Thomas Gibson Profiles Aaron Hotchner on Criminal Minds

"They're like an old married couple."

No, Thomas Gibson who plays Aaron Hotchner on Criminal Minds is not referring to his character's relationship with wife Haley.

In fact, Gibson is referring to Hotch's relationship with Jason Gideon, played by Mandy Patinkin. Gideon and Hotch are like father figures to the rest of the BAU Team on Criminal Minds, and professional peers to one another, Gibson said.

It's partly Hotch's mentor status that influences his austere demeanor. "We do have our moments of levity. Unfortunately, he has a very, very, probably-dusty-it's-so-dry sense of humor. It's pretty dark. It's pretty bone dry. We all need a little levity, but I wouldn't necessarily look for him to break into song and dance," Gibson explained.

It is unlikely that Hotch would ever get that giddy, as it is simply not a part of his character. Gibson reasoned, "I think Hotch feels there's a lot at stake all the time."

It's difficult for viewers to understand exactly why Hotch is the way he is; little has been revealed about his back-story. What we do know is that he has a wife and baby son, who Hotch knows he is not there for enough.

There's a conversation in the episode Ashes and Dust between Hotch and Gideon, which sums up Hotch's issue quite well.

Hotchner: I catch killers, I save lives, I'm a hero until my key hits my front door, and then I'm just the father and the husband who is never there.
Gideon: Yeah, I got that one.
Hotchner: Here's the thing: when I'm home, I'm in this silent panic because I know that I have to be as good as I can, as fast as I can. Because any minute the phone is going to ring and my time is up.

We also know that Hotch wants to one day be FBI Director. "I don't necessarily think it's one or the other. Like most people, there's lots of things that motivate him," Gibson said, referring to whether it's his family or his career goals that make Hotch tick. "I think that over time his actions will reveal who he is. I enjoy sort of speculating on what his back-story is, which I don't necessarily want people to know, because I want people to wonder what it is that motivates him."

Well he's taken care of that one! Criminal Minds fans definitely want to know what is going on in Hotch's mind.

While both his home life and career drive Hotch, perhaps he hasn't decided yet which is more important to him. "He knows his family is getting the short shift. He knows his job is costing him in time spent with his wife and son," Gibson thought. "I think he's sincere when he says he wants to be there for his family. But it's really, really hard doing what they do - being on call and dedicated to the job. To be able to pull both of those things off, I think that his ambitions have to come face to face with a certain reality that's in contradiction with what he thought was possible."

He continued, "It'll be very interesting to see how it all shakes out, because I think his realistic appraisal of all the balls he thought he was capable of keeping in the air at the same time - something's gotta give... I'm not sure he's reconciled what's gotta give."

As for Hotch's relationship with his wife Haley, Gibson seems to believe it will last. "Well, sure, gosh I hope so!... Marriage can certainly survive lots of hardships. You think about in real life the marriages that survive. They certainly suffer... and I think it's going to be very interesting to see how they work it out because I know it's certainly taking its toll."

Gibson knows a thing or two when it comes to being away from his family, as his wife and children live in San Antonio, Texas. Gibson is there on weekends and commutes to Los Angeles to the Criminal Minds set each week.

"It's something we wanted to do, and my kids are growing up with their cousins around and their grandparents, and my wife, and we don't have any family in California, so we really wanted to make sure that we didn't just get to see family once or twice a year. It's a challenge but we're managing pretty well so far," Gibson divulged.

While Gibson's situation isn't exactly the same as Hotch's, he said, "It's something that certainly gives me insight into him for sure."

Other people with insight into Hotch's character? The rest of the BAU team. "I think they all know he is dedicated to doing the job," Gibson said of the other characters on Criminal Minds. "I think he understands how to negotiate both his responsibilities to the team and his own responsibilities to the job and put aside some of the things that might be sources of conflict within the time. When you spend that much time with people you're going to have conflict, and he's aware of that... There's also a kind of detachment that has to be there for you to do this job acceptably, but at the same time there's a very engaged quality to the work where you have to dedicate yourself to the idea that you're putting yourself in these criminals' shoes, because that's how they're affective at doing it."

While Hotch and Gideon have the most experience in the FBI, Gibson and Patinkin also have the most experience of the cast. Gibson's response to that? "Well, we're certainly the oldest!" Gibson and Patinkin previously worked together on Chicago Hope. Prior to Criminal Minds, "I had not seen him in a few years. We've got mutual friends, but I had not seen him until we went to work on the pilot," Gibson said.

According to some other members of the Criminal Minds cast, Gibson is a really funny guy off screen. "No, that's not true at all," Gibson joked. Luckily his sense of humor fits in on the set. "Gosh, if it isn't fun, what a horrible place it would be. With this kind of stuff, you need to get away from it. You need to mix it up. We do have a good time."

Many viewers know Gibson from another show he had a good time on, Dharma and Greg. Gibson said that Criminal Minds and Dharma and Greg are "apples and oranges," and "you can't compare them." In terms of whether he'd rather work on a comedy or a drama, he said, "I had a great time on Dharma and Greg, and this is completely different. I just prefer working on things that I like to work on and that are interesting. That's really what it's about."

Gibson, who grew up in South Carolina, mentioned that he and Stephen Colbert, host of The Colbert Report, grew up in the same hometown. Gibson said, "He's married to the girl that was the Cinderella to my Prince Charming when I was 12."

Dreamy, isn't he? Seriously, if you didn't love Gibson before, you have to love him now for that comment. Then again, as a sensational actor, it's not like Thomas Gibson has any trouble raking in the fans for Criminal Minds.