For years, Chicago P.D. fans have been captivated by Sergeant Hank Voight’s intensity, rage, and moral complexity. But few realize that much of that darkness isn’t just acting—it was drawn from a very real chapter in actor Jason Beghe’s life that nearly ended his career.
Before joining Chicago P.D., Beghe had already built a solid career in television. But in 2017, shocking reports emerged that multiple cast and crew members had filed complaints about Beghe’s behavior on set. According to those involved, he had become volatile, aggressive, and verbally abusive behind the scenes.
“He yelled constantly,” said one former crew member. “People were afraid to speak up. He carried Voight’s energy into real life—and it was terrifying.”
NBC launched a formal investigation. Rumors swirled that Beghe might be fired. But instead of denying the allegations, he did something unexpected: he admitted it all.
In a rare public statement, Beghe confessed that he had anger issues, made worse by a painful divorce, years of physical ailments, and the emotional toll of portraying such a dark character for so long. He claimed that Voight had become too real—and that he couldn’t always leave him on set.
“I was struggling,” Beghe said. “And I hurt people. I take full responsibility for that.”
What fans didn’t know was that Beghe was battling serious chronic pain, stemming from a near-fatal car crash in the late 1990s. He’d broken his neck and back, crushed his ribs, and punctured his lungs. For years, he relied on medication and adrenaline to function on set.
That pain—and the emotional isolation that came with it—fed directly into his portrayal of Voight.
“There’s a reason Voight always looks like he’s suffering,” said one close friend of Beghe’s. “Because Jason is. Every single day.”
After the incident, NBC didn’t fire him. Instead, they placed him in anger management therapy, added new protocols to the set, and gave crew members the power to report behavior anonymously. By Season 6, cast members confirmed that Beghe had completely changed.
“He worked harder than anyone to earn our trust back,” said Marina Squerciati, who plays Officer Kim Burgess. “He owned his mistakes. You can’t fake that.”
Ironically, some of Voight’s most powerful scenes were filmed just after the scandal broke. In one haunting sequence in Season 5, Voight breaks down alone after avenging his son’s death. The raw emotion, the shaking, the silent tears—it wasn’t just acting. It was a man confronting his own demons.
“I didn’t have to reach far for that scene,” Beghe said later in an interview. “I was already there.”
Today, Jason Beghe remains at the center of Chicago P.D.. But the darkness he brings to Voight is now carefully channeled, managed, and understood—not just by the audience, but by his colleagues.
He’s proof that redemption doesn’t only happen in fiction.
So next time you see Voight explode with fury, or fall apart in private, remember: you’re not just watching a character.
You’re watching an actor who lived it, survived it—and turned it into something unforgettable.
