The Calling: Jeff Wilbusch and Juliana Canfield talk Avi and Janine

Jeff Wilbusch takes on the role of the spiritual detective Avi Avraham, while Juliana Canfield is the new detective Janine in The Calling. In this exclusive interview, the two discussed their characters and why they wanted to play them.

If you’re looking for a new crime drama to watch, The Calling is coming to Peacock this week. It’s a must-watch, with a detective who is completely different to what you’re used to. This isn’t a man with a drinking problem, but one who takes on the cases a little too personally even when they’re not personal to him.

Avi Avraham is a spiritual man. He has so much empathy for the victims, but this could be his downfall. His colleagues are there to help him, and Janine may be the one to get through to him and help him figure out a way to balance it all.

We talked with Jeff Wilbusch and Juliana Canfield who play Avi and Janine in the new series. Find out what they have to say about their roles.

Why they wanted to do The Calling

When you see David E. Kelley has a new series out, you jump on it. Well, it’s the same for actors. The characters and the story itself go hand-in-hand, and they’re the reasons a lot of actors want those roles.

Juliana explained how the characters and the story go hand-in-hand. It was everything working together that pulled her into the project.

"“The richness of the characters is intrinsic to the success of the story. They go hand in hand. So, as much as I wanted to find out what happened next, what happened to Vincent…I also wanted to see how th relationships between the detectives played out and I wanted to understand what was going on in Avi’s head…He’s a once-in-a-lifetime detective.”"

Jeff added a little more, sharing how the fact that this is a serialized format and not another procedural helps make it interesting.

"“I agree. I think the show’s strength is that it’s not a procedural, but the [case is] so interesting and so captivating…you’re on the edge of your seat to know what’s going to happen…you’re just so drawn into the case and you just want to continue watching.”"

There is also the fact that the characters are well developed, and we wouldn’t expect anything else from a David E. Kelley series. Jeff went on to talk about that.

"“All the characters are so emotionally rich and you get to know them and to understand them and to learn about them and their past. I think this combination is so unique for this show.”"

Connecting with the source material

The Calling is based on the Avi Avraham books by D.A Mishani. This first season is based on The Missing File, and it’s why the series was originally called The Missing.

Not all actors like to read the source material, while others do. What about Jeff and Juliana?

"“I read everything I could about it because I’m just too curious.”“I didn’t read the books. I’m more of a blank slater.”"

You can check out the video below to find out which one said which statement and hear more about their roles in The Calling.

While Avi is taken from the books, Janine is not. Not quite.

"“She’s a little bit of a combo of several characters. Dror did come visit us on set…and was so supportive of the adaptation and how we were making the stories of our own. He brought us copies of the books.”"

Here’s a look at the full interview:

The Calling is on Peacock on Thursday, Nov. 10.