Yahoo Lifestyle 'Chicago P.D.' Alum Jesse Lee Soffer Joins 'FBI: International'
Jesse Lee Soffer left Chicago P.D. but hasn’t gone too far. The actor is staying a part of the Wolf pack when he joins Dick Wolf’s FBI: International as a series regular for the series' fourth season this fall, TVLine reports.
No, he won’t be reprising his role as Jay Halstead, but will be taking on an all-new character that has yet to be revealed.
For a short time, it looked as if Colin Donnell, who had starred on Chicago Med, would fill the slot left empty by Luke Kleintank’s departure from his role on International when Donnell guest starred as Brian Lange at the end of last season, but now we know that won’t be happening and Soffer's character will be joining the Fly Team.
Related: FBI: International Finally Reveals Forrester's Fate After Luke Kleintank's Exit
Soffer was an original cast member on Chicago P.D. since its 2014 premiere and had been a series regular until his departure in the beginning of Season 10. He did return for both Season 10 and Season 11 to direct an episode.
Nelly Kiss/CBS
He will now fly to Budapest, where the International films—OK, that is a long way from Chicago, and join current cast members Carter Redwood, Vinessa Vidotto, Christina Wolfe and Eva-Jane Willis.
Related: Jesse Lee Soffer Finally Explains His Chicago P.D. Exit
In a conversation with Variety, Soffer explained the reason he decided to leave Chicago P.D.
"I’ve thought so hard about how to answer this question," he said, "and there’s no good answer, except I was ready for more.
"I really wanted to grow and expand, and we’ve only got this one trip. If I signed up again, it would have been for another three years. I would have turned 40 on the show. I thought, 'You know what? It’s time to take a risk. It was one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make in my life."
FBI: International will air this fall on CBS on Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
