'Criminal Minds' Star Zach Gilford Reveals Revival Will 'Go Home With The UnSub' For The First Time (Exclusive)

Zach Gilford embraces the dark side in his new role. The Friday Night Lights alum plays Elias Voit, the show's UnSub with a dark side and an obsession with death. During the pandemic, Elias began building a network of serial killers, and the BAU now faces its biggest threat yet. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Zach about how the revival series compares to the original series.

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Zach Gilford in "Criminal Minds: Evolution". (Paramount+)

"We're going home with the UnSub. They already told me. They're like, we never went home with them. I've said it many times, but these monsters are humans, and I don't mean you have to be sensitive to them. But they have to live a life," Zach explained. "They can't just killing, murdering people all day, every day. They have jobs, they have families or they all have relatives. So it's kind of like who are they when they're not doing their evil stuff? And how do they navigate between being a person in the world and being that monster in the shadows?"

For Zach, joining the cast of the Criminal Minds revival was a no-brainer. "I mean, when Criminal Minds asks you to be on their show, you say yes. It's such an amazing and iconic show. I didn't even know it had the fanbase he had,” he said.

Criminal Minds originally ended in February 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The revival is set in a post-pandemic world and has moved from CBS to Paramount+. “We love this world. But now we get to do it a little differently. We get to elevate it a bit and being involved in that is so cool. To be the UnSub they've been following all season… I mean, it sounds corny to say it's an honor, but it really is,” he added.

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This is by far one of Zach's darkest roles to date. He revealed his method for playing this role and any other role. "My preparation is – not because I'm lazy, it's just because it's my method – I read the script," he told HollywoodLife. "And I don't mean that sarcastically, I read the script when I first got it. There are always changes. I re-read it like the day before shooting. I can memorize lines very quickly, and then you find so many things when you get on set. You actually work with the director and the other actors.

Zach Gilford as Elias Voit. (Paramount+)

He continued, "If you made all your decisions before you got to that point, you're not really a very caring actor, because so you're just navigating the scene and not letting anyone else contribute. What I love about this business is that it's all about collaboration. Everyone's footprint is on it, so I think I'm so lucky to work with writers who have thought about these characters...