Q&A: Jason Beghe on 'Chicago P.D.' case that hits home for Hank - plus, Chapman seeing 'a side of Voight that others don't'

Behind the Screens with Joshua Maloni

@joshuamaloni

On “Chicago P.D.,” the intelligence unit’s newest case is hitting home for Sgt. Hank Voight (Jason Beghe), who has taken a personal interest in a troubled victim.

Sitting at a local pub and looking to erase the stress of the day, Voight is given a photo of his troubled son, Justin (Josh Segarra), who tended bar before being murdered. Not long after, he leaves and, on his way home, finds blood and evidence of a kidnapping.

The team identifies the taken as Noah (Bobby Hogan), a teenager from Indiana whom Voight discovers has been disowned by his parents for “living a life of sin” and coming out as gay. This only makes Voight more determined to find Noah.

Learning Noah is into party drugs, the team suspects his dealer – who has a history of attacking clients that don’t pay – is the one responsible for Noah’s abduction. Intent on making a case, Voight seeks help from Assistant State’s Attorney Nina Chapman (Sara Bues), with whom he’s been closely working in recent months.

As the team pounds the pavement, Noah is found – half-dead, bleeding, and with his eyelids stapled open. Somehow, he managed to escape, find a car, and muster just enough strength to drive off ... before crashing into Voight and Det. Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos).

Hank (Jason Beghe) finds a near-dead Noah (Bobby Hogan) on the recent episode of “Chicago P.D.” (NBC photo by Lori Allen)

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Drug-pusher Zach Jones (Colin Bates) is targeted and, as someone who has twice alluded the justice system’s grasp, he’s a top target for the P.D. But as Voight speaks with a severely traumatized Noah, he knows Jones didn’t commit this crime. As he searches for the real culprit, he clashes with Chapman, who’s still eyeing Jones. She goes over Voight’s head to P.D. brass, and Voight is ordered to arrest Jones.

As the investigation continues, Voight’s hunch is proven right – Jones didn’t take Noah – and Chapman visits his home to apologize. She confronts Voight for pulling her in only to push her away. While they’re talking, a bewildered Chapman realizes Voight has taken Noah in, as “he had nowhere to go.”

On the next episode, the intelligence unit finds evidence Noah’s attacker is still active. As Voight tries to help his ward, he worries Noah might experience the same fate as Justin.

Beghe shared more in an edited Q&A.

He explained, “The story continues. Voight tries to get Noah to kind of come out of his shell.

“We also introduce a new character. Early in the episode, it’s determined that it's a serial killer, and we enlist the help of an unofficial but highly talented (special victims unit) profiler with the Chicago Police Department (Det. Josephine Petrovic). It’s a wonderful actress (Bojana Novakovic), who is with us for a little while.

“That's kind of the setup. Voight is personally invested in this case.”

Bojana Novakovic is guest starring on “Chicago P.D.” as Josephine Petrovic. She is shown with Tracy Spiridakos (Det. Hailey Upton). (NBC photo by James Washington)

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BTS: The most recent times we've chatted, it's been in the wake of Hank losing Anna; or Jay leaving; certainly, Al has died, Erin has left, his son has died. I’ve asked you in the past how Hank continues to deal with these losses. And your answer has always been just because he kind of has to – he's got no other choice. With (what’s happened) with Noah … do you worry that he gets to a point where it's just enough and he's going to break?

Jason Beghe: Breaking isn't necessarily a bad thing. It’s not an easy thing, obviously. He doesn't break yet. I think that he avoids it, and he kind of reverts, to some degree, back to what was his safe response, which is fury.

There's a level of self-reflection, and a degree of honesty with himself that is growing – that he’s becoming more adept at experiencing his feelings. Before, he just got real angry and kind of left it at that. Maybe had a drink, got drunk sometimes when the anger wasn’t enough. The fury, the rage, that kind of savage.

BTS: There was an interesting bit of dialogue in the last episode where Hank is talking to Chapman and she says to him he's got to basically decide if he wants to be on an island or not. Speaking of feelings, and maybe Hank’s evolution, what can you tell me about the burgeoning relationship with Chapman?

Jason Beghe: I think with Chapman, she sees a side of Voight that others don’t. There's a degree of “intimacy” between them because they get involved in cases that affect them personally. There’s a reliance on each other and, therefore, professional respect and affection. It’s a unique relationship. The fact that she not only observes that – which is true – you're on an island – but also has the cojones to talk to Hank about it, and has the door open to do so, is an indication of something that's unique, in terms of his relationships with other people.

Voight (Jason Beghe) has been working more closely with ASA Nina Chapman (Sara Bues). (NBC photo by Lori Allen)

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BTS: This is an abbreviated season. From a viewer standpoint, it's been seamless. The storytelling has been good. I don't think we feel like we’re cheated in any way. But, certainly, yours is a show that has to accomplish a number of things each season. Each character has to go down their own particular road. You have to focus on different people in different weeks. For you, as an actor and a producer, what has been the challenge in trying to take what's normally a full season and condense it into this smaller run – and still make sure the audience gets everything that you want them to get?

Jason Beghe: We decided to kind of downsize, in a way, because our policy, which … personally and obviously, I’m biased, but the policy that we kind of try to live by is that every season is supposed to be better than the previous one.

How do you do that when things get made smaller like that? One of the things we're trying to do is still be a cop show. But less explosions outside, and buildings falling down, and all that kind of special shootouts and all that. And more of in here (mind and heart).

So, after 11 seasons, a lot of $hit has happened to these people. And now we can take a minute to live in how it's affected them as police officers.

This isn’t a soap opera. This is a police show. It’s about police officers. Chicago is the lead. PD is the costar. And then Voight, Burgess and the rest of these guys are just ways to help tell their story.

“Chicago P.D.” airs at 10 p.m. Wednesdays on NBC, and streaming on Peacock. Visit https://www.nbc.com/chicago-pd.

Jason Beghe as Hank Voight. (NBC photo by George Burns Jr.)