When Zach Gilford signed on to play a serial killer in the debut season of Criminal Minds: Evolution, he never imagined he’d be saying goodbye four seasons, 40 episodes, and two directing credits later. But his performance as Elias Voit — a cold-blooded murderer, master manipulator, and evil genius who spent his COVID-19 lockdown training a network of serial killers online — was so compelling that the Criminal Minds crew didn’t want to say goodbye.
Throughout Gilford’s extended time on the show, he had the opportunity to bring various iterations of his character to life. Flashbacks to Lee Duval’s tortured upbringing offered crucial glimpses of his origin story. We saw Voit as a loving husband and father and came to fear his ruthless flip side as the “Sicarius” killer. And after a brain injury, Gilford even got to play a man with newfound guilt and empathy who struggled to come to terms with his horrific crimes.
After a riveting run, Criminal Minds: Evolution closed the book on Elias Voit in Season 19’s finale, which saw Gilford’s character rescue his daughter from a Sicarius wannabe called “The Fan” (Justin Kirk) and take the fall for his murder to protect her. When the end credits rolled, Voit was locked away in an undisclosed high-security federal penitentiary, which means he won’t be in Season 20. And though Gilford “would go back in a heartbeat,” he believes Voit’s departure is what’s best for the show.
“As sad as it is to leave, I feel like for the character and for the show, it’s what needed to happen,” Gilford told Decider over Zoom. “If there was a way to have Voit show back up that made sense. I’d love to do it, but if it was just to have him show up, I’d be like, ‘Well, why are we doing this?’”
In honor of Voit’s wild Criminal Minds: Evolution journey, Gilford spoke with Decider about Season 19’s eventful finale, working with actors he’s long admired like Kirk and Joe Mantegna, his thoughts about Voit’s final scenes, and more.
DECIDER: You signed onto Criminal Minds: Evolution for one season, and you killed it so hard that they wrote a four-season arc. Iconic. What are you going to miss most about playing this deeply complex, prolific serial killer?
ZACH GILFORD: It’s such a cheesy answer, but I’m gonna miss the crew and the cast and just that set. It was just such a fun place to work, and the creators, they really would give me the runway to kind of take the script and add to it or morph it in certain ways. The fun thing about being on a show for several years is you get to know the other actors and the characters really well, and you really develop, obviously, those relationships off camera, but you start to develop the relationship between the characters and stuff that I don’t think anyone would know is there. And our writers are really smart to say, “Oh, they did this scene, and had this dynamic, we’re gonna lean into that.”
Do you have a favorite dynamic that unfolded?
I think one that no one would have really seen on paper is the relationship between JJ and Voit. They’re the only two people with kids. And they’re clearly adversaries, but that’s a thing they have in common, and they develop this — I don’t even know if respect is the right word, but they just get each other in a way that no one else does. That’s something that they never thought to write to, but they ended up writing to it as the show went on.
This season had so many incredible guest stars, but Justin Kirk was so good and so perfectly cast; I got chills. And we see another new side to Voit around Crowley. What was it like developing that unique dynamic with him as a scene partner and director?
I actually directed his first episode. And when they told me they cast him, I’ve been a fan of his since I was in high school. And they cast him; he didn’t audition or anything, not that he should. And so you’re like, “Cool, we got this guy. He’s a great actor. Who knows what he’s gonna do.” And then we did the table read, and I was like, “Oh my god, this is so fun.” He’s so creepy, but not in this overt way. It’s just off-putting. So we had a few scenes that were just us at a table talking, and that’s how we developed the relationship. He came in with whatever he was doing, and I just tried to react to it. And because Voit doesn’t know who this person is, he doesn’t know what he’s gonna do. So it was fun to be like, all right, I’m gonna learn this character as an actor. I’m going to learn what he is doing as the character is learning who he is. He is such an amazing scene partner, but also just someone on set. He was always like, “Whatever you want me to do! I’m just here to say my lines.” And I was like, “Do you want to do this? Do you want to do that?” And he’s like, “Whatever you want, I’m just happy to be here.”
And then you go from table talking scenes to finale fight scenes.
The fight scenes are funny, because they’re just so choreographed. They have to be for safety, and the biggest part is figuring out how to do it where it also looks good — like film it in a way where you can see what’s happening. They definitely get a little tired and sweaty if you have to do them a lot. But it’s fun. And Justin, again, is just so game. Sometimes you get into those sorts of scenes, and people take them too seriously, or they’re not technical enough, and you’re like, “No, no, no. Stop. We just need this for the camera. This isn’t for your character arc.” And he and I are both very like-minded in that way where we’re like, “How do we make this work on screen the best?” whether it’s dialogue or fighting.
You and Voit have parallel finale experiences in the sense that he reunites with Holly and you got to reunite with Allison Nordahl. Talk about filming those emotional finale scenes together.
