When you watch someone on your television screen every week, it’s very strange to talk to them. You know them as a character and you’re talking to a person. So what do you ask? How do you act? What is it that you say to a person who has made an impression on you?
Sometimes you find yourself at a loss for words because the way they brought a character to life, really made an impression. You know you’re there to talk to them about a certain episode or movie, but you find yourself wondering — are there words? You then wonder if you’ll be able to articulate them, because words may not be enough for how you’re feeling.
With this interview, I felt everything. Vinessa Vidotto, who plays Cameron Vo on the CBS show, FBI: International, is on the other end of the line. The connection isn’t the best, so I wonder if time will run out on talking to her, so I find myself word vomiting versus giving the interview that I want to.
“I don’t even know where to start, because this episode was so absolutely powerful.” I find my mouth spitting out words that I didn’t know I needed to say.
I continue, “I do have to say this, and this is the highest compliment. As a person who is a sexual assault survivor, I wish that I would have had a Vo on my side when I went through everything. The way that you brought her to life in this episode and the way that you made her fight for everything and never give up and never question, I cried my eyes out in the best possible way.”
I ask a question, trying to reign myself in, but sometimes there is no reigning yourself in. The first thing that you say sets a tone and well, I have set a tone. It wasn’t what I meant to do, but here we were.
She says, “I just wanted to say thank you for sharing that. I have goosebumps, and my eyes are glossy, and I’m speechless. I wish I could give you a hug. I just wanted to say thank you for that.”
I didn’t share it with her for thanks, but because I found myself wanting her to know that she made an impression. Her acting made an impression.
She asked me to repeat the question, and TBH, I wasn’t sure exactly what I asked. But I ask her why it was important to tell this story because this is so different than anything that FBI: International has done.
“Specifically this victim, Allie, was American. She was traveling in Europe. She’s away from her home country. She’s away from her parents, and then when you get sexually assaulted, and then even the foreign police, they don’t even believe you.” Vinessa starts, “Nobody is on your side. You’re lost. Your parents aren’t even there. It’s like you have no voice, so I think having the team come in and really support her through that is super important. I think it’s our job to make sure that people of power aren’t jaded and aren’t biased and that our victims are heard and understood.”
The fly team definitely makes sure that victims are heard and in this episode, they even spoke for them when needed. Vo spoke up for Allie when she couldn’t speak up for herself.
She starts to talk about where she pulled from in order to be able to bring Vo to life in this episode. She talks about being an RA in college and all of the things that she experienced dealing with as they were happening.
We go through a few things that she experienced helping people with in college before she adds, “Even though I don’t have personal experience with sexual assault or having to have guided somebody or mentored somebody or advocated for somebody with that, I just tried to pull on my experience from college. I think it just comes down to instilling guidance in the situation, comfort, trust, a lot of space, and just connection.”
And then she said something that I didn’t expect, “I want to know what you needed and what you think.”
Me? Not sure where my opinion matters, but I am thankful that she’s asked me. I swallow the air around me and I know I am not ready to really answer that question, but I also know that I agree with her. It’s just a complex answer. So I leave it at that for the sake of time.
I try to take it back to talking about her, because again, time and well, me is not important. Though I’ll be honest, I could sit there are talk to her forever about it and more. Someone asking is someone who wants to learn and who wants to be there for people.
That is something I can admire immediately.
I told her that I admired the way that she reacted to a certain scene in the show when Forrester was being very politician, but Vo was being very much like everything is backward. And how watching the moment where Allie was charged a second time, sent me through the roof mad.
I tell her, “I was irate [after the scene]. I was like, ‘Okay, I don’t like him anymore. He doesn’t know what he’s doing.’ One of those things where then, I looked at Vo at that point, and I was like, ‘What a strong character.” The way that she’s evolved this season, and the way that she has become this badass that is just, ‘I’m going to follow my dreams. I’m going to do my career, but I’m still going to be there for everybody.’ It’s just admirable.”
Reign it in Erin, I tell myself. So I ask another question, “What’s been the most challenging part of this season because your character has taken on such a bigger role, and how has that changed you as an actor?”
She started to answer, but I knew I was all over the place. My knees were shaking and my fingers digging into each other. Talking about any of this episode’s content isn’t easy, but it’s something that I do want to talk about.
I want to be able to move forward in my life and doing this is helping a little.
“I want to backtrack to the moment that you’re talking about me and Forrester having a difference of opinion and me not trying to bring the hammer down. Sorry, I’m going to cuss. I can’t f**cking help it. We’ve worked with this officer before. First off, she’s a female, and you’re not going to even advocate for other females.” she says.
