FBI's John Boyd Talks 'Emotional' Scola Story — And Improving On That NCIS: LA Chase Scene Pet Peeve

Tonight on CBS' FBI, the professional gets a bit personal for Special Agent Stuart Scola.

In the winter premiere, titled "Descent" and airing at 8/7c, the investigation into an assistant U.S. attorney's death leads Jubal's team to an airline whistleblower scandal and the discovery that terrorists plan to crash numerous in-flight commercial airplanes.

"Descent" – The suspected suicide of a former Assistant United States Attorney puts the team onto an airline whistleblower scandal. But when the investigation uncovers a sinister terrorist plot hacking the computer systems of airlines, they must race to stop planes falling out of the sky. Dealing with the memory of his brother, who was a victim of the 9/11, the case pushes Scola hard to prevent another catastrophe, on FBI, Tuesday, Jan. 28 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Jeremy Sisto as Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine and John Boyd as Special Agent Stuart Scola. Photo: Bennett Raglin/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The specific nature of the terrorism threat naturally evokes 9/11, and for Scola memories of his brother, Doug, who died in New York that day.

"There's this 9/11 echo for Scola throughout the case that's interesting," says John Boyd, who plays the fed. "It adds a subtextual layer to the case for him" — one that powerfully comes to the fore during his questioning of a POI's wife, played by The Night Agent's Arienne Mahdi.

What is it like for actors on a show that films in New York to broach a 9/11-like storyline, even more than two decades since the deadliest terrorist attack in American history?

"When we're dealing with sensitive material, you feel it [on-set] because there's a type of work happening. There's always a level of respect," Boyd avows. "But in terms of what we do as [individual] storytellers, my job is to take all of that tragedy and pain and relate to it, and reveal it. I try to honor that story and that tragedy for the people that lost loved ones by being as truthful as I can."

The intense episode actually opens with a bit of a mystery, during a visit from Scola's partner, Special Agent Nina Chase (FBI: Most Wanted's Shantel VanSanten).

"Nina and Scola are having some bagels in the bullpen, when OA and Maggie come in and we find out that there's been this letter sitting on Scola's desk for a month, that he refuses to open," Boyd previews. "I think that he knows what it's about, but he doesn't know how he's going to feel once he reads it. And every day you don't read it, it gets harder to open and harder to open."

But by episode's end, "There's a beautiful, emotional resolution" to that mystery, Boyd teases. "It's a really nice, full circle Scola story."

FBI being FBI, there's a foot chase or two this week as the team closes in on lead after lead. Which always gets us wondering, are some cast members more game to sprint after a suspect than others?

"Listen, I love a good running scene. That's our bread and butter," says Boyd, who is quick to share his Tom Cruise-inspired tip: "You gotta keep the hands tight to the side!"

That "love" for a chase scene can be more of a like, though, when a New York winter does its thing.

Speaking with TVLine ahead of the week of January 21's big chill in the Big Apple, Boyd says, "We were just talking about how it's going to be 8 degrees next week and we have a chase scene outside. Zeeko [Zaki, who plays OA] was like, 'Oh, man, I don't want to be cold,' and I was like, 'Why would we be cold, we'll be booking it all day!'"

The thing about a foot chase in a TV procedural is, "You can't fake running hard. You can't look like you're jogging," Boyd makes clear. Even if a camera man or director suggests, "'Hmm, you don't need to run that fast because we don't have that much room,' on this show it's like, 'No, you don't get to say that,'" Boyd quips. "We are running.'"

And if you give Boyd a backyard fence to scale? "As long as it's not too high, as long as I can do it in one hop," he is happy to do it. "When you put all that [tactical] stuff on, you feel invincible, your blood's pumping."

Of course, we couldn't pick Boyd's brain about foot chases without bringing up that big TV Pet Peeve, which TVLine previously had NCIS: Los Angeles vet Daniela Ruah address: yelling "Federal agent!" at a suspect standing across the street, which effectively invites the POI to make a run for it.

"That's one of the things that a lot of TV fans like to bring up. But we try to find new ways to start chases," Boyd acknowledges. "We try to sometimes make it abut eye contact, or sometimes people thinking they're not sure [you're a fed] and then they decide to run, to 'rabbit.'"

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