Dylan McDermott is a proud dad both on and off the screen.
On April 11, the actor is introducing FBI: Most Wanted fans to his daughter when Colette McDermott joins as Carly Cassidy, a college student with ties to the task force's latest case.
In "The Miseducation of Metcalf 2," Dylan's Remy Scott and the Most Wanted team search for two missing coeds after Carly's older brother is involved in a homicide that happened in their dorm room.
Despite the dark subject matter, Dylan found working with his daughter a joy.
"She is in many ways who I want to be when I grow up," Dylan, 61, tells PEOPLE. "She got the whole package. She's a beautiful, loving, caring, sensitive, compassionate person. And I'm just so deeply proud of her. And the fact now that we get to be on this show together? Because [with] your kids, one minute you're holding them in your arms, and the next minute they're on screen with you — it's just surreal."
Colette, who says she's "learned a lot from her dad," started filming the episode before him, which meant she got to settle into her character before having to act opposite Dylan.
But that didn't mean thing were strictly stiff and professional on set once her dad arrived. "We definitely had a moment where we couldn't stop laughing, so we had to get past that in a rehearsal," Colette, 26, reveals with a smile.
Dylan says Colette working on a different schedule "was good because she got to be her own person and act in scenes that I wasn't in. She already knew everybody, and then we were able to do a scene together without her being nervous. I think she's great in this episode. I think it's a wonderful showcase for her. It's time for her to take over the family business. And not only is my daughter in it, my dog [Otis] also makes a brief appearance."
The chance to work with her dad was especially meaningful for Colette, whose relationship with Dylan has matured over the years as she has.
"I really enjoy our friendship. I feel like we have a mutual respect for each other. It's so cool. We're able to really talk like friends a lot of the time. I'm really grateful for that," she says.
But, when trying to get out of Colette and into Cassidy, the actress's prep involved "just really getting into the shoes of the character and really starting to think their thoughts and what would their body language be like? Really just putting myself aside and putting on this other character."
As for how she and dad are similar, "other than my face," she quips, "which looks quite a lot like his — he's got strong genes," Colette explains that they both put a lot of feeling into life — and their work.
"I think we're both deeply emotional people, and I think, being an empath, really helps connect to different scenarios and stories," she notes. "I definitely see that in him and I think I share his sensitivity."
Though dad and daughter have worked together before (film Proof of Loss and Ryan Murphy's Hollywood), Dylan says this time around, he did notice something new about Colette.
"I think that her confidence is really growing. I think she's evolving and coming into her own as an artist, and if that only comes with experience, and if I can be there to help her gain some of that confidence, I think that my job as a dad is to help her and let her soar in this life," he says.
As for what surprised Colette about Dylan?
"It was really interesting to see him in this role. He's so creative with this particular show. He's constantly thinking of new ideas, which I think is amazing, because they've been collaborating with him," she says. "So it's really cool to see him in a dynamic where he gets to try things on all the time. They seem to be enjoying that he's doing that, rather than sometimes the structure is more intense and there's less room for malleability."
And Dylan hopes this isn't the last time he gets to work with Colette — he even hopes to have her back on FBI: Most Wanted.
"I love working with her. I think she's a tremendous actress. So anytime I get to work with her and we go over a scene, we break it down, we rehearse, we talk about it, we daydream," he says. "We understand each other. I would love to have her come back."
FBI: Most Wanted airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS and is available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