I appreciate the fact that she wants to talk about this scene and the impact of it. She continues, “Are you joking? It was truly infuriating, and I remember on set, we were doing that scene where I was about to punch the officer, and the director’s like, “Okay,” he’s like, “Let’s tone it down. You look like you’re going to wipe her.” It’s like, that’s what I really want to do. That’s what you would do, We had to tone it down a bit, but I hope they chose a stronger clip.”
I close my eyes for a second and think. It feels like I am quiet for hours in my brain, but I know that logically, it hasn’t been that long. It’s somewhat nerve-wracking, because I do get it. I understand what she is saying and can only imagine what that version of the scene looked like.
Because of the subject matter, I can only imagine how hard this episode was to film. For Vinessa those scenes had to do with Allie.
“It’s either going to be the interviews with Allie, where she’s trying to recall, and you have to ask the questions. You have to make sure that the timing is right, that you don’t overstep, and obviously, yes, seeing somebody go through that. It’s like you want to hug them, and you don’t want to ask them these questions, but you are just trying to do your job just a little bit.” she says and part of me feels like she’s trying to communicate what she would want to be as a person in real life, versus the character that she’s playing. She just seems to genuinely care.
She continues, “It’s an interesting balance because timing is involved. We’ve got to find this guy, but come on now, she just got assaulted.”
She then says, “Then we’re at the doctor’s office and the bruising and the plan B and all that stuff, it’s like you just don’t know what to do, and that’s why you do have to instill this confidence, and this guidance while still trying to navigate all this tenderness that’s going on.”
But the second scene that was the hardest for her was the scene we had talked about before, the one with Forrester. She says, “Then I think trying to punch the officer in the face. I got riled up. We worked with her last season. I think it was a sexual assault case.”
“Yes, it was the sex trafficking case,” I said. I was impressed with myself for remembering that.
“It’s just people in positions of power, when they start to get jaded, or when they’re biased when they get lazy, when they don’t care anymore, that pisses me off.” she continues, and I can tell that she’s passionate about what she’s saying. It makes me like her even more.
Because I read Twitter and I watch TikTok all the time, I know that people want to know about her and Powell and the potential love triangle that was set up and then ripped away from us.
“I can tell with every episode how much you care about the stories that you guys are telling. Okay, I’m going to be honest with you, this season, I was so mad when Kellet left, and I was just like, ‘Oh, I hate it.’ Now, I’m just like it makes sense.” I tell her, “The way that it’s evolved, and the way that your characters have evolved, and the way that your character has taken the reins.”
I cut myself off and try to reign myself in a bit, “For instance, up until the last episode, I was like, “Oh, they’re setting up a love triangle. This is going to be like every other show,” that kind of thing. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good love triangle, but Powell leaving, and Vo taking point a lot, I think that, if anything, it was to to show that she can balance things.”
There’s a question coming. I know there is. I just have to find it. So I continue and say, “She [Vo] can put herself first. She can do her job. The love triangle was necessary to advance your character. For your character to put herself first and follow your career and your dreams, is this something you want to see for Vo? Do you want a more work-life balance?”
It’s not the exact question I wanted to ask, but it’s what has come out and I am okay with it. I don’t mind being a blubbering mess.
“Oh, no, I’m down for this. [laughs] Now in my personal life, I would love a balance. For Vo, after what we’re in three seasons now of seeing her go through, I guess, almost three, four different relationships, right? You had the coffee boy, then you had the CIA, and then you have Raines, and then you had Pal. It’s just a lot of inconsistency and a lot of distraction. Yes, if it’s not going to develop and flourish, then I don’t want it for Vo. I want to do one thing, and I want to do it well. I think her stepping into the supervisory relief position, I think that’s going to serve her well.”
Somehow I couldn’t agree more. Seeing her step into the supervisory relief position is going to serve her well. She’s proven that in this episode. She’s proven that last episode. The way that she and Forrester relate to each other fits. Even though he’s the agent in charge, you can tell he’s learning from her and she’s learning from him.
My time is up and though I could ask another question, I think we’ve really covered everything for the episode. But I have to leave off with telling her again, how much I appreciated her performance.
“This season, part of that is your character and the way that you portray her and the way that you portrayed her in this episode, I really do think will make a difference and make a difference to sexual assault survivors because you want to see the people that are rooting for you, and that will believe you and not question you and really just be there. Vo, I’m not saying anything against Raines and Forrester, but Vo and Smitty in this episode really took the lead and really did that. Even though it took me quite some time to get through the episode, I really do think it was the best episode so far of the season. Out of the three seasons, I do think it is your best episode so far.”
She thanked me and to be honest I am not sure why, because I didn’t really do anything. I should be thanking her, and I am. In my heart, I’ll always be thankful for this moment and the difference that she made.
