I think these 10 episodes are going to be very surprising.

Something breaks, he tells EW.

Something breaks in Torres heart.

Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres from the CBS Original Series NCIS, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network.

Wilmer Valderrama.Art Streiber/CBS

It’s almost like he’s been waiting for this moment for way too long.

How did it feel to be the cliffhanger character who kept audiences speculating during the hiatus?

WILMER VALDERRAMA:We were working on that season finale the whole season.

The NCIS team must help Torres when he puts his future at stake by confronting the man who tormented his family when he was a child, on the 21st season premiere of the CBS Original series NCIS, Thursday, Feb. 12

Wilmer Valderrama as Nick Torres in the NCIS 21st season premiere.Robert Voets/CBS

We were talking, having a lot of conversations about, What is the season?

And I have this crazy idea: Why don’t we send Torres to prison?

And then we worked backward from that.

Like, why would he be there?

It’s just really refreshing.

And the relationship between Parker and Torres is also going to evolve a little bit more.

A little bit, yeah.

And I was like, why are we not doing this, dude?

Why are these two characters not running wild in the field?

And they loved the idea.

Theres some laugh-out-loud stuff that we’re about to do thats really unique forNCIS.

WithNCISthere are some funny moments and then you’re back to the complexity and the darkness of these cases.

You sound really excited about these upcoming ten episodes of the season.

I am very excited.

We’re going to swing in directions that are a lot more personal and a lot more high-concept.

It’s still very much grounded in the mothership.

We needed that episode.

He’d come in and then they said, Action, and hed never drop a line.

Theres beautiful stuff happening in that episode.

They both have a great deal of pressure.

Am I confident doing shirtless stuff?

I’m not insecure about that stuff, you know?

But I’ve just never been that guy.

I love doing my own stunts.

And then, afterward, when they tell me, Hey, do you mind wearing this?

I’m like, I know what you’re doing, sure, fine.

It was silly, and obviously my costars had a lot of fun with that.

I bet they did.

They made a lot of fun of me.

But I dont feel pressure for either one.

I feel happy to do what it takes for the story.

But sometimes it doesnt take that to tell the story, and somehow its still on the page.

This is my favorite combination of the cast in years.

I agree with you 100%.

That’s why I can’t wait for people to see this this season.

And it’s been a joy.

It’s been a joy to spend all that time with these incredible individuals.

NCISairs Mondays at 9 p.m.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.