A.J. Cook On "Criminal Minds: Evolution," Directing Her Sons, And The Props She Took Home With Her - BuzzFeed

THEN: JJ’s sons are played by your actual sons, Mekhai and Phoenix. What went into the decision to cast them instead of child actors?

A.J.: You know, it's the weirdest thing, isn't it? Like, it's so unique. And you know, I don't even really know how it happened. Well, with Mekhai, my firstborn, they had a scene with JJ, Will, and the baby. I think they just came to me and said, "Hey, how do you feel about using Mekhai for this?" And I was like, "Oh, okay. Sure!" It just sort of evolved from there. Then, he got that one episode, in Season 7, where he gets kidnapped — [Season 7, Episode 23: "Hit"] the bank heist episode. He was so cute. He did such a good job in it. And it sort of evolved even more from there. Then, I had another kid. And then, they asked, "Well, do you mind using Phoenix for that as well?" 

It's been something that's really special for us as a family because I have my kids' lives documented in a way. And to have that, forever, is something that I'm grateful for. It's really special. To have them come back again, in the 2.0 version. I mean, this is something I think the fans are really gonna be blown away by because little Henry, he's not so little anymore. My son is 14, and he's 5'11". And he's got little muscles and stuff. It's almost like a timeline. He is our walking timeline for this show. It's so crazy. I think that'll be something that's really special for the fans who've watched it from the beginning and [have] seen these kids grow up.

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A.J. Cook On "Criminal Minds: Evolution," Directing Her Sons, And The Props She Took Home With Her - BuzzFeed
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