‘Criminal Minds’ Zach Gilford Reveals What It’s Really Like Working With Joe Mantegna
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work with one of your childhood heroes? Well, Zach Gilford gets to do just that as a star in the Criminal Minds universe — and he’s revealing just how that journey has affected his acting career.
Fans can catch the Friday Night Lights alum portraying UnSub Elias Voit when new episodes of Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 air Thursdays on Paramount+. Having been a season regular since the reboot first premiered back in 2022, folks have watched his character frequently interact with members of the BAU for various nefarious reasons. One particular actor viewers see Zach work alongside is longtime cast member (and his fellow Chicago-born star) Joe Mantegna, who’s famously portrayed SSA David Rossi since season 3 of the original CBS series.
While viewers have seen Voit and Rossi’s dynamic often oscillates between animosity and pity, Zach exclusively told Good Housekeeping his bond with Joe couldn’t be any more different off-screen.
“I grew up looking up to [Joe], and it’s been amazing,” Zach says. “My first interaction with him was when he was directing [season 1, episode 3], and I was so nervous. But I got to talk to him a lot, and by the end, I had a good relationship with him. And when we started to actually interact in scenes, it was so easy because the nervousness was gone.”
But that’s not all Zach had to say about his friendship with Joe.
As fans already know, Joe and Zach’s characters work closely in Criminal Minds: Evolution season 3 as Voit tries to regain his memories amid having amnesia. While doctors think Voit has lost all senses of being considered evil, Rossi isn’t sure about the prognosis… especially as the aftermath of Voit’s secret killing network may be behind a new series of cases they need his help on uncovering clues for.
While Zach is aware of how difficult the scenes he has to film with Joe could be, he notes that his and Joe’s close-knit bond away from the cameras makes these moments less intimidating.
“If Joe and I didn’t get along, it would be hard to do this stuff,” he adds. “But I think we both just come to the scene, and we both know we have each other’s back and we’ll figure it out. And I think since the show writes in the ebbs and flows and differences in their relationship really well, it makes it fun.”
So, what does this mean for Zach and Joe’s relationship as Criminal Minds: Evolution season 4 is in the works? As he happily says, he’ll be back as Voit for the upcoming installment. What’s more, he has Joe’s support on a venture he’s already been working on with the show since season 2.
“The first episode [Joe directed], he asked if I ever directed before,” Zach comments. “I was like, ‘No, but I really want to,’ and he stated, ‘Oh, you could do it. You’d be great — you’re a smart kid.’ It gave me a little bit of confidence that Joe saw it in me, and I later got to direct an episode in season 2.”
“I’m also going to be directing episode 7 of season 4, and I’m hoping it wasn’t like beginner’s luck the first time,” Zach concludes about his career future. “But Joe said I could do it — I gotta get a hat made with that!”
