‘FBI’ Star Juliana Aidén Martinez on Eva’s Surprising Past and Her New Partnership With Scola (Exclusive)

Juliana Aidén Martinez officially made her FBI debut in Monday’s episode, and she spoke to PopCulture.com about what’s next.

The actress joined the team as Special Agent Eva Ramos following Dani Rhodes’ death in the Season 8 premiere.

When she is first introduced in “Boy Scout,” she doesn’t reveal much, just that she worked in Jersey and wanted a fresh start. By the end of the episode, after working with Scola on a case, Eva revealed that she had a field office romance with a guy who ended up conspiring to bring down the FBI as part of Forefront, the group that infiltrated the FBI and left explosives at 26 Fed in the Season 7 finale, nearly killing Isobel. Eva admitted she wanted to transfer when she saw there was an open position since 26 Fed brought down Forefront. And Martinez thinks “there is a really great story there,” in regards to Eva’s past and connection to the group.

“We as the audience see how impactful Forefront was to 26 Fed and how it shook everybody to its core,” she explained. “And we see that personal impact on Eva, and what happened with her partner, and how she got betrayed in the process. So I do know that there are whisperings of that being more of a storyline, but it’s something that I think the team will explore in the future as we go on with other cases.”

Meanwhile, when Eva first joined, it was clear how difficult things were for Scola, as he told her she couldn’t take Dani’s desk, and he was being cautious because he didn’t want to lose anyone else. So Eva has to delicately dance around this new normal with this new team, but that is where her background as a prosecutor will come in handy.

“Eva has a tenacity about her or a ferocity that I really like about her, and we’ll see that in her, for instance, her prosecute in her lawyer or prosecutorial nature,” Martinez said. “She has this kind of legal mind that’s gonna come into cases, and it’s gonna be really helpful. And we’re gonna see where that comes into play when they’re dealing with criminals or suspects that she has the ability to know the law on top of being able to work out in the field. And so that’s gonna be an interesting dynamic that we see with her.”

“And then I’m also hoping that we get to see more of her charm and her playfulness and her joy that she has out in the field, too,” she continued. “That she is someone that I imagine was a lawyer and then looked at all the paperwork and said, ‘This is boring as hell. I wanna be out in the field.’ And that’s a really cool dynamic about her, and something different that she brings to the team, also.”

Even though things were a bit difficult at first, Eva and Scola didn’t have much time for pleasantries, as they were immediately thrown into a case that intersects with a DEA undercover operation. Not only was Eva thrown into the action immediately, but Martinez was, as well, but she didn’t mind.

“It was just so much fun,” she shared. “I remember it was raining a little bit that day. They expected it to rain a little bit, and I was doing some crazy stunts on crates, and there was a gunfight that was happening. And I remember it was such a blast because I’m also an athlete. So just the ability to move my body in this way was, for me, just like my body missed it, if you will. And that day was rainy, but I just felt like I was having a party. I don’t know. I was having the best time of my life.”

Martinez said she remembers co-star John Boyd “kind of laughing and smiling. I was warming up and having so much fun. And then our director, Peter Stebbings, he came up to me, and he was like, ‘You’re an action star now, babe. Let’s do it.’ It was a very fun day, especially to work with John that day. It was a blast.”

Now that Scola and Eva have worked together and are learning more about each other, there will be a lot to look forward to when it comes to this new partnership. “I would say that what’s really cool about Scola and Eva is that they both have these city roots,” Martinez said. “They both grew up in the city, and they’re both incredibly intelligent. And I think that there is similarities about them.

“I see them kind of like two positive eons moving through space together,” she continued. “And there is a sophistication about her and an intellect about her that she’s gonna keep him on his toes, and he’s gonna keep her on her toes. And that’s just something really cool that you see people on equal footing with each other. And there’s not gonna be something that slides by. So I think we’re gonna see more of that dynamic and how that unravels.”

As for what’s coming up for Eva, Martinez teased a “really cool episode with Maggie and Eva that’s coming up. And the two ladies leading the episode and doing this mission together without the guys, and I think that’s gonna be a really fun episode. I’m really excited for the girls out there to see it. And that’s just something that I think people will really enjoy, and it was a lot of fun doing.”

The team is looking a bit different, but Eva Ramos has already proven that she belongs. There is still a lot to learn about her, and as she continues to try to fit in, there is no telling what will happen. Luckily, it should be entertaining to watch in new episodes of FBI airing on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS, streaming the next day on Paramount+.