‘FBI: International’ Newbie Jay Hayden Teases Rifts and Flirtations Ahead

After seven seasons fighting fires and locking lips on Station 19, Jay Hayden is now fighting criminals across the pond on FBI: International. And while it may seem like a procedural is a procedural, there are some big differences between Shondaland and the Dick Wolf TV universe. 

“It was really hard,” Hayden told Parade of making the switch. “There’s a Shondaland thing, right? Like, we’re gonna do super dramatic relationship moments, then we’re going to have a comedic moment that’s just as grounded, and we’re going to be able to laugh, but then we want to go back to being able to cry. You get used to playing that song and knowing how to play it. FBI is totally different.”

Hayden made his debut in the latest episode as Agent Tyler Booth, a friend of Wes Mitchell (Jesse Lee Soffer) who is deep into the pursuit of an international criminal whose hacking and data theft has wreaked havoc on law enforcement all over the U.S., driving many victims to suicide. Booth has been working with the man’s ex-wife, and now thinks they can draw the guy out with a meetup overseas.

That’s what brings Booth to the Fly Team, but he doesn’t gel with them immediately. They’re still getting used to Mitchell’s slightly unorthodox ways, and Booth is even more rash — especially when his college-age daughter becomes a target for data leaking. He’s also nothing like Travis Montgomery, so Hayden is still getting used to him, too.

Related: Everything to Know About FBI: International Season 4

“Like, when Travis walked into the room, everyone would be like, ‘Travis!’ He’s so likable. That was that character,” he said. “With this one, everyone’s suspect about my character, like ‘I don’t know about this.’ It’s so different, and such an interesting thing to play.”

Another thing that Hayden had to adjust to was the distinct lack of kissing on the Fly Team, especially in comparison to Station 19. Last season, Vo (Vinessa Vidotto) and Raines (Carter Redwood) seemed to have a flirtation that was briefly interrupted by Powell (Greg Hovanessian), and back in the first season, Forrester (Luke Kleintank) and Kellett (Heida Reed) were making out regularly. Now, even with the objectively handsome and single Mitchell on the team, no one is kissing! Perhaps Booth can help in that department?

“That’s the first thing I said,” Hayden joked. “When am I kissing? When am I getting in there?”

The good news is that maybe there will be kissing later in the season, if we’re lucky.

“Here’s what I’ll say: there is some potential flirtation,” he said. “I do have some ideas on that that I’ve talked to [showrunner Matt Olmstead] about, and I can’t say another word about it…I mean, listen, the longer I’m around on the show, you know it’s coming.”

Hayden also refused to say if Booth (or Hayden himself) had his eye on any particular Fly Team member, but the good news is that there’s plenty of time for “potential flirtation” or more. Booth has been invited to join the Fly Team, at least for the time being.

Read on for Hayden’s thoughts on the character and how he’ll fit in with the team.

Related: FBI: International Star Jesse Lee Soffer Teases How the Fly Team Handles SSA Mitchell

Did it take a while to get used to the rhythm on this show?

Luckily, Matt Olmstead wrote the character so well, and somehow he got a little bit of my personality and injected it in there. So it was easier for me. But the guest director that we had for my first episode, Brenna Malloy, was so great. She helped me so much. She’s like, “OK, in this moment, Jay, you’re going for the bit. But I think you gotta dial it back more because we’re in the middle of a case and this guy just killed someone. It’s too distracting for us if you go for the bit.” It’s got to be super underplayed, and I had to relearn how to do that. I kind of enjoy doing something that at first made me uncomfortable, and now I’m finding my way in it. So I’ve enjoyed this process.

How does Booth fit in on this team going forward, because everyone in this episode was so apprehensive?

 I mean, to be honest, I love kind of being the bad guy on the team. It’s so great because they’re like the Avengers and I get to come in and kind of be the bad idea in the room. Like, maybe we don’t follow the law. Maybe we just get the bad guy in whatever method we have to. I like playing that, and I love having the mistrust of the other team members. I love the conflict that’s coming between Booth and Smitty, because it’s definitely coming.

And I also love being able to play that Wes and him were equals, partners, and kind of did things for each other back in the day. And now the titles may have changed, but the relationship is still the same, so how are we going to handle that?

And Wes has already established himself as a guy who’s not going to follow the rules if it’s not going to get the job done.

Isn’t that great? Because then someone comes in who wants to push it even further, and how Wes has to be like, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait.” And then I get to play, “But you were already doing it, why can’t we just do it?”

So what does this guy’s arrival do to the team?

Does it create a fracture in the team? Possibly. Does it create a little bit of a rift? Does everyone still trust the leader of the Fly Team as much, because is he listening to this guy? What is the pecking order now? I think it definitely does a lot of fun stuff as the cases become more intense, more violent, the stakes get raised. How is a team that’s not operating as a unit supposed to deal with that?

Can you tease how that plays out in any upcoming episodes?

 We go to Paris and chase a bad guy that was previously already on the show, and it’s gonna start getting real personal for Wes, and I think the influence of Tyler might not be the most positive one. I think there’s conflict within Wes because Tyler keeps on reminding him of maybe the type of agent that at one point he was, and that maybe he’s grown up from and is now in his face every day as a reminder, like “This is how we used to do it. Why can’t we just do it that way? Now it’s personal for you, so let’s just take care of it.” [Tyler] is probably not the best role model.

Would you say that things go well for Tyler on the team?

I think it does go well. I don’t know. Was Sawyer a great part of the people that landed on the island on Lost? Yeah, I mean, he wasn’t the best guy in the world all the time, but…you’re gonna love Tyler. You’re gonna love him, or you’re gonna hate him. Or you’re going to love to hate him.

FBI: International airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on CBS. 

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