A near-death experience gave Chicago P.D. Star Jason Beghe His distinctive voice
When you picture a “grizzled cop,” few TV cops fit the bill like Squad Commander Hank Voight (Jason Beghe). Almost everything about “Chicago P.D.” His character captures the appropriate aspects of a cynical loose cannon archetype. Beghe knows how to look and act tough. But most of all, he has the unforgettable rough voice to convincingly portray his crime-fighting persona on screen. Only a chain-smoking gargoyle who drinks broken glasses for breakfast could match the charm of Beghe’s voice!
Beghe’s role as Hank Voight began in Season 1 of “Chicago Fire.” However, the actor’s gruff role would go on to have a storied life in network television procedurals, starring on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Chicago Med” and “Chicago Med.” Chicago Justice”. When fans first met his character in “Chicago Fire,” Voight appeared to be a dirty cop covering up his criminal activities for personal gain. But as “Chicago P.D.” and future appearances confirmed that beneath the surface of this complex law enforcement leader there was much more to worry about.
As fans best know, Beghe’s voice is a great fit for Voight’s character. However, it was not a voice that he had to refine over time to perfect. That’s his real voice. “Chicago P.D.” What is that? fans may not know that his voice isn’t always pleasantly rough. His distinctive gritty sound is the result of a car accident the star was in in 1999. Long before the series “One Chicago” debuted, this near-death experience changed forever changed the actor’s life.
How the car accident damaged his voice
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Beghe commented that puberty caused his voice to deepen. But that natural grumbling became worse after his unfortunate car accident. “[I] broke my neck, my back in several places, all my ribs and both lungs,” Beghe told the outlet. “I was in a coma for three and a half weeks. When I came out of the coma – because I had been intubated on life support – I was going to take the tube out and that made it even worse .” upward.”
The fact that this brush with death would enable Beghe to play his most famous role years later was a foreshadowing of another dire situation. However, his deep voice comes in handy for more than just playing “bad cop.” In the same interview, Beghe joked that his singing voice also helped him play the tough dad. “When I say, ‘Hey, it’s time to clean up,’ they do it,” Beghe added.
Beghe gained new perspective from the accident
In addition to the fact that the accident gave him the perfect voice of a morally gray cop, Beghe admits how severely the accident affected his life. In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2021, Beghe discussed how the car accident affected him psychologically. “Technically, I died for a short period of time while in a coma,” he said. It was definitely an experience that made me more aware of what life is all about. Twenty years later, it’s not something I think about often. But when you mention it, I believe that perhaps I have changed forever since then.”
Perhaps that’s why Beghe appreciated Voight’s straightforward attitude, which motivated fellow “Chicago P.D.” the characters – good or bad – live authentically and hold their own. In 2023, Beghe reflected on Voight’s no-nonsense personality, saying: “One thing Voight insists on and admires – and it’s hard for his team to do – is that he always wants you to be yourself. Don’t be me. He’s not like that. I don’t want a team of Voights… It might create some tension but it creates trust.”
