After FBI: International Dropped A Devastating Reveal On Smitty Before Another Cast Change, Eva-Jane Willis Shared Why It Was 'Like Christmas'
Spoilers ahead for Episode 11 of FBI: International Season 3, called "Touts."
FBI: International headed to London in "Touts" after a former member of the IRA was killed upon his return to the U.K. Since the victim had become a U.S. citizen after informing back in the day, the case fell to the Fly Team, and Smitty was investigating in her home town. She ultimately uncovered some secrets about her own family that could turn the character's life upside down, but actress Eva-Jane Willis shared why it was "like Christmas" for her ahead of a major cast change in the 2024 TV schedule.
First things first: the events of "Touts" went down in what was also the last episode for Luke Kleintank as Scott Forrester.
What Happened For Smitty Ahead of Luke Kleintank's Departure
While the spotlight was on Smitty in "Touts," this was also Luke Kleintank's final episodes as a series regular as Scott Forrester. When the news broke that he'd be leaving, the actor said that he'd made the "difficult decision to leave FBI International" after a lot of thought and consideration, with the decision "driven by my unwavering commitment to my family."
The Fly Team losing Forrester is bound to be a game-changer, even with the introduction of a new character from elsewhere in Dick Wolf's nine-show TV universe. It's still not clear how International is officially saying goodbye to the character, but that upcoming storyline definitely didn't pull focus from Smitty in "Touts."
When the Fly Team traveled to her native London, she went to her mom to reach out to an old family friend with IRA ties. Smitty had fond memories of the man, Niall, from when she was a child, and her nickname even came from him. But the plot thickened considerably for her personally when she realized that her mom had an affair with Niall for years, and she was the product of the affair.
Yes, Smitty learned that her biological father wasn't the man who raised her after all, and then Niall salted the wound after she suggested that he relocate to Budapest so they could see each other more often. Niall didn't intend to have a relationship with her even though she finally learned that she's his daughter, and Smitty ended her trip home with a whole lot of what she thought she knew about her family turned upside down.
And while that was certainly tough for Smitty as a character, actress Eva-Jane Willis absolutely loved it... and the story behind the "Smitty" nickname.
What Eva-Jane Willis Told Us About "Touts"
I had the opportunity to speak with Eva-Jane Willis for "Touts," which enabled her to shoot an episode on location in some iconic spots in London. After sharing what "never gets old" about working on FBI: International, the actress shared her thoughts on finding important new layers to Smitty even after she's already been playing her for nearly two full seasons now:
I love it. It's like Christmas. I'm just opening presents, like little golden gems that I can take and use and develop and grow. It's a challenge to work at that speed and to say lines, to speak words without necessarily having long or deep backstories already written, but I think the writers work with us in a way that they watch what we bring and then we inspire them to write more, and then they give us more in return. So it's kind of a circle of life.
Smitty has been part of the Fly Team since the beginning of Season 2, when she arrived to replace Jaeger as the team's Europol agent. She had a past tie to Forrester and fit in with the rest right off the bat, but FBI: International hadn't revealed a ton about her past prior to this latest episode. With "Touts" delivering the twist about her character's biological father, Eva-Jane Willis weighed in on whether that discovery will stick with Smitty moving forward:
I think it really helps to deepen the character. For me, it's great to know. What I knew about Smitty going into Season 2 was how strong she was and how capable she was. But now to know that she does those things, despite whatever pain she might be carrying, despite whatever hardships she's been through or experienced, it means that I've had to overcome more. Which is fantastic as an actor, because it just gives me deeper greater levels for the character and more to to work with in the future, should we go any deeper with this subject.
Fortunately, FBI: International has been renewed for Season 4, so there's every opportunity for the show to go deeper with the subject of Smitty's family and what she discovered in this episode. And what about the nickname by which fans have known the character of Megan Garretson from her very first episode? Eva-Jane Willis confirmed that she hadn't known the origin of Smitty's name prior to "Touts," and went on:
I had to perform those scenes in which I was teasing everyone else and they were all asking me questions. How did I get this nickname? And I had to, like, hold it in, but I didn't actually know! [laughs] I was also sending messages to the writers going, 'Don't you want to tell me? Please?' It was a piece of the puzzle that only just got put in when I read this episode, and I was actually really delighted with it because it's very sweet.
The reveal of the nickname was one that nobody could have predicted prior to "Touts," as it turned out that Megan had gotten the moniker from her biological father when she was just three years old, when she was obsessed with Smarties but called them "Smitties" when Niall brought them to her. It's certainly a cute origin story, but somewhat tainted now by what she has learned. Willis went on:
It's quite funny and also it turns out [as] something that she literally carries around as a kind of painful truth, as we come to discover. It will be a painful truth that she then has to carry forever. It's her name. So that's pretty amazing, actually, that they came up with it that way... which I think is kind of genius because every time anyone says her name now she's going to be reminded of where that came from. And that's pretty deep... That it turns out that it came from her birth father, I'm very happy with that. It gives me a lot to work on.
It remains to be seen how the drama will handle Smitty's history moving forward, but it seems like a safe bet that International won't have time to revisit it until Season 4. The promo for the penultimate episode (seen below) suggests that we're in for an intense end to Season 3. Take a look:
Keep tuning in to CBS on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET for the remaining episodes of FBI: International Season 3, between FBI at 8 p.m. ET and FBI: Most Wanted at 10 p.m. ET. You can also find episodes of all three shows streaming now and over summer hiatus with a Paramount+ subscription.
