidnapper really killed it and really brought a lot of emotion and realism to it. I don’t do a ton of the action stuff, so there’s a little bit of trust that has to go into it. When they’re wrestling on the ground, we had to figure out at what point I should jump in. When I do have that stuff, I try to make things as realistic as possible. We have great people who figure out how that stuff is choreographed, and as an actor, you’re just playing your part. It was really gratifying to watch all the people involved in making those things work.

Jeremy Sisto Enjoys Laughing and Joking with His ‘FBI’ Co-Stars

This is definitely a team that seems to have moments where they check in with each other because they notice if something doesn’t seem quite right. What do you enjoy about playing with the character dynamics of this ensemble, especially after six seasons now? And what’s it like to build those relationships with your fellow cast members?

SISTO: It’s interesting to see where they take it. We’re at the will of the writers and I trust where they go. I enjoy playing with all the actors. There’s not any of them that I’m more excited about than the other. Sometimes Jubal and Isobel will take some time together, and then Maggie comes into it, and there are moments with Tiffany. And then, there are some that I haven’t had as much with and I think, “Oh, good, we’ll save that for Season 7.” I think we all enjoy each other. We also all have a different way of working. When you work with people long enough, that’s the fun of it. And also, we just mess around a lot and laugh a lot. We’re all a little bit in the camp of, “Let’s try to make this a fun set to be on for 12 hours a day.” All of those things put together make for a nice experience.

We’ve already also seen you on FBI: International in their first episode back. Can we expect more crossover appearances? What do you enjoy about getting to visit the other series?

SISTO: I think it’s great that the International Fly Team is utilizing the JOC (Joint Operations Center) and Jubal as a resource. It can be difficult to get the productions to align. It’s not easy for these crossovers. But I’m excited that Jubal and his relationship with the Fly Team seems to be something that the creators are leaning into. It’s cool because it ties them in together. It’s a brand, at this point. I think people really enjoy the connection between the shows and enjoy how they operate, connected to each other. Obviously, we’re not the only show that does that, but it’s definitely something that I haven’t had the opportunity to do too much of. I’m enjoying the perk of not just being able to do my show, but also being able to hop over to two sister shows.

Jeremy Sisto Says ‘FBI’ Has More Shocking Storylines to Come in Season 6

Beyond episode two, what can you say to tease what’s still to come this season?

SISTO: There are some pretty shocking and interesting storylines that come up that I can’t speak about. You’ll just have to stay tuned. For Jubal, I’m most excited that he’s helping out the International team. For me, it’s always a continuation of making the JOC work as a device in the show and telling the story of how that actually works. Every episode is fun for me to have another shot at that. I hope that the audience enjoys seeing that come together at times. I enjoy making that work. Even when Jubal is not dealing with his own stuff, every episode is fun for me. The writers have come up with some great storylines and there’s some really cool personal stuff.