For Gehlfuss, the move to CIA came at exactly the right moment.

“Playing an FBI agent now, at this point in my career, is exactly what I need to be doing. You know, when you feel you're right where you need to be, this is it for me. I took leave of Chicago Med after eight years because I felt I wanted something different. And this is exactly it.”

The actor explained that although a new haircut, wardrobe and appearance helped transform him into Bill Goodman, learning the practical side of law enforcement required much more work.

“Of course, a haircut and a shave and wardrobe change helps. But I had to learn how to use a gun. At first, I was using a gun this way, keeping my thumb out like this. I was holding the gun like this and I had tension here. I was like hitchhiking.”

Gehlfuss said that preparation for the role shared similarities with the research he undertook while portraying a doctor on Chicago Med.

“For playing the doctor, I went to hospitals and watched doctors for really two reasons. To see physically how they move and then socially how they interact with patients versus colleagues versus family members that are coming in for patients. There's different masks that they wear for every different person they interacted with and that was really interesting to me.”

He added that learning the tools of the job became one of the biggest differences.

“I imagine it's similar with the FBI as far as handling a situation especially with a lethal weapon. But learning the different props was massively different for me. I'd never used a gun. I did do some karate growing up which was helpful and I'm still doing that.”

To ensure authenticity, he relied heavily on experts.

“I think always relying on the tech advisor is what saves me at the end of the day because there's someone that has done it for a living or still doing it and I ask them constantly to just keep an eye on me and making sure that it looks right and I'm doing it justice and playing it with authenticity.”

One of the most significant revelations from the conversation concerned the future of the expanding Wolf Entertainment universe surrounding CIA. While discussing the relationship between CIA and FBI, Gehlfuss suggested that another series could be on the way.

“What we're saying is not technically a spin-off, but it's its own entity, but in the world, in the universe. And I think they'll probably put another show to make it three and try and do something like the one in Chicago.”

Later, he returned to the subject and offered another indication that plans are being discussed.

“I don't know what that is yet but I know that they are trying to figure out a third option to put with FBI and CIA.”

Although the first season was quickly renewed, Gehlfuss said audience feedback reached him more slowly because he avoids social media entirely.

“I suppose when it got picked up, that's when we knew. I didn't have any interaction with fans. I mean, I knew that the network was happy. They would give us notes and things like this.”

Instead, events such as Monte-Carlo provide a direct connection with viewers.

“Hearing people give validation, which is a universal need. It's always nice to hear, right? Especially the contract that a storyteller has with an audience. We wouldn't be able to work if people didn't watch. That's first and foremost. I'm always very thankful to the fans for that.”

The actor explained that his absence from social media is a deliberate decision driven largely by family life.

“Yes, no coffee, no social media.” “I started having kids. And I'm... I can get really addicted to it just like anybody else. And I found myself not looking up at my kids enough. And realizing, oh, I don't want them to see me on a phone all the time.”

On screen, Gehlfuss believes viewers have only scratched the surface of Bill Goodman.

“He's very by the book. He's got a certain posture because of the military. And probably his law degree, and certainly the suit.” But there is much more to discover.

“I think there's things that Colin doesn't know about Bill, and will continue to learn. And even Bill hasn't fully processed some of the stuff he's probably been through. There's a lot more than meets the eye to Bill.”

He also teased darker dimensions to the character.

“We hinted that Bill had a wild past in college, and that he's changed. But I also think that Bill is capable of going to certain depths to do what's necessary. And I'm looking forward to exploring all of that.”



The demanding nature of the production has proven to be unlike anything he experienced previously.

“I will say, I've never worked harder in my life because this is the most intense schedule I've ever had.”

The reasons are simple.

“It's the schedule that's basically a road trip every day going out on location. It's not just in the hospital. So you're doing a lot of traveling and getting out and about, and it's much more physical.”

That physicality extends beyond production itself. During breaks from filming, Gehlfuss approaches his preparation almost like a professional athlete.

“Just being really healthy, getting good rest, eating clean, making sure I'm doing everything I know. Training like an athlete. I think actors must train as athletes because it demands this of us in the job.”

Despite his enthusiasm, Gehlfuss admitted he currently knows virtually nothing about what awaits viewers in season two.

“Well, they haven't told—I don't know anything about season two yet, so it's not that I'm not allowed to say it. I don't know anything yet.”

That uncertainty has left him excited to discover the next phase of Bill and Colin's partnership.

“I do hope that I'm really looking forward to seeing the relationship between Bill and Colin. And I would love to see Bill totally rely on Colin and have Colin really save Bill from going to dark places that this whole environment can lead to.”

He also hopes the show will push even further into undercover territory.

“I actually would love to see more undercover relationships between Bill and Colin. Playing people they've never played and they don't really look like, I'd love to see them disappear into relationships in order to achieve what they're trying to achieve.”

For Gehlfuss, CIA represents more than just another procedural. He sees it as a fresh direction for Wolf Entertainment and network television.

“It's a new genre of sorts for Wolf Entertainment and broadcast television, espionage. The CIA doesn't make the headlines. They work in the shadows and they often prevent things from happening.”

That distinctive premise is one of the reasons he remains so passionate about the series.

“It's really exciting and refreshing to mold a new genre within Wolf Entertainment and they continue to challenge themselves and capitalize on what works. And they're just, no one does it better.”

When asked by TVBIZZ which crossover he would choose if Bill Goodman could spend a day elsewhere in the Dick Wolf universe, Gehlfuss first joked that he would enjoy returning to Chicago Med in a unique way. “I think it would be really fun to go back to Chicago Med as Bill Goodman and then also pop in as Dr. Halstead,” he said, prompting laughter about the possibility of his two characters meeting each other. “Have these two talk to each other. That would be the ultimate crossover.” Beyond that fantasy scenario, Gehlfuss revealed that his top choice would be a visit to Law & Order: SVU. “I also would love to go over to Law & Order SVU and work with Mariska Hargitay because believe it or not, I've never done a Law & Order as an actor,” he said, noting that the franchise is almost a rite of passage for performers working in New York. He recalled coming closest during his Chicago PD days when Hargitay’s character initially suspected Dr. Will Halstead during a crossover investigation.

As CIA prepares for its second season, Gehlfuss may not yet know what lies ahead for Bill Goodman, but his comments in Monte-Carlo suggest that the world surrounding the series could soon become even bigger, with a potential third show joining CIA and FBI in an expanding Dick Wolf universe.