CHICAGO P.D. Stars LaRoyce Hawkins, Patrick John Flueger, and Amy Morton on the Responsibility of Storytelling Amidst Police Reform Conversations

When CHICAGO P.D. came back for its eighth season in November 2020, the writers—thanks in part to the unplanned season 7 finale cliffhanger centered around the toxicity of rogue cops—set out to address the recent conversations about police reform, racial inequality, and Black Lives Matter.

“On screen, Voight will be forced to adapt to a changing police environment. He needs to evolve as a person and a cop, or his days as a Chicago police officer will be coming to an end,” showrunner Rick Eid said at the time. “Off screen, the writers and producers have had LOTS of conversations about police reform, racial inequality, etc…We’ve also consulted with various high-level experts and consultants to make sure we’re up to date on what’s happening.”

As production has continued, that emphasis has been important for the actors portraying the characters.

“I hope we just tell the truth; I think the truth is what’s most important,” LaRoyce Hawkins (Atwater) told reporters in the video below during the (virtual) One Chicago Day junket. “The truth is what we’ve committed to. As a team, cast, and crew…what I dislike sometimes when I watch storytelling on TV or film, when they try, but they only really like hit the surface, and don’t really dig as deep as they probably could to really pull as much of the truth out.”

“One of the things I learned early on this show is that it’s called CHICAGO PD,” he continued. “Naturally, the police department is a big part of the story we tell, so that’s the perspective that we’re going to hit. And Chicago is the first [word] you hear and that’s the main character—the good and the bad and the ugly of Chicago is what we’re obligated to story tell about. But it’s hard to talk about Chicago or the police department, authentically and truthfully, without including the Black struggle. I’m grateful that my character, Atwater, is able to authentically tell the truth from his perspective. Part of me thinks that TV needs, but I think that’s what the culture need. I think that’s what our audience needs. And so I just hope that we just continue to dig as deep as we can.”

And the conversation continues throughout the season, as the cops adjust to what boundaries they can—or should—push. “It should be said, too, that the writers, us actors, the producers—everybody’s constantly talking,” Patrick John Flueger (Ruzek) said. “Constantly trying to figure out how to best talk about [and] tell these stories without taking a side. Eriq LaSalle, our directing producer, always says, ‘Nobody’s 100% right. And nobody’s 100% wrong.’ Which is exactly…that’s life. And I think they’ve done a really nice job in the writers’ room of doing that, and then we try to take the material that they give us, and expand upon that. And I hope we’re doing a good job. We recognize the responsibility that falls upon us trying to tell these stories and I hope we’re doing a good job. We’re certainly working hard.”

The ongoing conversation about police reform and Black Live Matter “changed my attitude about the show,” Amy Morton admitted. “And the purpose the show can actually serve. It feels now like the show has purpose. Not to say that the show didn’t have purpose before, because, sure it’s entertaining, it’s well written, it’s well acted, it’s well done. But now all of a sudden, it’s like you wake up one day and you find your passion, you find your purpose, you find your soul. And I think the show found its soul this year, and I think that’s, for me, the difference in how I look at the show and what we’re portraying.”

For more, watch Hawkins, Flueger, and Morton in the videos below…

CHICAGO P.D., Wednesdays, 10/9c, NBC

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