‘FBI: International’: Eva-Jane Willis Talks Smitty’s Mother, Losing Scott & New Characters

Smitty’s (Eva-Jane Willis) in for a tense family reunion on FBI: International.

The May 7 episode, “Touts,” sees a former member of the IRA (Irish Republican Army) turned U.S. citizen shot dead while in London with his son touring youth football academies. “Obviously as a Londoner in the episode, this really hits close to home for Smitty. And so as usual, we jump on a flight and we get to the scene of the crime as quickly as we can, and it starts to unfold that what we might need is someone who has a contact within IRA circles,” Willis tells TV Insider. That’s when we get a reveal about Smitty’s family.

“She says she’s going to have to do something that she always tries to avoid, which is visiting her mother. So that’s a bit of a surprise we find out quite early on in the episode, that her mother might have had some kind of affiliation with people who were either in or friends with the IRA, and that’s how we begin the deep dive into Smitty and some of her family history,” she previews.

Smitty and her mother’s relationship is best described as “passive-aggressive,” says Willis. “I think there’s a very, very deep love there, but also let’s say that they are two peas in the pod. They rub each other up the wrong way. Your parents know how to push your buttons, and that’s what I would say about Smitty’s mother: She definitely knows how to push Smitty’s buttons.”

So much of the case and Smitty being back around family is entangled. “The thing I really loved about the episode was that as we go deeper in, we begin to learn that her mother’s relationship to these people is actually obviously integral to the case, but also has an emotional and personal effect on Smitty,” shares Willis. “And so I’m constantly, as an actress, battling with that conflict throughout—Smitty needs to be professional, but also she’s having some personal revelations and some personal difficulties here as well. But that was really fun as an actress to be able to deal with that challenge. Usually I can be all professional in these episodes. Smitty doesn’t get that personally affected by what’s happening most of the time. Obviously that’s unavoidable in this one.”

She will be leaning on Forrester (Luke Kleintank), just like she has in the past. “He’s probably the first person she calls when things get really tough for her during this episode, and you’ll see a nice scene between us at a crucial moment for Smitty,” Willis previews. “Forrester is really the one who inspired her to move to Budapest in the first place and to become part of the fly team, and so he’s always her first call.”

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But the team will be losing him, with this episode also Kleintank’s last. However, it will be in Season 4 that viewers will really be seeing how the team does without its leader. “Right now we’re in the midst of it in Season 3, and obviously I can’t say much about the way in which his character will depart, so Smitty doesn’t have to do without Forrester adjust yet,” says the star. “But I think we will try to make sure that the fans are happy with the way things are resolved.”

The last two episodes of the season (airing May 14 and 21) will be introducing two new characters played by Colin Donnell and Teri Polo. Willis can’t say much about them but does note, “whenever a new character comes in, because the team is so close knit, we tend to hold any newcomers at arm’s length to begin with,” as we saw with Powell (Greg Hovanessian).

However, she continues, “these characters then became so integral to the team. When I first joined, I had to sort of prove myself, prove that I could bring something to the team and that I was going to have everyone’s back. And as soon as that’s established, then we bring you in and you become integral to the team and one of us. So I think the same thing will happen with these two new characters. I think it’s safe to say that the Fly Team always makes sure that any newcomer earns their place.”

FBI: International, Tuesdays, 9/8c, CBS