In Thursday’s episode of “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” we learn more about what drives one of the squad’s newest members, Bobby Reyes, whose willingness to put himself in danger by going undercover in prison got him stabbed, but also got the information the squad needed.
Former “Arrow” regular Rick Gonzalez, who plays Reyes, told TheWrap why he loves playing the detective who’s been dubbed “the Invisible Man” for his undercover abilities.
“I was really intrigued by Bobby Reyes because to be honest, I have never really auditioned too much for characters like him. There’s a lot of mystery to him,” said Gonzalez, who also appeared as a guest star in a 1999 episode of “SVU” in which he was being interrogated by Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). “It’s kind of weird and surreal to be back here, 20 some odd years later, but it’s very, very cool,” he laughed.
“I think the most important thing about Bobby for me was understanding somebody who wouldn’t hesitate, who is fearless. He’s somebody who thrives in chaos,” said the actor. “There is something he’s carrying, this weight, this engine that he’s fighting through. That is what I want to sing about him. That, for me, makes him a real person, a real human who’s a detective.”
Gonzalez is thrilled at how complex the character is. “As a Latino, a Puerto Rican/Dominican actor who’s played a lot of different characters, it’s rare that we get to see a really strong character who is smart, but also very complex, on television,” he said. “Especially for the [‘Law & Order’] universe, this highlights him in a really nice way. The more complex and the more daring and the more we get to see his abilities, the more excited I am about it, because I feel like we don’t see that enough.”
This week’s “Behind Blue Eyes” is the first in a two-episode arc about Bobby’s past. “We dive in with Bobby and see who he is, what he’s dealt with, what he’s carrying,” Gonzalez explaied. “I really appreciate the writers’ taking this approach very quickly, and showing who he is. And showing why he’s able to be this person that’s not afraid in these moments, not afraid in chaos, not afraid in very dangerous situations. Case in point, him getting stabbed in jail, allowing himself to be stabbed in the right way and knowing how to do that stuff.”
Stabler and Sgt. Bell (Danielle Moné Truitt) first met Reyes without realizing it: He showed up in the squad room as a repairman, only later introducing himself as their new coworker. As the OC crew tries to nail the rich Silases for the murder of a man who wouldn’t make way for their deluxe casino, Bobby has already gone undercover a number of times, most dangerously, at a prison where he won the confidence of an informant, but nearly died in the process.
Now the stakes are getting higher. “We’ll see him do some bad things to go undercover,” Gonzalez said. “He’s also somebody who’s really good at police work and he can handle himself in very dangerous situations. I think the writers did a great job of creating somebody that can push himself to the depths to get the information. And that to me is fun.”
In a clip from the episode, above, he reunites with Stabler and Det. Whelan (Brent Antonello) as they gear up for the next call.
“Law & Order: Organized Crime” airs on Thursdays on NBC at 10 PT/ET.
