It’s the kind of confession that stops fans cold. Tracy Spiridakos — the face of Detective Hailey Upton, the beating heart of Chicago P.D. for nearly a decade — has finally broken her silence about her emotional exit from the series. And the scene that made her “completely lose it” wasn’t the one anyone expected.
After months of speculation, tears, and rumors swirling around her departure, Spiridakos sat down for a rare, deeply personal interview where she revealed the truth behind her final days on set — and the one moment that, in her words, “changed everything for me.”
“I thought I was prepared,” she said softly. “But when we filmed that scene… I realized I wasn’t ready to say goodbye at all.”
The scene she’s referring to — shot late at night in a dimly lit alley, with Jason Beghe’s Voight by her side — was reportedly the final time Upton appeared in uniform. What should’ve been another gritty Chicago P.D. takedown instead became a quiet, devastating farewell.
“There’s this silence afterward,” Spiridakos explained. “And I remember standing there, just hearing the distant sirens and realizing — this was it. Hailey was walking away. And so was I.”
Crew members who were on set that night describe the atmosphere as “unusually still.” Even the usually stoic Beghe, known for his no-nonsense approach, seemed affected. “Jason gave her this look,” one insider shared. “It wasn’t scripted. It was pure emotion. You could tell he was saying goodbye to her, not just Upton.”
Fans who’ve followed the emotional rollercoaster of Upton’s journey — from her partnership with Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) to her solo crusades and her crumbling marriage — know that Spiridakos gave everything to the role. Her final episodes reflected a woman trying to find her purpose again, haunted by loss but refusing to break.
“Hailey has always been a fighter,” Spiridakos said. “But sometimes, even fighters need to step back. This ending felt honest — painful, but right.”
And yet, she admits, filming her last week was far from easy. “Every day felt like the last day of school, but sadder,” she said with a laugh. “We’d wrap a scene, and someone would say, ‘That’s Tracy’s last hallway shot,’ or ‘That’s her last time with the unit.’ And it just hit me harder each time.”
Her final day, she revealed, was overwhelming. Cast members showed up even if they weren’t filming. “It was like this quiet celebration,” she recalled. “We laughed a lot. We cried a lot more. And when they called ‘cut,’ nobody moved. We just stood there, hugging. I’ll never forget it.”
But when asked if this is truly the end for Hailey Upton, Spiridakos hesitated.
“Never say never,” she said with a smile. “This show is family. And sometimes, family comes home.”
The comment instantly ignited a firestorm online — could that mean a possible return later in the series or even a crossover? While the actress didn’t confirm anything, fans are already buzzing with theories that the writers may leave the door open for Upton’s reappearance, much like Jesse Lee Soffer’s rumored behind-the-scenes involvement.
Still, for Spiridakos, walking away from Chicago P.D. wasn’t just about ending a chapter — it was about growth.
“Hailey’s journey taught me resilience,” she said. “She’s flawed, she’s stubborn, but she’s got a heart that won’t quit. And I think that’s something I’ll carry with me — both as an actress and as a person.”
Behind the camera, her absence will undoubtedly leave a void. For years, Spiridakos brought balance to the Intelligence Unit — a quiet strength amid the chaos, a moral compass for Voight’s darkness.
“Jason and I had such a specific rhythm,” she reflected. “He’s intense — in the best way. Working opposite him taught me so much about stillness, about control. Saying goodbye to that dynamic was one of the hardest parts.”
Rumors have circulated that the Chicago P.D. writers are planning a “spiritual successor” storyline — a new detective joining the Intelligence Unit with shades of Upton’s moral drive but a completely different past. Spiridakos’s exit, one source said, “marks the end of an era — and the beginning of something bolder.”
But for fans, nothing will replace her.
Online tributes flooded in after her announcement:
“Upton was the soul of this show.”
“I started watching for Halstead, but I stayed for Hailey.”
“Tracy made us believe in strength through pain.”
Perhaps the most moving farewell came from her co-star Marina Squerciati, who posted a behind-the-scenes photo of them laughing between takes, captioned simply:
“My sister on screen and off. There’s no Intelligence without you.”
As Chicago P.D. continues into its next chapter, viewers can’t help but wonder how the team will fill the hole Upton leaves behind — and whether her story is truly over.
For Spiridakos, though, one thing is certain:
“This show changed my life,” she said. “And that final scene — it reminded me why I fell in love with acting in the first place. Sometimes, goodbye isn’t the end. It’s just the start of something new.”
💔 “This scene changed everything — for Hailey, for me, and maybe for all of us watching.”
