Warning: Contains SPOILERS for FBI: International Season 4, Episode 7.The latest edition of FBI: Internationaltitled “Keen as a Bean” aired on Tuesday, December 10 and introduced a new character to the Fly Team. Wes’ former colleague Tyler Booth seeks help in a case involving an ex-cop who is on America’s Most Wanted list. The fugitive is named Ed Haskins and is said to have blackmailed other officers with sensitive, often fake photos, leading to several police suicides. Now that Wes has assumed a leadership position, Tyler finds it difficult to respect his authority.

While the characters clash over the course of the hour, they ultimately manage to work together and get the job done. Tyler is assigned to the Fly Team for 90 days, but Jay Hayden teases him that Wes’ old partner won’t make it easy for him. Hayden shares his excitement about Tyler and Wes’ on-screen dynamic as it impacts the real-life friendship he has had with Jesse Lee Soffer for 16 years. Now that Csonka is coming back FBI: International There are plenty of opportunities to test out the characters’ new work dynamic in the fall finale.

ScreenRant interviews Hayden about playing alongside Soffer, what to expect during Tyler’s time on the show, and whether he’d like to return to the series Station 19 Universe through Grey’s Anatomy.

Tyler will make the fly team leader’s job more difficult in Season 4 of FBI: International

“He doesn’t do things the same way as his ex-partner and he needs to learn that.”

ScreenRant: Since you and Jesse Lee Soffer are real-life friends, what excited you most about your relationship? FBI: International dynamic?

Jay Hayden: Honestly, when we started reading the scripts and saw that these two characters were giving each other a lot of shit, I was like, “Oh, thank God. Okay, so we can play a little bit about our real friendship.” And then you would just never think of the idea that you have to act with one of your close friends. I’ve said this many times, but Barrett Doss and I are now close personal friends, but we just started working together.

Jesse and I have been friends for sixteen years, so first of all it was so hilarious in our first scene together. I didn’t know what to do. I was like, “That’s more eye contact than we’ve done in a decade, man.” Super weird.” And we kept laughing and talking, but it was really cool and a lot of fun. And it also means having an actor who speaks the same language. I would ask him, “In this moment when I say this, I want to connect this to this,” and he kind of speaks the same acting language as me, which is really helpful on set.

What was your first impression of Tyler when you received the character brief and read the script for 407?

Jay Hayden: I loved it because it was a departure and something completely new than what I’ve played for most of the last decade, which was a super likable character that everyone loves. Tyler doesn’t always do things quite right, and his tactics and the way he thinks bad guys should probably be caught are sometimes not entirely within the bounds of the law.

Some of the other team members are a little suspicious of him, and I like that. I like playing the darker version of a character. When Travis walked into the room on Station 19, everyone was like, “Yay, all right!” Here comes Tyler with an idea and everyone’s like, “That’s a terrible idea, man. Who is this guy?’ And I like playing that. I like being the guy that not everyone trusts.

There are many differences between Tyler and Wes. Your character is much harsher to Kelsey. Do you think it’s because he has this darker, less trusting side?

Jay Hayden: Yeah, he probably has less patience with the law. He’s less fond of what makes Wes such a great leader and what made him a GS-14. There’s a reason Tyler isn’t yet, right? He doesn’t do things the same way as his ex-partner, and he needs to learn that. Or will he learn? I don’t know, but we’ll find out. I think that kind of behavior and a little bit of that kind of energy from Tyler will continue to show up on the show, which will make Wes’ job harder in an entertaining way.

Tyler could have a negative influence on Wes in the fall finale of FBI: International

“Now he has someone in his ear saying, ‘Whatever it takes is all that it takes. Who cares? Nobody will know.’”

We find out that he is a father and see that he has a softer side because of it. Can you talk about that transition when it goes from a case to something personal involving his daughter?

Jay Hayden: What connected me most to this character is his relationship with his daughter and how much that means to him and how reactive he can be. Because even though Tyler can be a real jerk at times and kind of unhinged, he redeems the audience and me just because he loves his daughter so much and just wants to protect her.

He would literally do anything. That’s what I love about the character. This will continue to crop up. His daughter – the advice part of her where she’s parenting is something I really enjoyed and something he needs to ground him.

The latest episode has the team pondering whether Wes’s friendship with Booth is influencing his decision-making. What do you think?

Jay Hayden: Yes. I think because they were partners for so long, were equals for so long and had each other’s backs, did a lot of things back then and were friends – it’s very hard to change that now that the dynamic has changed. They still work as if, even though the titles have changed and the tasks are different. It will continue to collide.

Well, Csonka comes back in the mid-season finale and takes on Vo…

Jay Hayden: There’s a perfect example. As things get more personal for Wes, will Tyler’s advice be positive, or will it perhaps lead in a more negative direction? Maybe the devil on his shoulder – that voice is getting louder. Now he has someone in his ear saying, “Whatever it takes is all that it takes.” Who cares? Nobody will know.”

You have 90 days on the fly team, what else can you say about Tyler’s storyline?

Jay Hayden: As the cases become more extreme and intense, Booth’s presence will really test not only the villains, but also the Fly Team, because not everyone on the Fly Team agrees with the way Booth is operating is, and I’m not entirely sure he’ll fully adapt to the way the Avengers do things. (Laughs)

In Season 4 of FBI: International, a conflict arises between Tyler and Smitty

“I think you’ll be able to watch it unfold.”

Would you say there is anyone Tyler has the most conflict with?

Jay Hayden: Yes, definitely. And I think you’ll get to watch it unfold. Smitty and Booth will be two waves crashing into each other.

Have you finished shooting all the scenes for the show?

Jay Hayden: I’m back in LA now and have filmed my part of the show for now.

Do you have any questions about your character that you hope to get answered in the future?

Jay Hayden: I definitely have more questions about the character and I think viewers will have questions too, all of which I hope are answered.

We’re excited to see you in this new role, but we also love it Station 19 and miss Travis. Grey’s Anatomy is still out there…would you ever want to revisit this character?

Jay Hayden: I will always love this world. I will always love Shonda and Shondaland. They know they can call me at any time. I will always go back there. I really love playing Travis and I worked really hard to create this character and enjoyed it every day. So this door is never closed. It’s all just, “When should I show up?”

About the CBS procedural drama “FBI: International.”

Created by Derek Haas and Dick Wolf

Emmy Award winner Dick Wolf’s fast-paced drama “FBI: International” is the third installment of the hit FBI franchise, following the elite agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s International Fly Team. Headquartered in Budapest, they travel throughout Europe with a mission to locate and neutralize threats to American citizens wherever they are, risking their lives to protect the United States and its people.

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FBI: International Season 4 airs Tuesdays at 9pm ET/PT on CBS and is available to stream the next day on Paramount+.