Q: Are you playing a new character?

JJ: I have no idea- they don’t tell me anything!

Q: Were you in the first episode? (laughs) Do you feel like your character has kind of finished out his arc?

JJ: Yes, I feel like the character progression for the Peter we introduced in the Pilot is finished by the end of Season Three. So we’re sketching either an aftermath- like a post script for that story- or we’re having to draw, not an entirely new character, but something new has to come out of it. You can chart this for each one of the characters, but their stories are still going. Like, for Peter, when we introduced him—the guy who cares about nothing, who has no roots anywhere, keeps no friends close to himself, and lives this nihilistic life where it’s all about him- to go forward three years and to have that same guy decide, first getting into the machine, which he didn’t really want to do, to decide- this is my fate, my destiny- that’s a major progression. And to get to the future and then have that experience and decide to basically conspire with his own father to make himself not exist so that the people that he loves can have a chance to live- that is a very noble sacrifice, and it’s not anything that the guy three years ago would have considered doing. So that to me- yeah, that is sort of a period, full stop on Peter, and now we’ve got to sort of see- I wish they would have finished that sentence, because I don’t know what they’re going to do, but I wish they would!

Q: Using the analogy of you in a bull pen, you know, sitting, waiting for you to come in off the field…is it frustrating for you at all? While you’re sitting for large chunks of time, and everyone else is getting the fun of being on screen?

JJ: Yeah, there are definitely- I mean you can’t help but see how much fun that Anne had with the alternate- whatever you want to call it- Faux-livia, Alt-livia- and everyone having to have their dopplegangers. I mean it’s really nice to have time off. I’m sure you’ve heard TV actors complain about the grueling grind that is a full season, so I’m not going to be the first person to say "Yeah, it sucks having all this free time. It’s awful!" But I think it is what the story is, you know? To a certain extent, Peter is sort of the McGuffin of the show; so we have this ensemble cast and he’s sort of the one that lots of the things are about, but he doesn’t get to do lots of things, and that’s just sort of who he is- that’s what the character is. I can be frustrated with it all I like, but it’s not going to change.

Q: So what can you tell us about the new season?

JJ: I can tell you that we start off with everything that we knew at the end of Season Three is still valid without Peter.

Q: What would you like to see?

JJ: Well, I’m curious to see how- hopefully!- I get reintegrated into the show. More than anything. (laughs) That’s a bit selfish, but…

Fringe returns Friday, September 23 on FOX. Check your local listings.