‘FBI’: Juliana Aidén Martinez Talks Joining Series and Teases Special Agent Eva Ramos’ Introduction (Exclusive)

FBI is getting another new cast member with Juliana Aidén Martinez, and she spoke to PopCulture.com about what fans can expect.

Martinez is joining as Special Agent Eva Ramos on the heels of Emily Alabi’s exit, whose Special Agent Dani Rhodes died in the Season 8 premiere.

Fans will meet Eva for the first time in Monday’s episode, “Boy Scout,” airing at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. In the episode, “After a young man is found beaten to death on federal land, Scola and Special Agent Eva Ramos (Martinez) hit a roadblock when their case intersects with a DEA operation. Meanwhile, there is a potential shake-up inside of the JOC.”

Martinez described Eva as “sharp-witted,” saying she’s “clever. She’s classy. She has a touch of grit to her, and she’s just someone that I think probably has Aperol Spritzes on the weekend with her girlfriends, and also has a lot of fun being badass in the field.”

As for what will happen in Monday’s episode, Eva will be meeting her new partner, Scola (John Boyd), after he’s been dealing with Dani’s loss. “And we also get to see them work a case together in which we see that there’s a murder that happened on federal land, and Special Agents Ramos and Scola take on this case, and then we find out that it collides with the DEA office and an undercover operation, and the case becomes more complicated,” she continued. “And it really puts Scola to the task. So, it’s gonna be a really cool episode. I think it’s also really awesome that Eva goes straight into the action, and there’s also a potential shake-up with the JOC.”

Dani’s death came as a surprise, and after going through a handful of partners since Katherine Renee Kane’s Tiffany Wallace left at the start of Season 7, it seemed like Dani was the one. Now Scola is struggling with this sudden loss, and having to get used to a new partner may not be so easy, as Martinez previewed.

“I think it’s something you would probably in life experience where you don’t know someone’s history. You can only relate to what it potentially feels for yourself,” she said. “And I think that Eva comes in excited to be a part of this team because she’s seeking to be a part of this team, which we find out later on in the episode. And Scola doesn’t give her the warmest welcome.”

“He kind of says, ‘This is not your desk. Move over.’ And they have this moment of tension and kind of playfulness that I think is really fun and interesting,” Martinez continued. “So, we kinda see that dynamic happen straight away.”

Martinez’s addition to FBI comes months after she departed Law & Order: SVU as Detective Kate Silva at the end of Season 26 after one season. And so far, FBI has been “super fun.” She said, “It is very different than SVU in the sense that I get to do a lot of action. And that’s been a blast for me because I am someone that is athletic. I love dance. I’ve always played soccer, and the ability to do this kind of physical work every day and create a story with that is a blast. It’s like you’re on Mission: Impossible every week. So it’s been really fun.”

The fact that Martinez was able to go from SVU to FBI so quickly is not surprising, as both are from Wolf Entertainment and actors tend to bounce from one show to the next if they’re able to. Although Martinez was only on SVU for a season, she’s “really grateful that I’ve been able to stay with this team.” She continued, “They’re very supportive of me. They’ve always been really encouraging, and everyone has always been warm in my experience, and very welcoming and encouraging.”

“The ability to learn from Mariska [Hargitay] and Ice-T and then also be doing a crazy and badass episode with Missy [Peregrym], I feel incredibly grateful,” Martinez expressed. “There is just a desire to make the best thing possible every week, and people who work extremely hard and who are very good at what they do. And I get to be a part of that. So I just feel really grateful.”

Even though Dani’s death is heartbreaking, it will be interesting to see what Eva Ramos brings to the team, and what Juliana Aidén Martinez brings to the cast. Make sure to tune in to her first episode, airing on Monday at 9 p.m. ET on CBS, streaming the next day on Paramount+.