The stuff with Alison was so fun because I think she was 17, or 18, or 19 when we filmed the end of it. And she was like 14 when we started working together. So she’s grown up a lot. She was going to college this year. So it was fun to see her grow up literally as a person and see how mature she got. I love her. She’s such a sweetheart. She’s a great actress, and we would sit and talk. And there was one point when there was another person her age on set, and the two of them would talk a lot. And I was like, “Oh, what’s going on here?”
Okay, so you have become her dad. [Laughs]
[Laughs] And she goes, “Nothing. Everyone on the set is in their forties. This is the only person my age to talk to!” And I’m like, “Sure, sure.”
Voit has always been very motivated by family. When you read the finale script and saw where the arc was taking him, what was your initial reaction?
This was one where they got it right. I think it made sense, and it really was a good way to close the story of Voit. It’s not a happy ending by any means, but I think it does show that at his core he wants to be a good dad. He would do anything for his children. And also he’s seen one of his greatest fears come true. Not that she’s maliciously killing someone, but he’s always had this fear in the back of his head of, “Am I passing this down to my kids?” And even though it’s not the same way he would kill people, it’s now like, “I’ve put my daughter in a position where she has to do this.” It’s almost like the ultimate punishment for him, which, not that he wants that, but he feels the need to be punished. He said, “Put me to death, put me away in a cell.” And the one punishment I think he would never impose on himself is the one that he ultimately has to bear.
I obviously have to ask about Voit and Rossi. Both real and ghost, they’ve had one of the most complex relationships of this show. What were your thoughts on their final scene when Rossi closes the book and says goodbye to him? And how much are you going to miss Joe as a scene partner?
Oh my god, I’m gonna miss Joe as a human. As a scene partner, I’ve said this a million times, but I grew up in Chicago, so he’s always been someone I looked up to. He’s so fun to work with. He’s fun to hang out with. Amy Garcia, who played my doctor in Season 3, always calls him an American treasure. Cause he really is. He’s just like the nicest, sweetest human being, and an amazing actor. Maybe it’s cheesy, maybe it’s not, but I love the literal closing of the book on the Voit of it all, and like getting to play the scenes where it’s real Rossi and Voit, then where it’s like ghost Voit, ghost Rossi, whatever they are. It’s just these different dynamics that show how complicated their relationship is and the space they hold in each other’s heads. Every scene was just so fun to do and to find a different way to kind of show that relationship.
We know Rossi has closed the book on Voit, but do you think Voit will be reading the book Rossi wrote?
[Laugh] No one’s asked me that. Yeah, of course Voit’s gonna read the whole thing!
Maybe he’ll be conjuring ghost Rossi in prison just for some friendship.
That’s hilarious, I love that. Yeah, I think Voit will definitely read the book; he’ll probably send notes.
We hear that Voit will not “darken the door of the BAU ever again,” but you can always come back to Criminal Minds, so if the story ever calls for it, would you be open to returning as Voit or directing more episodes?
I would go back in a heartbeat. As sad as it is to leave, I feel like for the character and for the show, it’s what needed to happen. It’s the same with, honestly, Friday Night Lights. It was always sad for characters to leave, but it was about high school kids, and high school kids graduate, and they go away. And I think that’s part of what made that show great is we kept it authentic, and we didn’t keep people around just cause we liked them. And I think that’s the same on this show. If there was a way to have Voit show back up that made sense. I’d love to do it, but if it was just to have him show up. I’d be like, “Well, why are we doing this?”
This role was a full-circle moment for you in the sense that you auditioned for the Criminal Minds pilot, and this fall also marks the 20th anniversary of Friday Night Lights premiering. As you approach that milestone and look back at your career and your growth, what does it mean to you that you’re still out here doing what you love?
I’m just thankful I’ve been able to work. I’m thankful I have been able to do different stuff, fun stuff. It’s really like, I’ve just made so many cool relationships over the course of my career and long-lasting ones. I mean, I am literally getting dinner with Minka [Kelly] on Thursday. I had lunch with Jesse [Plemmons] a couple of weeks ago. I’m getting together with Aisha [Tyler] in like two weeks. These are relationships that mean a lot to me, and people who have been there for me through so much of my life. To get that out of a job is so special, and I’m so thankful for it, and I just look forward to more. And it’s cool now, the way TV, with streamers and stuff, works. People can find work you did 20 years ago, and people are still coming up to me and being like, I just watched Friday Night Lights [for the first time]. I’m like, “Oh, wow. That’s right. I forgot.” That show was so long ago. My kids still haven’t watched it. I tried showing them the pilot a couple months ago. And they were like, “This is boring!”
Oh my god. [Laughs] One day they’ll learn its greatness.
My son is always like, “Daddy, did you used to play football?” And I’m like, “Technically…”
You’re a football star! You’re QB1!
Yeah. I’m a fake state champion. [Laughs]
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 19 is now streaming on Paramount+.
