Evolution’s Paget Brewster on Her Hopes for Season 18

[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Season 17 of Criminal Minds: Evolution.]

The Season 17 finale of the Paramount+ collection Criminal Minds: Evolution wrapped up the Gold Star storyline as the ultimate puzzle piece fell into place when the final member was revealed. Emily Prentiss (Paget Brewster) needed to confront Jade and her latest companion, with the intention to unravel the conspiracy they’d satisfied themselves of, with the hope that the reality would save the BAU. However resolving the Gold Star case doesn’t sever their ties to Elias Voit (Zach Gilford), who will inevitably proceed to be a thorn within the facet of the BAU till they’ll lastly show that he’s Sicarius.

Nonetheless experiencing guilt over what occurred to Deputy Director Doug Bailey final season, Prentiss feels a little bit bit misplaced and even contemplates leaving her place on the BAU. After sharing a second with JJ (AJ Cook dinner) and realizing the significance of seeing Gold Star by way of to the top, Prentiss was finally in a position to save herself and the workforce, in order that they may reside to battle and catch unsubs one other day.

Throughout this one-on-one interview with Collider, Brewster talked about how returning to Emily Prentiss for Legal Minds: Evolution felt like driving a motorbike, adjusting to the streaming format, sharing a stoner second between Prentiss and JJ, her zip-tied stand-off, her hopes for Season 18, whether or not she’d prefer to see the return of characters like Spencer Reid (Matthew Grey Gubler) and Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), and why she hasn’t directed an episode when so a lot of her co-stars have.

Collider: When this collection and these characters got here again final season, for the viewers like me who had been looking forward to 15 seasons, it felt acquainted. However if you return to a personality after a while away from enjoying her, did she really feel as acquainted to you? Did you need to discover her once more? Did it really feel bizarre in any manner?

PAGET BREWSTER: It sounds so cliché, and it’s so silly, you hear folks say it on a regular basis, nevertheless it’s as a result of it’s true, it’s like driving a motorbike. I do know Prentiss and I knew we have been in a brand new format. That’s what was jarring. It was, “Oh, this seems to be totally different, and it feels a little bit totally different, and it’s written a little bit otherwise.” All of us have been afraid we’d forgotten the right way to act popping out of the pandemic and it was like, “Oh, my God, how did I ever memorize this many strains?” Nevertheless it occurred fairly quick. All of us felt like we didn’t have our sea legs and that this was new, however just like the previous present. After perhaps 14 or 15 days, we have been like, “Oh, we’re in it. We all know how to do that.” After which, it was full steam forward. It’s one thing you do fall again into. We have been all involved about, has it modified? What’s the present gonna be now? It’s totally different, however we all know the place that is going. It’s an ongoing case. It’s not one case per week. We’re simply so rattling joyful that now we have our job again.

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And now you could add some swear phrases, it feels additional naughty.

BREWSTER: It’s like the primary time you hear your mother swear. You’re like, “Woah, mother’s mad.” It’s actually enjoyable, however I’m glad that they’re not overdoing it. We’re not all immediately bare and having intercourse, or displaying much more brutal murders. I believe our writers have been actually respectful of the format and the viewers. We all know youngsters watch the present. We all know that 10-, 11-, and 12-year-old watch the present. No person needed to grow to be HBO. We actually needed to honor and supply the present that folks like. We’re nonetheless hoping that the modifications which have been made, just like the lighting or sure pictures or the storylines, haven’t deviated an excessive amount of from the unique. We hope that it’s a even handed use of looser parameters.

Paget Brewster Loves the Season 17 Finale Episode, Even Although She Did not Love the Problem of Capturing It

I believed it was a extremely fascinating option to finish the season to have Prentiss be the one to face off with Jade. How was it so that you can pull your character away from the remainder of the workforce and really have a second like that, particularly with the way in which the season performed out?

BREWSTER: These scenes have been fairly difficult to shoot, being zip-tied to a wheelchair and alternating between making an attempt to motive with these youngsters, who had been brutalized into believing one thing that appears insane to Prentiss, and making an attempt to clarify to them why they’re mistaken, however she understands why they assume they’re proper. And so, it was this dance of shedding endurance by going, “You killed him, babe.” She’s making an attempt to speak for her life. She’s making an attempt to remain alive lengthy sufficient, after which realizes, “Oh, they’re gonna kill the workforce.” It’s this horrible realization, with simply the disappointment of recognizing what Pete Bailey had gone by way of and what his brother was making an attempt to avoid wasting him from. It’s retroactively trying again at one other yr of disappointment. This household misplaced their son, and the opposite son was misplaced earlier than that. It’s simply tragic. I liked that episode. I didn’t love capturing it, however I liked the episode. I’m actually excited to listen to what folks say after they see the ultimate episode, and in the event that they’re enthusiastic about it, in the event that they’re joyful about it, and in the event that they’re enthusiastic about the place we will go from right here. It raises actually fascinating questions on these youngsters who usually are not simply criminals, they’re victims. We all know how they acquired there, and the BAU is partially accountable as a result of the White Paper Jill [Gideon] wrote was the template for Gold Star to create this. There’s a lot extra we will take a look at. And I’d like to work with these youngsters once more as a result of they have been nice. However these have been some lengthy nights in Pomona in an asbestos-filled former sanitarium. It was tough.

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“I do know what it’s prefer to be afraid of your individual thoughts.”

I additionally significantly loved attending to discover a very excessive Prentiss hanging out on the sofa. While you do a present like this that’s so darkish by simply the character of the story that it’s telling, is it a pleasant diversion to have a few of these extra lighthearted moments like that or issues that you could be not have ever had time to get to on a present if you have been doing a case each episode?

