While fans see a polished, high-octane drama every Wednesday night, the reality of filming Chicago P.D. is far more grueling than it appears on screen. As the show enters its 13th season in late 2025, the stars are finally pulling back the curtain on the physical and emotional toll of bringing the Intelligence Unit to life.
The “Frozen” Reality of Chicago
It’s no secret that the show films on location, but the cast admits that the “Chicago Cold” is a character of its own—one that is difficult to work with.
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Marina Squerciati (Kim Burgess) recently shared that during the massive January 2025 crossover event, filming on rooftops felt like “warfare.”
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Between chattering teeth and frozen limbs, the actors often have to perform intense action sequences where the simple act of speaking clearly becomes a monumental task.
The Psychological Weight of Voight
Jason Beghe has long been the anchor of the show, but he admits that playing Hank Voight requires a “dark dive” into the psyche that can be hard to shake off.
“You have to find the cracked parts of yourself,” Beghe revealed in a recent interview. “When the scene calls for Voight to hit rock bottom, you don’t just ‘act’ that—you feel it. It’s emotionally exhausting in a way that fans might not realize.”
The Silent Challenges of “Burzek”
For Patrick Flueger (Adam Ruzek), the hardest scenes aren’t the shootouts; they are the quiet, emotional moments.
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Referring to the iconic Season 12 wedding, Flueger and Squerciati admitted that the pressure of living up to 12 years of fan expectations was “nerve-wracking.”
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They described the challenge of conveying a decade of history through looks and silence rather than dialogue as one of the most difficult “acting puzzles” they’ve faced.
Physical Strains and Long Hours
LaRoyce Hawkins (Kevin Atwater) noted that the physicality of the show is a 24/7 commitment. From “slamming sodas” to stay awake during 14-hour night shoots to nursing real bruises from stunt work, the cast puts their bodies on the line.
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“Fans see the 42-minute episode, but they don’t see the 8 days of 15-hour shifts and the literal blood, sweat, and tears that go into a single chase scene,” Hawkins shared.
