Actor Jeremy Sisto was “immediately interested” when he first found out about Jubal Valentine’s role on the FBI.
The procedural drama series centers on the inner workings of the New York office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Sisto’s character is Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine, who functions as the nerve center of the office.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Sisto about his role on FBI and what makes Jubal such a complex character.
Sisto said he thinks executive producer Dick Wolf had “had at least some idea” that he wanted him to play the role of Jubal Valentine. After all, this wasn’t the first time the two had worked together.
“I liked the idea that I wasn’t in the street asking people where they were on Tuesday and tracking down the criminals and chasing them down because I had done that on Law & Order. I always enjoyed the scenes in Law & Order where we were back at the station, trying to piece together the crimes. That was always my favorite stuff to do,” Sisto said.
“It made a lot of sense for me to try my hat at this, and it felt like something that would keep me on my toes, and it does. I cannot phone it in. I’m always nervous that I’m going to mess it up because I’ve got a lot of dialogue and it’s kind of my job to keep that room alive,” he explained.
“It’s a specific intention or goal that I have that’s not super easy to achieve for me, and it evolves over time. That’s why I decided to do it, and I was also excited to be on something that has their eye on building a franchise that stands the test of time like Dick’s shows do.”
Now that the series is in its third season, we’ve had the chance to learn a good bit about Jubal’s backstory, including his struggle with alcoholism. Sisto spoke a bit about that backstory and the complexities of his character.
“I think a lot of these real agents that I’m friends with now, and a lot of people that work in crime-fighting and detective type positions, they really do get addicted to it. And when they stop, they miss it every day. So the fact that someone with an addictive personality, like Jubal, derives so much identity and a feeling of belonging and passion, or puts so much passion into his job, makes sense.”
“He’s communicating with everyone all the time. He speaks what he’s thinking. It doesn’t help if it’s in your head. It helps if it’s out in the world,” Sisto continued.
“Some people say he speaks too much, but that’s kind of what he feels is his job, is just to say out loud what is happening so that if anyone has anything else to add to the equation, they can do it. Just to know that he came from a place where he was a big secret keeper, and he was kind of running his own game, and he was at the mercy of something outside of himself, I think makes him a more complex character.”
Sisto shares a few key characteristics with Jubal — and one major difference. “I like to include everyone. I like to be surrounded by a big group of people and to have lines of communication open.”
“I like to work hard. I can be a little obsessed. But I won’t be a great detective. I think I’m missing a few key ingredients, so I let the writers handle that part of it. But the energy — and I have a similar face and voice to the character,” he joked.
Many fans were hoping to see a romance develop between Jubal and Dana Mosier (Sela Ward). Sisto said that as far as he knew, that possibility was never discussed.
“I think we’re following more of a model of the Law & Order world, which is to say that there are maybe some speculations or possibilities that never come to fruition. Me and Dana were never playing a romantic inclination, but I think we had a good working relationship and I think it’s