BREWSTER: Yeah, and that’s a part of Evolution that’s actually thrilling. We have now that freedom of time and storylines to observe a private state of affairs, which was finally about work. On the one hand, A.J. [Cook] and I have been gonna be consuming Cheetos in our PJs and that was gonna be superior, nevertheless it was additionally a extremely vital dialog that they needed to have. Prentiss is excessive as a result of she’s insecure and is making an attempt to determine what to do. She thinks she’s gonna be fired, so she’s gonna give up first. JJ has been fighting understanding about BAUGate, however Prentiss didn’t inform her. And so, what does that do to them? JJ talks Prentiss down from eager to give up by saying, “This job gave me you.” Though it gave them each ache and loss, it’s too vital to each of them. So, what’s a stoner scene finally ends up being this actually lovely story about friendship and relying on one another and reaching again out to one another, as buddies and colleagues. However there have been quite a lot of Cheetos. We have been ingesting quite a lot of water. It was robust on props as a result of clearly they weren’t precise edibles, however there have been a ton of salt and vinegar potato chips and Cheetos over that set, and all people was consuming them. Props must run again in and refill the Cheeto bowl as a result of all people was consuming them.

Paget Brewster Is Simply Superb With Leaving Directing to Her ‘Legal Minds: Evolution’ Co-Stars

So a lot of your fellow forged members have directed episodes. What’s it prefer to be directed by your co-stars? Is it at all times totally different with every one in all them? Is it one thing that you just additionally need to soar in and do?

BREWSTER: Oh, no, I’ve no want to direct. I don’t perceive it in any respect. Directing is only a headache. It’s perhaps a little bit bit more cash, nevertheless it’s too many individuals asking too many questions. And you need to do pre-production. You need to go take a look at areas when you’re appearing as an FBI agent. They must memorize strains, after which go take a look at torture chambers. Our actors are nice administrators, and that’s not essentially at all times gonna be the case. We’re extraordinarily fortunate that they’re as enthusiastic about it as they’re. It’s not simply, “Oh, I wanna have one other profession. I wanna get more cash. I wanna direct as a result of the director is vital.” They direct as a result of they’re so invested in telling the story. It makes me really feel like a extremely lazy, unambitious piece of crap. However I simply know that I’m good at being Prentiss, and I really like doing that. I couldn’t deal with the accountability that they enjoy. We’re extraordinarily fortunate. I can assure you that there are actors who mentioned they needed to direct and did a horrible job, and different folks needed to cowl up for them. There’s no manner that hasn’t occurred. We’re simply very lucky that our actors are so unbelievably nice at it and invested in it. I really like these guys. It’s shorthand. Our days are actually cool as a result of what they need, and also you shoot the scene. Nobody wants to offer you a hug or has to finagle something. We simply wanna get it completed. It’s nice. It’s enjoyable.

Though I really feel such as you needed to in all probability give Zach Gilford a little bit little bit of a tough time, coming in as the brand new man and in addition directing.

BREWSTER: We have been gonna prank him, however he was so nervous as a result of it was the primary time he directed. We have been like, “Oh, no, we will’t prank this man. He’s actually scared. He’s actually nervous about not getting this proper.” And we watched him, day after day, get extra assured and extra excited. He was texting all people to inform them that they’re superior. He was so in it and so into it. In a single episode, he went from a scared beginner to superior and excited by the top of the episode. It was so humorous. That man is nice.

Paget Brewster Is Simply As Excited To Be taught About What’s Subsequent Because the Followers of ‘Legal Minds: Evolution’ Are

Are you aware something about the place issues might be headed subsequent? Do you assume we’ve seen the final of Voit?

BREWSTER: I don’t know what I’m allowed to say. I hope we haven’t seen the final of Voit. I hope we haven’t seen the final of Pete Bailey and Jade. I hope we haven’t seen the final of Brian Garrity, who’s performed by one in all my greatest buddies, Paul F. Tompkins. I wanna see him in that hat and wig once more. I really like him. I believe there are methods to ask questions and observe up with how we ended this season, subsequent season, however I don’t know what it’s. We wanna return to work and we wanna know what we’re doing. I believe they’re gonna ship us an e-mail quickly, telling us what’s coming this [next] season as a result of we simply can’t wait. We will’t wait to get again to work. We wanna know what we’re doing. We wanna know who we’re gonna see and who’s coming again.

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There’s been fairly a little bit of speak about legacy this complete season, in the case of the BAU. We’ve heard mentions of Gideon, Hotch, Morgan, and Spencer Reid, and each Shemar Moore and Matthew Grey Gubler have talked about being open to returning. Would you additionally prefer to see both or each of them come again, sooner or later and indirectly?

BREWSTER: After all! I do know that Matthew has been writing New York Occasions bestselling youngsters’s books, and he loves it and is nice at it. However sure, we might like it if he got here again. Shemar remains to be the star of his personal present, SWAT, however that will be nice. These usually are not selections I could make, sadly, or I’d have everybody come again, right here and there, and get all people concerned. That’s fewer workdays for me, so I’d love that, nevertheless it’s not in my fingers. Generally that may additionally grow to be a bizarre political factor the place a studio or community says, “We will’t work with that particular person as a result of they’re a part of that franchise,” and that’s simply stuff I don’t perceive. I placed on my boots, I holster my gun, I memorize my phrases, I get my hair blown out, and I do my job. However it could be nice. It might be pretty. It’s at all times thrilling when now we have folks from the previous come again, like Brian Garrity. We’ve had brokers come again, we’ve had cops, we’ve had native detectives. It’s so thrilling as a result of the followers are additionally a part of this household, they usually’ve seen all these folks. It’s very nice to convey folks again, and my fingers are crossed for subsequent season.

Legal Minds: Evolution is obtainable to stream on Paramount+. Try the trailer for Season 17:

Watch on Paramount+