Is Luke Kleintank Leaving FBI: International?
Although Dick Wolf's "FBI: International" (the latest spin-off of his incredibly popular "FBI" franchise) is only in its 2nd season on air, it seems as though the series might already be dealing with some major casting changes — particularly in reference to the series' main character, Scott Forrester (Luke Kleintank).
Fans of the series will know that Special Agent Forrester is the head of the FBI's International Fly Team, a prolific unit of agents who are based in Budapest, Hungary, and whose missions take them to various locations around the globe in order to fight for the interests of the United States. Despite the fact that Forrester is meant to be the cornerstone of this entire operation (and spent much of Season 1 actually participating in said missions), throughout Season 2, he has often seemed like no more than an afterthought, delivering the cases to his team but hardly ever helping out in the field.
Considering the stark difference between Forrester's behavior in Season 1 versus Season 2, there's no doubt that some fans out there are wondering whether or not the series is starting to phase his character out and if that means that actor Luke Kleintank might soon be leaving "FBI: International."
Luke Kleintank recently had a baby, resulting in a reduced workload within the series
Thankfully, "FBI: International" showrunner Derek Haas has actually revealed that there is a much happier reason for Luke Kleintank's disappearing act in the most recent season: the actor is simply spending time with his newborn baby.
"Luke had a baby—he's an awesome guy and an awesome dad," explained Haas in an interview with Give Me My Remote. "And we planned this arc around the fact that [with] a newborn, he would want some time to be a dad. And, of course, as a father myself, and as anyone who works at this company will attest, we're a big family; we're a family-friendly organization."
Haas went on to express how this decision has no implications for Kleintanks' future with the series, as the writers actually crafted his character's storyline to set up a significant future narrative arc concerning Forrester's career troubles. Haas also praised the opportunity to put other characters in the spotlight due to Kleintank's limited availability. In any case, it's clear that Luke Kleintank isn't leaving the series just yet, and that his disappearing act in Season 2 comes from a very reasonable place.