Law & Order: Organized Crime's Danielle Moné Truitt Teases A 'Come To Jesus Moment' Is On The Way For Someone In Bell's Squad Room
Don't come into Sgt. Ayanna Bell's squad room without knowing exactly who's in charge.
That's the lesson that FBI Agent Bruce Sheppard (played by Ozark's McKinley Belcher III) is on track to learn as the drama continues its Season 5 run (new episodes drop Thursdays on Peacock). Viewers will remember that Sheppard showed up in the season premiere, when his investigation of a deadly biker gang intersected with the Organized Crime Control Bureau's pursuit of a dirty trucking company. (Read a full recap here.)
And while Danielle Moné Truitt has been clear about her desire for her character to be a bit more relaxed this season — "I'm tired of Bell having to be everybody's mom," she tells TVLine. "This is a specialized taskforce, which means everybody who is a part of this task force is the best at what they do." — don't think that means she won't make sure the new guy fall in line as needed when he's back in future episodes.
Read on to hear Truitt's thoughts about what's ahead in the new season, and for context, know that this chat took place before Jet's exit from Bell's task force.
TVLINE | Right from the beginning of the season, we have the FBI messing with the OCCB. Agent Sheppard comes in hot, and Bell really pulls for her team. What can you tell me about the FBI's involvement in this season? Is Sheppard around a lot?
DANIELLE MONÉ TRUITT | He's around for a portion of the season... It's always an interesting dynamic when you are having to work with another part of the justice system, and they have a way that they want to do things, and everybody wants to assert their authority. And I think because Bell is a woman, and a Black woman, I think that there is sometimes just a lack of respect that people have for her. They'll try to come in and assert their way because they're men, or sometimes because they're white.
TVLINE | Yes.
It's like, "OK, it's really cute that you have this little team, but you know we're the FBI." And this is a Black man... but he's a man, and I think just having Bell be a woman, there is automatically [his having] this idea of, "Hey, I know what I'm doing. I've been chasing these people for a while. Let me come in and take over." I think it is a realistic thing that she's always having to let people know and put people on notice like, "Hey, I've got this. You're working with us. You came to us. So don't start questioning what we're doing. You're the person that needs help." [Laughs] There's a few times that she has to check him until he realizes who she is.
TVLINE | And, as we learn, he messed things up the first time they tried to go for the gang!
Exactly! And our team is solid. You guys will see in later episodes there's a little, I call it a "come to Jesus moment." He has a little come to Jesus moment, a little moment of where he has to be humbled, you know? People have no choice but to respect Bell because she does her job well, she manages her team well. When she gets into situations where she doesn't know what she's doing, or maybe made the wrong call or whatever, she takes accountability. So everybody ends up having to respect her at the end of the day.
TVLINE | I love it. Also: Because I'm 5 years old, I was super into it when you guys started swearing on the show.
[Laughs] That's it, girl. I love it.
TVLINE | Talk to me about how much Bell swears this season.
She's always swearing, even when there was no swearing allowed, she's swearing in here. [Points to head] She's like, "You dumb mother–ker." [Laughs] She's saying all the things.
...We all were so excited. I mean, Rick [Gonzalez], when I tell you Rick chose to curse every chance he got. [Laughs] I would be cracking up. I mean, every chance he got, he was like "F–k!" It goes with his character, though.
TVLINE | Amazing.
I'm like, "This is awesome." I had never been on a show where I was able to just say "motherf—ker," and I've been dying for this opportunity for a long time. [Laughs]