‘FBI’: Zeeko Zaki on Intense Hijacked Train Situation and Still Putting Out ‘High-Stakes Television’ After Seven Seasons (Exclusive)

OA and Gemma found themselves in the middle of a hijacked train in tonight’s new FBI, and Zeeko Zaki broke it down with PopCulture.com. In “Hitched,” the couple tried to take a nice and deserving vacation to Niagara Falls, but unfortunately, the train is overtaken by some criminals with a vendetta. It also just so happened that the team is working on the exact case. It was an intense hour, to say the least, that was filled with action, heart-stopping moments, and more. Take a look what Zaki had to say.

PopCulture: In the episode, while OA and Gemma are on the train, OA can immediately sense that something’s wrong. And, of course, his gut was right. What do you think he was thinking in that moment when the train is taken hostage and he really couldn’t do anything about it?

Zeeko Zaki: I think he fell back on his training, and his instincts are very tuned in to threats and things like that from his job and his past. So I feel like he was just the right guy in the right time for exactly what was happening. But then you sort of throw on the reality of the situation that he’s with his romantic partner and then without his S.W.A.T. team or his guns and his vest and things like that. So it is definitely an ‘Oh, s— moment,’ but it’s very, very, very fun to play.

PC: OA, being OA, tries to stop a fight, and in turn, Gemma tries to pull the emergency brakes, which don’t work, but she’s shot. Luckily, she winds up being okay, but OA blames himself for what happened. Will we see this continue in future episodes?

Zaki: What we will see is the strength in his compartmentalization. A lot of the moments on this these traumatic moments for the characters in their personal life, they definitely sort of use the work to separate that and to just show that the reality of the real agents in the world and the real military people and these people that are in lines of work that are life-threatening have to do. But we’ll see where that pops up again. And hopefully, the next episode with Gemma and OA, we get to sort of dive into that.

PC: I can’t help but notice that OA has been on quite an emotional roller coaster this season. How is it digging into those different kinds of emotions?

Zaki: I think the best way to secure his longevity in his career is to kind of fall back on that, ‘If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger’ saying. These guys, we’re trying to represent an entire bureau and thousands of people, so we have to be the strongest. We have to be able to handle all of that stuff. And it’s kind of an honor to get to play that level of power and skill. And I think it’s great to kind of get to show that just to remind these people or to remind the audience that there are people out there that are actually dealing with this. And again, we have to be heroes and to represent the real heroes. And so, hopefully, we just get to keep going on because if he was any weaker, it would probably break him, and we don’t want that to happen.

PC: After it’s revealed that there are plans to crash the train, OA safely gets Gemma and the other passengers to another train car and is able to disconnect it, but he nearly falls onto the tracks in the process. Was that stunt all you, or was it someone else doing it?

Zaki: It was all me. It was really cool because when you read it, I assumed, ‘Okay. Like, there’s gonna be a lot of this that I can’t do.’ But the way we filmed it, we were on a stage. Everything was safe. We weren’t ever too far off the ground. So it was really fun to get to play the whole thing.

PC: Overall, the episode was as intense as ever as per usual, especially when OA eventually stopped the train. I felt like I was holding my breath for a while during that scene. How does it feel knowing that even after seven seasons, FBI can still keep fans on the edge of their seats?

Zaki: I can’t believe we were still doing it. It’s so cool to get to sort of be a part of it for the ride and this and that. And even the last episode that aired, I’m sitting there with my family, and I’m like, ‘This show is good.’ We’re really putting out high-stakes television, and it’s just an honor to be a part of it.

PC: It was entertaining to see the team working on the case and OA being on the other side of it. How was that from the working point, going through the script and seeing that you won’t really be working with the rest of the cast, but you essentially still are?

Zaki: That’s what’s really cool about our team is that whether we’re in the same place or not, we definitely trust each other enough to sort of not even need to acknowledge that and whether you can really trust the other and everyone to have your back. So it was really fun to kind of play that. It was really fun to shoot it, to have four days with a different cast, and to be kind of making a different show. It was really fun, from reading the script. I knew it was gonna be a special one, and it was. And it was really great to play.

PC: What else would you love to see as the season goes on, whether for OA, OA and Gemma, or an overall storyline?

Zaki: Right now, we’re just in this sort of stretch of episodes where characters have off, and we get to see these different dynamics, and then we’re also introducing a new character and stuff like that. So I think for me, my goal is that we just have a really great rest of the season and that it sort of ties up really nicely and that we sort of just do a good job at carrying the episodes when we’re not in it and that the audience enjoys the ride as sort of different as it’s gonna feel with the teams being different and the new characters. And, hopefully, it’s just well received, and then we finish on a big one.

PC: Is there anything else you can tease for the remainder of the season?

Zaki: I don’t know the last four episodes yet, but the next thing to tease is you won’t see Maggie and OA on screen together as much as usual for the next few. But when we do come back together, we really reunite in a really strong, intense way, and I’m excited for everyone to see that.

New episodes of FBI air on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, streaming the next day on Paramount+.