FBI: international debuted in 2021 with a new team of Budapest-based agents solving cases across Europe. International quickly becomes a hit got a two-season renewal with FBI Yes FBI: Most Wanted before the finals also air. Surprisingly, however, frontman Luke Kleintank nearly quit acting many years ago, and it was only thanks to Law and order: SVU who did not. kleintank spoke to Gossipify for the first season and shared the story of how SVU he saved his dream of becoming an actor more than a decade earlier FBI: international.
With both FBI: international Yes Law and order: SVU Under the banner of Dick Wolf’s TV shows, they technically share the same universe, and it’s not impossible that Luke Kleintank’s Scott Forrester will someday appear alongside Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson. SVU. It turns out, however, that he has already appeared in SVU in 2009, e FBI: international This would never have happened to him if he hadn’t landed this role. Speaking with Gossipify, the actor shared the story of the landing SVU role and why he kept it in the entertainment industry:
My first job was Law & Order: SVU. I lived in Maryland and took a three and a half hour bus to New York, three and a half hours back, so each audition was a seven hour drive. I started doing it when I was 16, 17. And I was about to leave him. It was about to end because of all the rejections, and it was tough. It’s just a tough business to deal with. I remember auditioning and auditioning for Law & Order: SVU, and then they called me back. I got on the bus and we were on our way to New York, and the bus broke down on the way.
Luke Kleintank began his attempts to become an actor at a young age, but those early years didn’t go well for him, and a seven-hour commute wouldn’t be easy for anyone when success wasn’t guaranteed. A potential role in SVU It could have been a turning point, because at the time it had already lasted ten seasons and had proved its worth. He looked like he was finally getting his chance … when the bus broke down. The actor continued:
So we sat there for about an hour and a half and the guy took some water from a ditch and put it in the radiator to cool it down. And I just remember sitting there and saying, ‘I’m done. I stop. I don’t want to do it anymore. I’ll go to college and do business or whatever. Do something my brothers do. Just because I’ve been sitting on that damn bus in Chinatown for two years. I can’t even tell you how long I’ve been on that bus. It was horrible.
If it ever seemed like the stars weren’t lining up, the bus might have broken down during what could be a big break! Kleintank had been working for years already and your recall may have been marred by mechanical problems. But that wasn’t the end of the story:
We drove to New York and I ran to Chelsea Piers. Jonathan Strauss was the casting director and remains to this day. I ran there, I was two hours late, by the way. It was Friday night, I ran over there and the receptionist said, ‘The auditions are pretty much over. They have been made for a long time. So let me see. So he called and Jonathan Strauss and the director of this episode were in his office, drinking wine with his friends. Turns out they were still there when I got there, they were a little drunk. [laughs] I went to the audition and I did it. I did my thing and went back because I had to go back and catch the last bus to Baltimore. I got the call saying “You have the job”. And it was Law & Order: SVU! It was Dick Wolf.
While everything could have been ruined by the bus breakdown and Luke Kleintank wasting time on auditioning, the SVU The casting director gave him the opportunity he needed to earn his place as a guest and make his first, but certainly not last, appearance in the Wolf Entertainment TV universe. The actor hasn’t forgotten how close he was to quitting and, in fact, passed the story to the casting director years later. Kleintank concluded by saying:
I was about to quit if it wasn’t for Jonathan Strauss, and I talked to Jonathan Strauss. I was in a Zoom meeting with him and Derek Haas when I got this job and told him this story. I thought, ‘If it wasn’t for you, I would have gone home on that bus that night and had a completely different life path.
It’s been over a decade since Luke Kleintank landed that first acting role Law and order: SVU Season 10 and the beginning of FBI: international, but the second would not have happened without the first. Jonathan Strauss and International Showrunner Derek Haas certainly has experience in more shows than Dick Wolf.
Strauss is credited as casting director on all One Chicago shows (including the ephemeral justice chicago ), the three streams Right shows (including SVU) and the three FBIs, including of course FBI: international. For his part, Haas served as showrunner in Chicago fire from the beginning in 2012.
Season 1 of FBI: international (opens in a new tab) ended on a cliffhanger that could mean big things for the start of season 2 and Kleintank got the preview at least one dynamic that remains rock solid . The show will return to CBS this fall, no doubt with plenty of action-packed new cases for Forrester and the rest of the Fly team.
If you want to see the role that convinced Luke Kleintank not to stop acting, find the episode “Snatched” by SVU Season 10 broadcast with a hulu subscription I a peacock subscription . You can also relive the first season of FBI: international featuring Kleintank with a subscription to Paramount Plus .
Source: Cinemablend
Benjamin Smith is a fashion journalist and author at Gossipify, known for his coverage of the latest fashion trends and industry insights. He writes about clothing, shoes, accessories, and runway shows, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives. He’s respected for his ability to spot emerging designers and trends, and for providing practical fashion advice to readers.
