For actors working on crime procedurals, it can be very helpful to learn the basics of law enforcement to better prepare for a role. That way the performers can look more natural on screen when delivering the lingo, the mannerisms, and all the other parts of the job that need to look convincing on TV. FBI's Jeremy Sisto, for example, learned that it's not all shootouts and crazy hostage situations for real cops. Sometimes, it's watching a guy pull drugs out of his butt.
Jeremy Sisto, who plays FBI assistant special agent-in-charge Jubal Valentine on the hit Dick Wolf drama, said that just such a particularly rugged experience happened during a ride-along with a brother of his who works as a cop. Sisto revealed that he has only gone on a couple ride alongs with his lawman sibling, but he has still seen some pretty crazy things in that brief amount of time. In his words:
I mean, I've been on a couple. The first one, I saw a man die in the hospital. The second one, I saw a dude pull some drugs out of his butt and swallow them, with the handcuffs on. I was like, 'This is your every night?' Even the boring stuff was traumatizing.
Not only did Jeremy Sisto see a man pull drugs out of his butt, he then saw that same man swallow those very same drugs! That takes a weird amount of dedication, just like being an actor does. (Maybe not "just like.") It's hard to argue against Sisto's claim that it's a bit traumatizing, though it's also a little impressive considering it was all done while wearing handcuffs.
The actor also told People magazine he saw a man die, so Jeremy Sisto has obviously had quite a few shocking experiences on those ride alongs. I'm sure there was stuff he didn't get into, as well.
FBI hasn't quite tapped into Jeremy Sisto's experiences involving criminals swallowing butt-drugs just yet, and it probably won't on CBS. While that may not have particularly been the most useful part of Sisto's ride along, learning that a job in law enforcement can be a pretty intense and high stress job likely helped him step into the role of Jubal Valentine quite well.
Learning the reality of the job had to be important for Jeremy Sisto, who told CBS 4 Denver that the way the Dick Wolf drama handles the personal lives of these characters is one of his favorite parts of the show. No doubt, part of that has to play into him getting a taste of the average day to day of an officer via ride-alongs. As well as the fact that his brother goes to that job every day, but also maintains a personal life entirely separate from the workflow.
Could NBC's Dick Wolf Shows Cross Over With CBS' FBI?
FBI airs on CBS (hopefully with little to no scenes that show drugs or other illicit items coming out of butts) on Tuesday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET. CinemaBlend is the place to be for all the news regarding the latest and greatest projects happening in television and movies.
