Jason Beghe as Hank Voight in ‘Chicago P.D.’
Lori Allen/NBC
[This story contains spoilers from season 11, episode seven of Chicago P.D, “The Living and the Dead.”]
For Sergeant Hank Voight, performed by Jason Beghe, the proverb “the highway to hell is paved with good intensions” involves a painful, climatic conclusion through the last scene of Chicago P.D.’s March 20 episode, “The Dwelling and the Useless.” The seventh episode in season 11 of the NBC drama ends with a stoic look from the conflicted police detective, as a barrel is pulled from a physique of water that accommodates somebody he cared for and tried to guard.
For the reason that homicide of his son, Justin (Josh Segarra), in season three, Voight has worn that loss of life like an albatross, spurring him all through the seasons to take a particular curiosity in sure brutalized victims within the metropolis who’re handled as castoffs. In episode seven, audiences watch Voight hunt for a kidnapper who tortured and mutilated a homosexual teenage boy named Noah (Bobby Hogan), who was launched in episode six. Thrown out of the home due to his sexuality and plagued with ache and nightmares from the brutality of his ordeal, Voight sees one thing in Noah that reminds him of his troubled son, and maybe sees a means to assist the younger man in a means that he couldn’t assist his late baby.
However Wednesday’s episode once more resulted in tragedy, as Noah was the physique contained in the barrel. As soon as once more, viewers see that Voight might be touring down the darkish vortex of loss, failure and vengeance.
The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Beghe to speak about Voight’s two-episode arc that may proceed on within the coming weeks. Beghe additionally talked concerning the twenty fifth anniversary of a near-fatal automobile accident that modified the actor’s life in some methods (and added to his well-known raspy voice), in addition to his deep-rooted Chicago connections and hopes for the longer term with Chicago P.D.
Why are there sure instances that appear to get so below Hank Voight’s pores and skin he can’t shake them? That is actually the case in episodes six and 7, with the brutal abduction of Noah. Why does Voight care a lot about this case?
I don’t assume Voight is conscious of it consciously. However I feel what occurs is that that by some means Noah triggers one thing about his personal son who’s lifeless, Justin (Josh Segarra), and Voight feels as if he might have achieved higher as a father. And clearly, as a result of his son is lifeless, there’s nothing he can do about it; so, in a way that is his means, psychologically, of form of righting some wrongs and fixing some behaviors and issues that he did previously that he needs he might take again.
Do you are feeling that Hank Voight is ever going to search out any kind of redemption from feeling that his son’s loss of life was his fault, though it wasn’t? (Justin was shot within the head within the finale of season three and left within the trunk of a automobile.)
He feels that it was his fault. He feels that he ought to have and will have prevented it. However, so far as redemption, I feel that what he tries to do is his greatest. And that’s all he can do.. There’s one thing about this character that’s altering, and it’s sort of what’s creating the vulnerability. It was an ideal answer that the best way that he at all times survived was to be absolutely rooted within the current time, proper on this second. He didn’t fear about what was going to occur and he didn’t remorse what had already occurred. And there’s a variety of energy to have the ability to be that current. You already know, you miss a variety of life; a variety of the enjoyment and a variety of the disappointment. And so, what’s occurring now could be that he’s beginning to consider issues for the primary time. It’s triggering a variety of feelings that he’s not used to experiencing, and it makes him really feel weak and susceptible. My private opinion is it’s really what’s making him stronger and extra full.
Voight didn’t reply Noah’s cellphone calls (whereas questioning a suspect in Noah’s abduction, Voight ignores a number of calls. When he lastly listens to the messages, Voight realizes that Noah has been tricked once more and left the detective’s home the place he was protected). This may occasionally or could not have made a distinction, however Noah doesn’t survive and we uncover on the finish of the episode he has been murdered. What is going to this do to Voight?
At this level, he’ll do the very best that he can do. I’ve solely performed that one second, which is the invention, the final second of the episode seven, and the response that Voight has is clearly the preliminary loss. Nevertheless it’s an excessive amount of. He’s additionally anticipating it at that time. And he form of reverts again to his protected response which is, “I’m gonna rip your throat out!” So, we’ll see going ahead how a lot he’s going to have the ability to enable his emotions, and the way a lot he’s going to remain at this type of savage, extra animalistic Voight, which is a really compelling man, too.
Chicago cops on the finish of “The Dwelling and the Useless” episode.
Lori Allen/NBC
How do you disengage from among the storylines that may be darkish, brooding and trauma-filled at occasions?
Effectively, I do know that these are tales. I imply, there are horrible issues occurring throughout this planet. They’re beginning up in Africa once more and we take a look at Gaza; we’re a flawed species. And for me, there are unexplainable form of impulses and behaviors that I strive to have a look at it as all a part of my species. And there are some nice folks, however there are some folks that aren’t. All I can do is my greatest to attempt to play a component in being a part of the answer slightly than the issue. In order that’s form of how I method it. You already know, the person tales are heartbreaking, I imply actually, they’re heartbreaking! I imply they really break your coronary heart and in a means that you understand that’s not non permanent.
