What To Know
- David Ajala joins Law & Order on November 13 as Detective Theo Walker, who brings his adaptable, morally gray approach to homicide investigations.
- Walker partners with Riley, and their dynamic involves mutual learning, with Walker offering new perspectives while also absorbing Riley’s interrogation techniques.
- Ajala also discusses working with Reid Scott.
There’s a new detective coming to Law & Order in the Thursday, November 13, episode, and he operates in the gray. David Ajala joins the cast as a new series regular, Theo Walker.
His first case as Detective Vincent Riley’s (Reid Scott) partner is the murder of a high school sports star, with several suspects who were trying to make money off his talent. Below, David Ajala introduces us to Detective Theo Walker. Plus, watch a sneak peek.
Introduce Theo Walker. How’s he settling in at homicide?
David Ajala: Theo Walker’s originally from narcotics and now just navigating the world of homicide. I feel like the beginning part of his journey in this show is going to be about how he navigates the differences between the two and how he’s able to use transferable skills from narcotics as, now, a homicide detective. Also, Theo Walker is not a straightforward kind of guy. He lives in the area of gray, but I feel like he uses that to his advantage. It allows him to understand the psyche of human beings, that everything is not binary. It’s many shades of gray.
He has a history with undercover work. Is that where that came into play?
That’s right, exactly. So he has to, when it comes to code-switching, he is very good at it because he’s from narcotics. So when he is in certain environments, he has to be who he says he is. So if that means just switching his vernacular in the way he talks or whatever it might be, it felt very important that he’s able to do it very, very well.
What’s his impression of Riley so far?
Theo looks at Riley, and I don’t think he judges him, but I think he offers perspective so that Riley can be more impactful with the work that he does. It’s almost like correcting somebody’s style or approach to work that could be quite a sensitive subject, but I don’t think for someone like Theo — he’s like, I’ll give you this information and share my thoughts on this, but you do with it whatever you will. But as I’m empowering you and explaining to you how to read the nuances of characters, hopefully, you’ll get a little insight into the way that I see things, too. It’s teaching without teaching,
What’s he getting from Riley in return, especially as he’s adjusting to homicide?
I think it’s Riley’s approach to interviewing and interrogation scenes, and I feel that Theo is smart enough to really watch Riley and to see how Riley navigates certain situations. And as he’s doing it, Theo’s processing the information, he’s thinking, “Alright, I like how Riley did that. That makes sense.” Or “if I’m in that situation, respectfully, I’m not going to do it like that. I’m going to do it like this.” Nothing is lost. He’s always learning, and that’s important, that he has to have the ability and the humility to want to be better. That’s important. It’s not like, oh, I know everything. I’m not going to listen to you. It’s not that. It’s different. He wants to be great at what he does, so he’s going to pay attention and learn.
Talk about working with Reid as these two characters are getting to know one another.
Reid Scott is great to work with. Very funny guy. He makes me laugh a lot. Just naturally very funny, kind, passionate about the work, very supportive. I always see how he’s supportive to our guest stars, and it’s a similar way that I like to work. Whenever we have a guest star, I want them to feel as comfortable as possible so that they can share their artistry because they’re part of the team. It’s been fun developing a shorthand way of working, but I also do like how I’m shooting my fourth episode, which is Episode 10, I think, and they’re still learning each other. It’s not like, oh, hunky dory. Oh, we’re friends and pals. No, no, they’re still figuring things out. That’s important, that that is real for life, to work on your negotiation skills.
What does Theo think of Brady (Maura Tierney) as his boss, and how is he with the authority figures in general?
I feel like it’s such a fine line. As much as Theo is confident in his ability and who he is, I don’t think he’s rebellious. I think he has respect for hierarchy, so he would never be disrespectful. However, he’s not a straightforward kind of guy, and he’s not just going to kowtow to anybody, but the respect will always be there. He kind of sees everyone as a healthy equal, respectfully, but he understands the dynamics of things.
We see that with the bit about the tie.
He’s like, “All right, let me go get that.” But see, he has fun with it. I don’t think he’s easily moved or easily offended, but what does offend him is lack of justice, maybe, in terms of a trigger.
It’s also done in a fun way. He’s not being disrespectful towards Brady.
Right. I feel that’s very Theo. It is like, OK, I’ll do it, but give me a minute. And it’s not disrespectful. And I like how Brady’s just finding that balance, too. She knows the value that he brings also.
Who is Theo away from work? How much are we going to hear about his personal life, and how much do you know about it?
I’m hoping that we will get more from him. But I guess because he’s a new character, there are still a few things that we’ve got to establish first, and then we can start to peel back some of those layers to get a little more details.
Are we going to hear anything, or are you coming up with your own backstory already and waiting to see if it plays out similarly?
Kind of. I have some ideas in my head. One thing I will say, though, is he is far from a romantic kind of guy because I feel like something has happened to him that has made him close his heart or protect his heart a little. That’s a very interesting dynamic. We are going to see how that plays out soon.
You brought up learning from Riley about interrogations. So what is Theo’s approach to interrogations? It’s different, homicide versus narcotics, what you’re trying to get out of the other person.
Exactly. Because with narcotics, it’s, “Find the drugs, who’s responsible?” With homicide, “Who killed this person? Why?” When it comes to interrogation, because our man can code-switch and whatnot, it all depends on who’s in front of him and how much information he has. And I think being supple and adaptable is what makes him effective of what he does. And we see that in the first episode, with how he approaches different potential suspects. I found that a lot of fun. I really enjoy that.
Law & Order, Thursdays, 8/7c, NBC
