Hank Voight is the center of Chicago PD. Jason Beghe’s character is not only the leader of the Intelligence Unit, but—as many people have noted—the person around whom everything orbits. Fans got a surprising glimpse into who Voight was as an individual, not just a cop, in Season 12. Chicago PD Season 13 is set to carry that forward, as Beghe and executive producer Gwen Sigan explained.

In an interview ahead of the Season 13 premiere, Beghe and Sigan reflected on diving into Voight’s personal life for the first serious time, and if Chicago PD will continue doing so. They also explained what else fans will learn about Voight and how he’ll approach his team during the new season. Plus, will there be more scenes for Voight and Trudy Platt in Season 13?

Brittany Frederick: Jason, fans were thrilled to see Voight get a personal life in Season 12 through his growing bond with ASA Chapman. What was it like for you to play that side of the character, and will fans see more of that in Season 13?

Jason Beghe: Yes, but not in the same way. I think we will get even more deeply into Voight’s personal life. I think that we’re going to start to understand more why he is who he is, and from whence he came, and how Hank Voight as we know him was the ultimate solution to how he started. We’ll get to know him a lot better.

We got to know kind of a little bit of what you might call a romantic side or love… But I think there’s a lot more to a person, and you’re going to see a lot more of him, just not necessarily in that way.

Is it possible that he learns from the experience of Chicago PD Season 12 and lightens up at all, or is he destined to go back to the darker side that viewers are familiar with?

Beghe: That is always a distinct possibility. He could go almost fully into the light, and then in a moment, go into the depths of darkness. I think that’s part of what makes him interesting, is that he’s not predictable, and that anything really is possible. And that’s because he’s willing to do anything to protect what he believes is worth protecting.

Gwen Sigan: The interesting thing we wanted to look at this year was a bit of diving into why Voight is the way he is. One of the many vehicles we’re going to use to do that is introducing this new character [Eva Imani, played by The Night Agent‘s Arienne Mandi] to the unit. What you’ll see when we meet her and through the season, is definitely that he does end up with a more of a partnership on the job than he’s had in a while. She ends up representing that.

They sort of are leaning on each other, but that’s not necessarily always a good thing, since they are pretty similar in a lot of ways. We wanted to have some new relationships that would challenge him, but we’ll also see that he’s challenging everyone in those relationships, too.

Beghe: [Eva]’s very much like Hank, which is part of the whole exciting thing. I think when you have two people that are similar, it becomes like a mirror. They’re being forced to look at themselves in ways, and so I think the audience will be able to discover new things about both of them through each other.

Kim Burgess’ promotion to Detective in Chicago PD Season 12 gives her a bigger role within Intelligence. Could she become a foil to Voight in the way that previous detectives like Hailey Upton, Antonio Dawson and Alvin Olinsky were? Or how does her part change in Season 13?

Sigan: I really love the way that Marina [Squerciati]’s played it, and the way that it’s sort of morphed really naturally. I think we have to be really true to Burgess and who she is and what she’s coming in with. She’s been at this unit for so long when she’s coming to this job as a detective. So I think she’s doing it in her own way, which is leading without a whole lot of fanfare.

I don’t think she ever is announcing that she’s in charge, but you can see it suddenly—that she’s giving more orders, that Voight is having her run things, that he goes to her with a lot of the information first. We’re seeing her take up that mantle, but I think she’s doing it in a very graceful and independent way that it doesn’t look like anyone who’s done it before them.

How much fun has it been to write Burgess and Adam Ruzek as a married couple after their on-off romance across pretty much the entire series?

Sigan: It was really fun. It was challenging, in a sense, because they’ve been together forever. They’ve been together so long in the show. But to both of them, being married is a very big thing, and they don’t take that lightly. And so I liked the idea that it did change the relationship, but it sort of just gave it more depth and a deeper foundation.

It ended up becoming more about their family unit and what they wanted that to look like, and what they want their future to look like. That’s sort of where we where we dived in with them. It was very fun to write.

Dante Torres was very on the rocks by the end of last season, and almost took Intelligence down with him. Where does the audience find Torres this season?

Sigan: He’s going through so much after the end of last season. It really has sort of morphed into this crisis of faith. He’s struggling with religion, and he’s struggling with with that anchor. There’s one case in particular that hits really close to home. It’s somebody he knows, and it’s in his community. It’s on his block. His mom is there with him.

I thought it turned out beautifully. Jesse Soffer directed it for us. Benny [Benjamin Levy Aguilar] was amazing in it. It’s small, and it feels really intimate. And you really start to understand [Torres’] headspace and what he’s been going through. How much losing that foundation and anchor of his faith, what that is doing to him in the present.

One relationship that viewers haven’t seen enough of is the longstanding friendship between Voight and Trudy Platt. Is there any chance fans get more Voight and Trudy scenes in Chicago PD Season 13?

Beghe: I’m on that train.

Sigan: [They] just shot one together the other day.

Beghe: I love working with [Amy Morton]. And I think the characters, it’s untapped gold.

Chicago PD airs Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Photo Credit: Courtesy of NBC.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.