CHICAGO P.D.: Marina Squerciati on Burgess ‘Leveling Up’ Emotionally and the Trouble She Faces in ‘Safe Harbor’

It hasn’t exactly been the easiest of times for CHICAGO P.D.’s Burgess (Marina Squerciati), who spent the past six-plus months helping Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) recover from his near-death shooting on the job, just months after she tackled her own PTSD. (And it’s not like her own work trauma has stopped—she made an unsuccessful attempt to save a perp’s life in the last episode.)

“I think Kim is really strong,” Squerciati tells Give Me My Remote in the video below. “I’m really impressed with her and I think she’s leveling up. I really do.”

“I think that sometimes when your partner is suffering, it’s almost harder,” she continues. “Because if it’s you, you know how to deal with it, you know the steps you’re taking. But when it’s your partner, there’s only so much you can do. So, I think the fact that Ruzek is stepping out of that darkness means her life, and their lives, are going to be moving in the up and up. So I’m excited for their journey, as well.”

Before they can get to that better place, there’s another hiccup in store, at least professionally: On the Wednesday, January 31 episode, “Safe Harbor,” Burgess’ extra shift gets complicated when there’s a drive-by shooting at a group of refugees. 

“I mean, I don’t think she expects it; she’s just sort of doing some OT,” Squerciati previews. “But she’s always ready. I mean, she was on it the second it was happening; her Spidey sense was up. She is a great cop and she’s really compassionate and she hasn’t lost that compassion. And I think it must be hard not to…to not become sort of immune or build a wall. And she doesn’t seem to have done that and isn’t exhausted by that empathy.”

Despite Burgess’ skill, though, one thing has stayed the same: She’s still an officer. Is a promotion something Squerciati wants to see for her character? “Yeah, of course! Who isn’t ambitious?” she says. “I want it for her.”

“I don’t ask the writers why they don’t do things, because I really like my job,” she jokes with a laugh. “But, yeah, I think it’s a theme….everyone knows she deserves it. But, like, I guess in life who don’t you know that deserves a promotion and hasn’t gotten it yet? So it’s also great, she still has more to go and more to do. It leaves me really space to stay on the show to do more things, I guess.”

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

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