Behind the Scenes of Criminal Minds: Funniest Hotch Moment Was Unscripted
After previously starring as Greg Montgomery in the sitcom Dharma and Greg, actor Thomas Gibson was quite happy when he switched to the darker Criminal Minds.
Like many actors, he was keen to take on different roles and challenge himself in a range of scenarios.
And while Aaron Hotchner may noy be a comedy character in the traditional sense, he does display a dry wit that makes him an amusing guy to watch on screen.
Remember when Garcia signed off a phone call with, "You, my fine furry friends, are welcome" and Hotch muttered under his breath, "Remind me to have her drug tested".
Or, "Hotch, you're the best Unit Chief I know", to which Hotch replied, "Jason, I'm the only Unit Chief you know"?
But, arguably his best-ever line, was not even scripted. It was just tossed in off-the-cuff by Gibson.
At the start of season 5 episode 22, Reid arrives later than the others to a team meeting. As he takes his seat Hotch says to him, "What, did you join a boy band?"
Now, it's worth noting here that Matthew Gray Gubler (who plays Dr Spencer Reid) had his haircut prior to the shoot without informing the rest of the cast.
So, when he entered the set and took his place, it genuinely was the first time any of his colleagues had seen his new hairstyle – which to be fair, is more than a little 'boy-bandish'.
It was a quick-witted remark from a funny actor – even if it felt a little out of character for Hotch in the moment.
And the reactions of the rest of the cast give away the fact that they weren't expecting either the new haircut or the quip that greeted its introduction.
Shemar Moore (who plays Derek Morgan) found it particularly funny. And if you check out his reaction, you can see straight away that he's not acting.
To his credit, Gubler's reaction was spot on. A slight pause followed by "No" could have so easily been scripted.
But with nobody aware that Gibson was about to deliver such a cutting line, for Gubler to respond so perfectly provided the editors with a chance to include the exchange in the show.
Anything that had given away the fact that the line was ad-libbed would have resulted in it ending up on the cutting room floor.
As it is, the quick thinking of both actors resulted in one of the best lines that Hotch delivered throughout the entire show.