‘FBI: Most Wanted’ – Dylan McDermott and David Hudgins Q&A

By
Rebecca Murray
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FBI Most Wanted Dylan McDermott
Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott in ‘FBI: Most Wanted’ season 3 episode 17 (Photo: Mark Schäfer © 2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc)

Dylan McDermott joins the cast of CBS’s FBI: Most Wanted as a series regular beginning with season three episode 17, “Covenant,” airing on April 12, 2022. McDermott’s fresh off playing a villain on Law & Order: Organized Crime and sliding into the role of Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott lets him flip sides of law enforcement to play one of the good guys.

CBS hosted a virtual press conference in support of Dylan McDermott’s first episode, with the FBI: Most Wanted newcomer joining executive producer and showrunner David Hudgins to discuss Remy Scott and what’s in store for the remainder of season three.

McDermott’s introduction to the cast came on his first day of filming episode 17. “So that was great because Remy was introduced to them and Dylan was introduced to them at the same time,” explained McDermott. “They had asked me, ’Oh, do you want to meet the actors, and would you like to sit down with them and talk to them?’ I said, ‘No. I want it to be as if it’s Remy’s first day and Dylan’s first day coincides.’”

McDermott added: “They were checking me out; I was checking them out. It was a little bit awkward. Not sure. New guy stuff. So, it actually worked out beautifully.”

Remy Scott’s leadership style will be different from that of Supervisory Special Agent Jess LaCroix, played by Julian McMahon. Fans can expect Remy to hit the ground running, according to McDermott, and the team to jell fairly quickly.

“I think that because these are professional people and these are agents, they know they have a job to do. Yes, maybe they have feelings, certainly, about who I am or where I came from, but I think that awkwardness really sort of diminishes after the first episode,” said McDermott.

Hudgins agreed. “I mean the idea of a new leader coming into a team is such an interesting dynamic to play as writers. You know, everybody has a different style. And what’s fun about this episode and even the next couple of episodes going forward is as we start to unpack more about who Remy is, you start to see the way the rest of the team is responding to him,” explained Hudgins. “One of my favorite things about the new energy and vibe of the team is there’s a lightness to it in a good way, you know? I feel like we can lean into the moment of the humor on the show now with Dylan. I think the way he’s playing him is very surprising both to the team, sometimes to us in a good way too.”

Asked to describe what he meant by “lightness,” Hudgins replied, “I think for the lightness what I’m talking about is, you know, with real FBI agents…I’m not going to pretend I know a million of them but I’ve certainly met a lot, and we have consultants on the show. When you’re doing this job, it’s always very serious and you’re always trying to catch your bad guy, pursue justice but, inevitably, there’s moments of humor that come up. It’s just the human condition. You know, sometimes even gallows humor.

I think Remy’s ability to sort of do his job and be really good at it while at the same time not take himself too seriously – and to look for those moments of real connection not only with the people he’s dealing with in the case but with his own team – it just elevates the material. I always, when I started on this show, I was always like, ‘Yes, they’re always on a manhunt. That’s what’s exciting about this case.’ But life happens while you’re on a manhunt. They don’t always have to be in the MCC [Mobile Command Center] talking about the case. They can be having the same conversation at a McDonald’s because people eat when they’re on the road and on the run.”

FBI Most Wanted Dylan McDermott
Miguel Gomez as Special Agent Ivan Ortiz, Alexa Davalos as Special Agent Kristin Gaines, and Dylan McDermott as Supervisory Special Agent Remy Scott in ‘FBI: Most Wanted’ season 3 episode 17 (Photo: Mark Schäfer © 2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.)

Without revealing any spoilers, FBI: Most Wanted fans will quickly learn what drives Remy Scott.

“I thought it was important that when we were talking about the character that there was a personal reason that he was doing what he was doing. It fuels me as an actor when I have that, and it’s proven to be true so far in doing these three episodes that I just completed,” offered McDermott. “I always think that it’s always good to keep yourself rooted over time. Because I think on any show you end up tiring, and I think that’s always probably the pitfall of a show. So, for me, I always like to find the few things that I can keep going back to, keep going back to, and refreshing it for myself. And I think we found that with Remy when we talked about the backstory.”

“And what’s different about Remy, I think, than other procedurals is a lot of these shows, they’re just, you know, people doing things because that’s their job, and they do a good job. But with Remy, it’s very personal what he’s doing. He’s on a mission. He’s on a quest, and there’s a dynamic inside of him that he’s trying to figure out; his own psychology. So, he’s on a journey and I love playing that, to have that in my toolbox every time I go out and do a case,” added McDermott.

Hudgins co-wrote McDermott’s first episode and confirmed they were both on the same page right out of the gate.

“We had already been in the writers’ room talking about, you know, what drives this guy. What’s the backstory going on here? And on the very first meeting that Dylan and I had, that’s one of the first things we talked about, and I said, ‘Fantastic. We feel the same way. This is what we want to do with this character,’” explained Hudgins.

Hudgins believes getting much of Remy Scott’s backstory out in the open right off the bat with episode 17 is a fresh approach, rather than continuing to play out that he’s got a heavy, dark secret over multiple episodes.

That said, McDermott promised his character will engage the audience as they try to figure out what he’s all about.

”I think that Remy is such a great character to play because he’s complex. He’s not just one thing, you know? And that’s what’s cool about him. You know, David and I were talking about this the other day. You think he’s one thing and all of a sudden he’ll do something completely different or say something, and he has a great sense of humor,” teased McDermott.

McDermott acknowledged he’s read comments from fans online who seem to think it’s too soon for him to play Remy Scott after his run as bad guy Richard Wheatley. “I relish in it because I think it’s amazing that people actually believe that’s the character that I play, I’m him,” said McDermott. “So, I just love that because now they’re going to see me in a completely different light from Richard Wheatley to Remy Scott. These are wildly different people and wildly different agendas in life. And I knew instinctively that I had been playing some questionable people along the way, and now it was time to play someone good again. And Remy Scott is that character.

I mean this is a character that’s fully realized when we meet him, you know? You see this guy drive up, and he’s in action right away. We’re in a case right away, and you’re going to see so many different facets of this guy that I think you’re going to quickly forget about Richard Wheatley by the end of episode 17.”




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