Q&A: 'Chicago P.D.'s' Toya Turner finally finds her cop show

Behind the Screens with Joshua Maloni

@joshuamaloni

Toya Turner’s “Shotgun” Mary beat the hell out of demons on the Netflix series “Warrior Nun.”

Fans might’ve expected the same strike-first sensibility when Turner recently debuted on season 12 of NBC’s “Chicago P.D.” While her character, Kiana Cook, has held her own in a cavalcade of physical obstacles, villains and supernatural-type challenges, this crimefighter has put smarts above smashes – and earned a place on the coveted intelligence unit in the process.

Fans will start to learn more about Cook over the next batch of episodes. Ahead of this week’s story, the actress shared more in an edited Q&A.

BTS: So, Toya, in your first two episodes, your character was shot; she was hit by a car; she almost drowned; and she thought maybe she saw a ghost in the forest. … And yet, here we are talking about the next episode. It must be a doozy!

Toya Turner: You know what? After (episode) two, and definitely after five, I'm like, “Oh, well, I'm ready for whatever,” (laughs) “I'm ready for whatever comes my way.”

But, yes, seven is a different beast, because it's less of the physical and it's a lot of the mental, and like this cat and mouse game that I get to play.

BTS: What can you tell us at this point – and what are you able to reveal – about your character as you know it? Obviously, we started to see some of her backstory in the last episode. What are some of the things we're going to see and learn about her in the next couple of episodes?

Toya Turner: Going undercover, trying to see her battle with when she's revealing too much, when she makes mistakes. Because this is something totally new for her. You're just going to see what happens when she gets caught up. I guess when her mask is starting to crack a little bit, how does she hide that – does she hide it? All that stuff.

Benjamin Levy Aguilar’s Dante Torres welcomes Cook to the team. (NBC photo by Elizabeth Sisson)

Patrick John Flueger’s Adam Ruzek teams with Cook. (NBC photo by Lori Allen)

••••••••

BTS: A lot of people know you as “Shotgun Mary,” which was, of course, a great role in a great series. But with that particular character, she was a little bit more punch first, ask questions later.

Toya Turner: Yeah. …

BTS: With Cook, I really like the fact that, in these first two episodes, they took time and they really started to show that she's a good cop, that she's a smart cop, that she's really creative and imaginative, and she's really good at investigating. For you, in working with the show runners and the writers, how important was it to show that side of her – to show more of the intellectual side – in laying a foundation for this character?

Toya Turner: A lot of that goes to Gwen (Sigan), who created Kiana. It is very an intelligent way, right? There's this fine line with cops. Like, when I think about that interrogation scene – which was really, really hard for me, by the way – but when I did that interrogation scene in five, it could have been written as aggressive. It could have been written as in your face. It could have been written as like really attacking. But there was a nuance to the way she was writing it – like she was getting into the young lady across from me, she was getting into her head, very slowly and very meticulously; and she was kind of just chipping away – just chipping away at her hard interior.

I appreciate that about Gwen, that she would write something. She was also the writer of that episode, too, that she would write her the way that she did. It's very nice.

And Chad (Saxton), he directed episode five, he has a way to direct me in that episode where it was very calming and reassuring, and to let me know that I shouldn't be too attacking; like, ‘This is how you play it, and maneuver throughout this,” because it was a long scene. It was like four pages long.

Toya Turner’s Kiana Cook considers the evidence on NBC’s “Chicago P.D.” (NBC photo by Parrish Lewis)

••••••••

BTS: What initially attracted you to this series and to this role?

Toya Turner: I had gotten the part from my manager and my agent, Kiernan, he's so spot on with all the roles that he sends me. It’s scary how good they are. And he sent it to me, and I just remember I had looked at it, and I was like – I’m going to be honest with you, I had auditioned for some cop roles before, and they really hurt me when I didn't get it. And I was like, “Oh, I must really want to play a cop. I must really want to do it.”

So, I remember I rode my bike – I was in London at the time – I rode my bike to the closest mall – which was not close; it was like 90 minutes away; got some makeup; got my hair rebraided; went to my friend's house to audition. We spent five hours on this audition. It was two scenes with the character Torres. And, I don't know, we just broke it down.

The way she was written. Of course, it was Chicago, it’s close to home. But it was something special about it. It was something – I don't know – she was like hard, but she had vulnerability – at least how I took it. I love that.

And then I also love that it said it was written for a black woman – that was special, too. You know, a lot of roles can say, “submit all ethnicities,” but this was nice.

Toya Turner as Kiana Cook. (NBC photo by Elizabeth Sisson)

••••••••

BTS: Interestingly enough, you have past experience in the #OneChicago universe. If I'm not mistaken, I believe you were Jayna Miles on “Med,” and Peaches the Prostitute on “Fire.”

Certainly, you've been on a number of successful series. You've seen different parts of different productions. What was it about the “Chicago” world, in those two guest-starring roles, that you took note of? You said you were interested and had tried out for other cop roles, but what was it about the “Chicago” universe, and how these franchises are run, that was appealing to you?

Toya Turner: I remember when I had done, I think it was “Fire,” because that was my first taste of experiencing being on the show for over a week at that time. Because it was like an episode (where) it was like one day and we were all supposed to be at the firehouse. I was treated so well during that time. So, when I did my vision board earlier this year, I was like, “Yo, I want to be on NBC; I want to be on a Dick Wolf show; I have to be on a Dick Wolf show; and I want to play something that's really physically challenging.”

It just made sense at that time. I don't know. It was an easy call for me.

I've really been treated extremely well, even when I was a costar, even when I didn't have much to do or much to say, when I had a small part, I was always treated well.

BTS: And that's a good segue into my next question here for you, because I also appreciate the fact that they have added your character into the whole family, the team, the unit, in sort of a very methodical and natural way. It hasn't been forced. The scenes with Ruzek, the scenes with Torres – it's been what we would expect a new relationship to look like.

We've seen that on screen. What has the process been like for you in getting to be a part of the acting team?

Toya Turner: Very loving, very supportive. There's been no egos. It's been all love.

I remember I showed up on set the first day with Jason, and he was like, “Yeah, I don't want you to say that line. I want you to be smart. I don't want you to come off like you're dumb. I want you to know what you're talking about.” And I'm like, “Ooh! That was our first day.”

So, it's just been like a family. I think everyone always says, “We're like a family; we're like a family.” But, no, they're really like a family. So, it's been nice to see, and, yeah, I'm very grateful.

“Chicago P.D.” airs at 10 p.m. Wednesdays on NBC (WGRZ-TV Channel 2).

Toya Turner as Kiana Cook. (NBC photo by Parrish Lewis)