So, after we first met Hank Voight on Chicago Fireplace, earlier than Chicago P.D. began as a collection, the character got here throughout as a unclean cop, a villain nobody needs to cross. However over the 11 seasons in your present, Voight, whereas nonetheless committing questionable actions typically, reveals empathy and take care of folks no matter race, tradition, sexuality, and so on. Have been these at all times essential persona traits you anticipated your character to evolve into?
You already know, it’s humorous however that’s the factor. Once I first confirmed as much as shoot Chicago Fireplace, the producers mentioned, “Oh, you’re enjoying a nasty man,” and I’m like, “No I’m not.” I by no means considered him like that. No person is a nasty man or man. And I mentioned to them, “OK, yeah, I’m hurting your man (Matt Casey’s character on Chicago Fireplace who’s investigating Hank Voight’s son), so out of your perspective, he’s a nasty man. However, do you could have kids? I imply, what would you do to guard your baby?” As a result of the entire motive I used to be coming after Casey was to guard my son. And I mentioned, right here I’m this cop and I put half these guys in that jail. My son did some dangerous stuff, however does that imply that he deserves to be raped to loss of life? And I’ve to take a duty for that. I do know for my very own son, there’s not loads I wouldn’t do to forestall him from that form of a destiny. And I don’t care what the state of affairs is, as a result of I do know him and I really like him.
So, the purpose is, no one is one factor. We’re all grey! It’s not black or white, it’s all shades of grey, and people grey shades change second to second, not to mention day-to-day and year-to-year. And that’s the best way it’s. And so, I attempted to know. The factor is, you possibly can’t perceive someone with out loving them. You don’t have to love them, but when I’m going to know them, I’ve gotta love them. I gotta be prepared to tackle their viewpoints.
Yesterday was your birthday, however this yr is one other anniversary for you. It’s been almost 25 years because you had been in a horrible automobile accident that gave you that raspy voice audiences so establish as Hank Voight’s, proper?
It made it a lot raspier.
How did that have affect how you reside, your appearing fashion and notably, the way you method enjoying Hank Voight?
It was enormous and it did. And I really did die. I used to be in a coma for 3 and a half weeks. And within the coma, I died, which was a really attention-grabbing expertise. That’s an enormous deal, and it modified me, I’m certain. However simply as this dialog additionally modified me and adjustments me. There’s nothing however the good. It’s not good or dangerous, it simply is. You already know it’s simply the reality, and I strive not to consider what’s good and dangerous. Even like when folks say “I really feel dangerous,” I perceive there are feelings which might be very uncomfortable however, are they dangerous? They’re my feelings, I’ve them, I don’t create them simply to undergo. They’re not dangerous, that’s me attempting to say, “Hey, one thing is flawed, one thing’s off!” So, in the identical means, yeah, that that modified me. How? I don’t know. Identical to every thing else, I’m simply attempting to be. I’m simply attempting to be.
Jason Beghe as Hank Voight.
Lori Allen/NBC
What has been your experiences with town of Chicago over the 11 years working and filming right here?
I’ve a protracted historical past with Chicago. I’ve roots which might be deep, nicely earlier than I used to be born. Deep and form of essential roots. Politics with my great-grandfather (his great-grandfather was Illinois two-term governor Charles S. Deneen, who was additionally a U.S. Senator within the late-‘20s). I used to come back to see my grandparents, each my dad and mom grew up right here, and I used to come back right here as a toddler till they died once I was in my teenagers. So, it’s at all times been form of ironic for me. My sister went to the College Chicago, my brother went to Northwestern (College); he lives right here.
The humorous factor is, my dad and mom had been deeply in love and met in Chicago once they had been 13 and 15. So when my mom died, my father, it was a kind of issues the place he couldn’t dwell with out her, and he died a pair months later. And I put him within the floor, and he had an attention-grabbing life and he had moved to Washington, D.C., at that time, and I put him within the floor and I went again to their home, grabbed my bag, and received on a airplane and flew to Chicago to shoot my very first scene on Chicago Fireplace. And I had at all times thought they might have gotten a hell of a kick out of their youngest son who performs Hank Voight in such a form of an iconic a part of Chicago’s theatre pantheon.
How lengthy will you proceed to inform Hank Voight’s story and be part of Chicago P.D.?
I’ll at all times be part of Chicago P.D. That, I do know. I actually have the curiosity. And I feel that NBC has the curiosity in each the present and Voight. So, I’m not achieved, I’ve extra to do, and I’m anxious to do it. I really like my job. I don’t know what the top is, whether or not it’s Thursday or Friday, however I supposed it’ll finish in some unspecified time in the future. However proper now, I really feel like I’ve tales to inform and a job to do.
New episodes of Chicago P.D., produced by Common Tv in affiliation with Wolf Leisure, air Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC.