Dylan McDermott is eager to switch from a villain to a hero.
The actor opened up about how it felt going from Law & Order: Organized Crime’s evil Richard Wheatley to FBI: Most Wanted’s new leader Remy Scott.
While McDermott knows that’s a big switch, he’s willing to accept the challenge of changing what viewers expect from him.
Dylan McDermott and his big show switch
An actor going from one big TV show to another is nothing at all new in the television industry. Yet, it’s still striking to see an actor announced as joining one big series while he’s still starring in another.
A familiar face on television since the late 1990s, Dylan McDermott came to fame with his Golden Globe Award-winning role in the hit ABC drama The Practice. He’s since starred in numerous shows such as Big Shots and LA To Vegas.
In 2021, McDermott joined the new Law & Order: Organized Crime spin-off as Richard Wheatley. His wicked mobster has been a prime force on the show, including major clashes with hero Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni).
That’s what made it surprising when it was announced in January that McDermott would be joining the cast of FBI: Most Wanted to replace the departing Julian McMahon.
His final episode of Law & Order: Organized Crime aired in March as Wheatley was seemingly killed in a car crash (although his body was never found). McDermott was already filming his introduction to FBI: Most Wanted when the episode aired.
Speaking to Deadline, McDermott acknowledged how suddenly jumping from a villainous role to a heroic one will be jarring to people but he is ready for it.
“I think it’s really interesting. I’ve been reading comments online and people are saying, ‘It’s too soon. He’s Richard Wheatley, a bad guy.’ I relish in that because it’s amazing that people believe that I’m the character I’m playing. Now they’re going to see me in a completely different light, going from Richard Wheatley to Remy Scott, two wildly different people with wildly different agendas in life. I knew instinctively that I had played some questionable people along the way and now it’s time to play someone good again. Remy Scott is that character.”
McDermott is ready for the big challenge of the role given FBI: Most Wanted’s changing dynamic this season.
How will Remy Scott enter FBI: Most Wanted?
FBI: Most Wanted fans are still reeling from the loss of Jess LaCroix. The heroic agent bravely gave his life in the field, saving a young woman from an attacker.
The team has done its best to handle Jess’s loss, but it’s been difficult. The last episode had Barnes, affected by his death, deciding to take a break to focus on her family (which was an excuse for Roxy Sternberg’s real-life pregnancy).
Scott will debut in the April 12 episode, and while McDermott is mostly quiet on how he enters, he made it clear he enjoyed how Scott is introduced to the team just as he was introduced to the cast.
“My first day of work was my introduction to the actors. Remy was introduced to them at the same time as Dylan. It was great because I was checking them out and they were checking me out. It was a little awkward, but it all worked out beautifully. I feel like we really hit the ground running in the first episode. I think that because these people are professionals, they are agents, they know we have a job to do. Yes, maybe they have feelings, certainly about who I am and where I came from. But I think that awkwardness really diminishes after the first episode.”
While it may still be jarring for viewers to see McDermott go from villain to hero, the actor seems eager to make his new job on FBI: Most Wanted one of his best yet for viewers.
FBI: Most Wanted Season 3 returns with new episodes Tuesday, April 12 at 10/9c on CBS.