Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, stars in CRIMINAL MINDS: SUSPECT BEHAVIOR. Photo: Cliff Lipson/CBS ©2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved

Taking on the role of Sam Cooper, lead FBI profiler on the Criminal Minds spin-off series, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior was easy for Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker. After all, he tells us he’s been studying human behavior for 30-plus years.

“Maybe not for criminals, but for people,” Whitaker points out. “I try to figure out where it comes from, what happened in his life, what shoes he wears, what his parents are like. That’s how I do my work as an actor.”

And though the series debuts tonight (10:00 p.m. ET/PT, CBS), Whitaker isn’t sweating it. He’s confident the show will deliver solidly for fans of the franchise.

“The only reason I’m not nervous is I was so caught in the journey of this,” he says. “I think everybody was working very hard to do something and when you give it all you have, there is nothing to be nervous.”

Kirsten Vangsness and Forest Whitaker star in CRIMINAL MINDS: SUSPECT BEHAVIOR. Photo: ADAM TAYLOR/ABC. ©2010 ABC STUDIOS. All Rights Reserved.

Whitaker admits he’s doing a little introspection of his own since starring on the series – and has learned plenty about himself simply by analyzing the quirks of others.

“I really like exploring what makes people tick, going to the core of their existence,” he begins adding, “ It helps me to understand myself better.”

Let’s all keep our fingers crossed for a season two for the series. If it does well - and it returns in the fall - Whitaker, who is a skilled director as well as an actor, will probably jump behind the camera for an episode or two.

“They’ve asked me,” he acknowledges. “If we move forward maybe in the middle of it I’ll do it ‘cause I really like the actors. They’re really talented.”

Keep an eye out for Kirsten Vangsness, too. The actress, who stars as Penelope Garcia on Criminal Minds, will be doing double-duty for this spin-off.

Click onto the four media bars to hear full comments from Forest Whitaker on his new series Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior.