CHICAGO P.D.: Jason Beghe Reflects on Elias Koteas Season 11 Return

CHICAGO P.D. surprised viewers at the end of season 11 when a gravely injured Voight (Jason Beghe) hallucinated a pep talk from his long-dead friend/former teammate, Olinsky (Elias Koteas).

When the episode aired, showrunner Gwen Sigan credited Beghe for the idea. “He had it a few years ago,” she told Give Me My Remote in May. “So him and I have talked about it, we’ve riffed on it before; it’s really his brainchild.”

“It was really special for all of us to see him back and in the outfit, back with Jason. It was emotional,” she said. “Everyone was very emotional, but it was also just really sweet and felt full circle and felt like this nice thing, as the crew and the cast, for us all to see him back.”

Even now, months later, it’s clear how much the moment meant to Beghe. “Filming it was…” he tells GMMR before taking a prolonged pause. “It sounds kind of like I’m exaggerating, but without exaggeration, for me, the metaphor would be like the most delicious meal, the most spectacular wine. We savored it, both he and I.”

“I’ve been talking to him about it for years because I had the idea,” he continues. “And I’d like to do more, because I think there’s a way to fold it in naturally, but I think Gwen is happy with the once.”

And the actors’ bond goes beyond their professional respect for each other. “I have a photograph of Elias’ last day on set, I have it hanging up in my house,” Beghe says, sharing the photo in question mid-interview, to show the two men embracing. “The funny thing is, somebody took a picture of when we first saw each other before we started shooting [‘More’], and it’s a mirror image of that shot.”

“It’s hard to explain, but I love him,” he continues. “It’s beyond. There’s a lot of ways, at least for me, that Elias—it’s two hearts with one beat. We have these words, like, ‘I love this guy’ and all that, but there’s something very, very, very, very deep and special about how I feel about him.”

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

RELATED:

• CHICAGO P.D. Post-Mortem: LaRoyce Hawkins on Atwater Finding ‘Relief and Release’
• CHICAGO P.D.: ‘Off Switch’ Photos
• CHICAGO P.D.: LaRoyce Hawkins Previews the Arrival of Atwater’s New Potential Love Interest
• CHICAGO P.D. Post-Mortem: Patrick John Flueger on the ‘Blood Bleeds Blue’ Fallout and (Eventual) Return of Cook
• CHICAGO P.D.’s Patrick John Flueger Previews the 24-Like ‘Blood Bleeds Blue’: ‘It Just Never Lets Up’
• CHICAGO P.D.: Gwen Sigan Previews the Addition of ‘Breath of Fresh Air’ Officer Kiana Cook
• CHICAGO P.D. Season 12 Premiere Recap: ‘Ten Ninety-Nine’
• CHICAGO P.D.: What You Need to Know About the Season Premiere
• CHICAGO P.D.: Gwen Sigan Teases ‘Crisis of Self and Identity’ in Season 12
• NBC Reveals ONE CHICAGO Key Art
• CHICAGO P.D.: Gwen Sigan Previews Diving into the Burzek Family Unit and an Upcoming Wedding
• CHICAGO P.D. Season 12 Premiere: ‘Ten Ninety-Nine’ Photos
• ONE CHICAGO: NBC Teases the Return of CHICAGO MED, CHICAGO FIRE, and CHICAGO P.D. in New Promo
• CHICAGO P.D. Adds Shawn Hatosy
• CHICAGO P.D. Adds Toya Turner as New Series Regular
• CHICAGO P.D.’s LaRoyce Hawkins on Atwater’s Farewell to Upton and What’s in Store for Season 12
• CHICAGO P.D. Post-Mortem: Gwen Sigan on Upton’s Exit and that Surprise Return
• CHICAGO P.D. Season 11 Finale: ‘More’ Photos
• CHICAGO P.D.: Gwen Sigan Previews an ‘Emotional Ride’ in the Season 11 Finale
• CHICAGO P.D.: ‘Inventory’ Photos
• CHICAGO P.D.: ‘The Water Line’ Photos
• CHICAGO P.D.: ‘Buried Pieces’ Photos
• CHICAGO P.D.: ‘Somos Unos’ Photos
• CHICAGO P.D.: ‘On Paper’ Photos
• CHICAGO P.D.: Jesse Lee Soffer Sets Directing Return
• NBC Renews ONE CHICAGO Trio, LAW & ORDER, and SVU
• CHICAGO P.D. Post-Mortem: Jason Beghe Reflects on Voight’s Latest Loss
• CHICAGO P.D.: ‘The Living and The Dead’ Photos
• CHICAGO P.D.: ‘Survival’ Photos
• CHICAGO P.D. Post-Mortem: LaRoyce Hawkins Breaks Down the Impact of ‘Split Second’ on Atwater
• CHICAGO P.D.’s LaRoyce Hawkins Previews Atwater’s Big Hour: ‘It Was a Mountain That I Couldn’t Wait to Climb’
• CHICAGO P.D.: ‘Split Second’ Photos
• CHICAGO P.D. Post-Mortem: Benjamin Levy Aguilar on Torres’ Unexpected Dynamic with Gloria
• CHICAGO P.D.: Benjamin Levy Aguilar Previews Torres’ Dangerous Undercover Op—and a ‘Strong Connection’ with Yara Martinez’ Gloria
• CHICAGO P.D.: ‘Escape’ Photos
• CHICAGO P.D. Post-Mortem: Marina Squerciati on the Perfect Burzek Twist: ‘I Couldn’t Ask For Anything More’
• CHICAGO P.D.: ‘Safe Harbor’ Photos
• CHICAGO P.D. Post-Mortem: Gwen Sigan on the Upstead Heartbreak and the Ruzek Reveal
• CHICAGO P.D.: What You Need to Know About the Season Premiere
• CHICAGO P.D.: Gwen Sigan Previews Upton’s Premiere Struggles
• CHICAGO P.D.: Gwen Sigan on the Deleted Burzek Season 10 Finale Scene
• CHICAGO P.D.: ‘Retread’ Photos
• NBC Releases New Key Art for CHICAGO MED and CHICAGO P.D.
• CHICAGO P.D. Season 11 Premiere: ‘Unpacking’ Photos
• NBC Teases the Season Premiere of ONE CHICAGO, LAW & ORDER Franchises
• NBC Teases Stellaride’s Reunion in New ONE CHICAGO Promo
• CHICAGO P.D.: Tracy Spiridakos to Exit
• Tracy Spiridakos and Jesse Lee Soffer Explain the Importance of Striking: ‘It’s a Watershed Moment’
• CHICAGO P.D.: LaRoyce Hawkins Previews Atwater Being a ‘Key Component’ in the Fight Against the Becks
• CHICAGO P.D. Post-Mortem: Benjamin Levy Aguilar on the Torres Reveal and ‘Thousand Pounds Off’ His Shoulders
• CHICAGO P.D.: LaRoyce Hawkins Previews Intelligence’s Quest to Save Upton
• CHICAGO P.D. Post-Mortem: LaRoyce Hawkins on Atwater’s Healing with His Father and the ‘Great’ Season Finale
• CHICAGO P.D.: LaRoyce Hawkins Previews Atwater’s Unlikely Team-Up with His Father in ‘The Bleed Valve’
• NBC Renews LAW & ORDER, SVU, ORGANIZED CRIME, and ONE CHICAGO Trio
• CHICAGO P.D. Recap: Burzek Makes a Big Move
• CHICAGO P.D. Post-Mortem: Jesse Lee Soffer on His Favorite ‘Deadlocked’ Scenes and the ‘Rewarding’ Directing Experience
• CHICAGO P.D.: Jesse Lee Soffer on Directing the ‘Action-Packed,’ ‘Throwback’ Hour ‘Deadlocked’
• CHICAGO P.D. Post-Mortem: Marina Squerciati and Patrick John Flueger on How Kim—and Burzek—Will Handle the Fallout From Her Big Therapy Decision
• CHICAGO P.D.: Marina Squerciati and Patrick John Flueger Reflect on Their Real-Life Friendship
• CHICAGO P.D.’s Marina Squerciati and Patrick John Flueger Preview the ‘Ambitious,’ ‘Firing on All Cylinders’ Episode 200
• CHICAGO P.D.: NBC Teases the 200th Episode, ‘Trapped’
• CHICAGO P.D. Post-Mortem: Gia-Rayne Harris on Directing the Upstead Twist and the Tension-Filled ‘I Can Let You Go’
• CHICAGO P.D.: Gia-Rayne Harris on Sean and Upton’s Showdown, Making Her Network TV Directorial Debut
• CHICAGO P.D.: Benjamin Levy Aguilar Reflects on the ‘Beautiful’ Experience of Filming Torres’ Big Episode
• CHICAGO FIRE’s Derek Haas and Andrea Newman on Utilizing CHICAGO P.D.’s Amy Morton for Lighter Moments
• CHICAGO P.D.: Gwen Sigan Previews Burgess Seeing Ruzek in ‘a Different Light’
• CHICAGO P.D. Post-Mortem: Gwen Sigan on the Sean Twist and Upton’s Upcoming Emotional Reckoning
• CHICAGO P.D.: Gwen Sigan Teases the ‘Pressure Cooker’ Fall Finale, a Burgess-Centric 200th Episode
• CHICAGO P.D. Post-Mortem: LaRoyce Hawkins on Drawing on His Real History for the Emotional ‘Sympathetic Reflex’ Ending
• CHICAGO P.D.’s LaRoyce Hawkins: ‘Every Empathetic Bone’ in Atwater ‘is Going to Be Tested’
• CHICAGO P.D: Jesse Lee Soffer to Direct a Season 10 Episode
• CHICAGO P.D.: Gwen Sigan Teases Diving into the Upton and Burgess Dynamics, Plus Atwater as a ‘Leader’
• CHICAGO P.D. Post-Mortem: Benjamin Levy Aguilar on Torres ‘Transformation’ Post-‘Donde Vives’
• NBC Boss Teases Potential LAW & ORDER and ONE CHICAGO Crossovers
• Daily Dose of Joy: ONE CHICAGO Stars Play Trivia for Charity

Follow @GiveMeMyRemote and @marisaroffman on Twitter for the latest TV news. Connect with other TV fans on GIVE ME MY REMOTE’s official Facebook page or our Instagram.

And be the first to see our exclusive videos by subscribing to our YouTube channel.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through links/ads placed on the site.