AJ Cook Press Archive

For fans of Criminal Minds, the axing of Canadian A.J. Cook last year was nothing short of criminal.

But thanks in large part to the outcry not only from viewers but from other cast members, Cook is back playing J.J. Jareau on a full-time basis as Criminal Minds embarks upon its seventh season this fall (CBS, CTV Two).

“It has been a really crazy year to say the least,” said Cook, whose character returned to Criminal Minds in the sixth-season finale last May, after a full year away.

“In hindsight, it happened for a reason. I had no idea the fans cared so much about my character in particular. It really helped me hold my head high when all of that first happened.”

On the surface, it didn’t make sense when the producers of Criminal Minds declined to pick up Cook’s contract prior to the sixth season. Why muck with the chemistry of an ensemble cast on a hit show?

“When I called everyone (other cast members) and told them about it, everyone thought I was joking,” Cook recalled. “That’s how taken by surprise everyone was. None of us had any clue.

“(The producers) decided to make a creative decision. I think they were trying to just freshen it up. Which was funny to me, because I’m the youngest person on the show. I was thinking, ‘Wow, what’s wrong with me? Am I getting old?’ ”

Looking back, which was more shocking, being fired or being rehired?

“The whole shock of not getting my option picked up, that definitely takes the cake,” Cook said.

“From Day 1, everyone on the show has been fighting for me to get back there. But I knew who they were fighting against and I didn’t think it was going to change.

“It has been an adventure and absence makes the heart grow fonder, I guess.”

The time away from Criminal Minds allowed Cook to work on other projects and spend time with her family — her young son in particular — so there were silver linings. But the experience of being let go has changed Cook’s attitude toward her profession.

“It hurt, it definitely hurt my feelings, but it was not the end of the world,” Cook said.

“More than anything, it taught me to never get comfortable. I was so lucky to be on a show that had run that long, and it’s easy to think, ‘I’m going to be fine, I show up on time, I have a good work ethic, I’m a very nice person, why would I get fired?’

“But that’s what I learned about this business. It doesn’t matter. It’s their show, they can do what they want with it — and they will. It just sort of made me look at what’s important in life for me.”

Criminal Minds devotees certainly made it clear that A.J. Cook is important to them.

“When they decided to make these changes for no reason, the audience was just not having it,” Cook said. “They were not thrilled at all.

“It was really nice how supportive the fans were, and how outspoken. Don’t mess with a Criminal Minds fan.”

-Torontosun.com

When A.J. Cook arrived on the set of “Criminal Minds” to resume the role of FBI investigator Jennifer “JJ” Jareau, the actors and crew greeted her with applause.

“It was lovely,” Cook told the Herald in a telephone interview last week. “I knew I made the right decision going back there. They’re my family, and it’s such a lovely place to work.”

CBS dropped Cook from the crime procedural as part of the network’s cost-cutting last June. Her character was written off in a September episode, but Cook guested in a March episode and returns to the show full time in tonight’s sixth-season finale (at 9 on WBZ, Ch. 4).

“Ever since we found out I was leaving, everyone at the show was just really, really shocked by it,” she said. “So I think from the moment it started, I think the people involved at ‘Criminal Minds’ were always scheming and thinking of ways to get JJ back there. I always tried to have closure on it, and I wasn’t able to because it kept sneaking back into my life.”

The experience of being fired changed her.
“It was a valuable lesson for me,” she said. “Not to sound all jaded or anything, but I’m a very trusting person by nature. People have been telling me for years now you can’t trust everyone. You’ve got to be on your toes. You’ve got to be ready for anything. I think this has sort of wised me up to that.”

The support of the fans was the bright spot to the whole experience. “It was really the outpouring of support from the fans that helped me hold my head up high and say, ‘You know what? This is what it is and it wasn’t personal, and I have to put one foot in front of the other one and keep moving forward,’ ” she said.

Why does she think fans became so attached to her character? “JJ grew up on the show, and she’s the nurturer of the group. It’s such a dark, heavy show, and JJ was sort of that little bit of sunshine. She had a really special relationship with every single person on the show.”

The Canada native, who will spend the summer shooting the movie “Least Among Saints,” was tight-lipped about what fans can expect tonight. “There’s a really great scene between (chief investigator) Rossi (Joe Mantegna) and JJ, and it definitely leads you to wonder what’s happening and where things are going in the next season. It wouldn’t be a ‘Criminal Minds’ cliffhanger without that,” she said. “I’m really excited for next season to see where we all go.”

-Bostonherald.com

On CBS’ Criminal Minds, FBI agent Jennifer “JJ” Jareau (A.J. Cook) doesn’t always see the victims in her cases get happy endings. But in real life, she seems to have found one. After being let go from the show at the end of last season, reportedly as a cost-cutting measure, Cook just signed a deal to return to the series. She talked with TV Guide Magazine about her comeback.

TV Guide Magazine: When did you find out you were coming back?
Cook: We made the deal [April 15], but there have been whisperings for a while. The whole thing was so surreal, from being let go to getting asked to come back for two episodes, and then coming back again to do [co-star Paget Brewster's] last episode. I keep trying to have closure on this, but it keeps sneaking back in my life.

TV Guide Magazine: What was your first reaction when you learned you wouldn’t be a regular anymore?
Cook: I had no idea it was coming. None of us did. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt my feelings, but I chose to be me through the whole thing. And that’s lead me back to where I started, but in a completely different way.

TV Guide Magazine: How long did it take to get over the shock of being let go?
Cook: It felt like a breakup with a guy. It happened out of nowhere. And it was an “It’s not you, it’s me” sort of thing. You think, “What did I do?” It’s been a rollercoaster ride, but I just had to put one foot forward and keep moving.

TV Guide Magazine: Do you think your fans are at least partially responsible for getting you back?
Cook: Their outpouring of support really blew me away. That’s definitely the silver lining to being let go. The fans really let me know how they felt, and I guess they really let CBS know too.

TV Guide Magazine: What have you learned from this experience?
Cook: It’s opened my eyes to the industry, and that had to happen, really. I’m just this sweet little Canadian girl, and this was a nice wakeup call. In this business, you have to be on your toes, ready for anything. That’s a valuable lesson.

TV Guide Magazine: When do you get back to work?
Cook: I’m going back to do a little bit in the season finale. Then I’ll be back full-time for Season 7. The finale will set up the new JJ.

TV Guide Magazine: What’s the difference between the old JJ and the new one?
Cook: The new JJ is more serious and mature. She’ll come back learner and meaner and ready to hit it hard. But don’t worry….she still has heart.

TV Guide Magazine: How does it feel to be back?
Cook: I’ve been getting texts from the cast, and someone just sent me a picture of my name being painted back on my parking spot. It stirred up crazy emotion inside of me, and I thought, “Wow! It’s happening, this is a go!”

-TVguide.com