Chicago PD stars Marina Squerciati and Jason Beghe have revealed how the departure of Jesse Lee Soffer as Jay Halstead from the show will change the dynamics of the investigative unit.
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Fans will see Detective Halstead leave later in the season, although how it plays out on screen remains to be seen. The loss of Halstead will affect the team in different ways and viewers will also see them be forced to reckon with their loss while also welcoming newcomer Officer Dante Torres into the fold.
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"Jay was Torres' handler - or even mentor - and they had a nice rapport on screen, so it is a loss for all of us to lose Halstead but it is a wonderful thing to have Torres," Jason shared with HELLO!
"It will be a new relationship for all of us; Torres has a lot to offer, and we allow him to be himself and relationships will develop.
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"Atwater to an extent will take Torres as his responsibility when Jay leaves but it is something that will unfold naturally."
For several seasons Halstead has been the angel on Voight's shoulder, and Marina adds that viewers must see "Voight find that balance now" on his own.
Torres will join the unit in season 10
"The theme [for season 10] is savior and maybe that is within himself," she adds, while acknowledging that the dynamic between Voight and Halstead will be "missed".
"And that cannot be filled by Torres but as we are learning about Benjamin we are learning about Torres, and his strengths, and it's so fun to have someone new in the bullpen," she continued.
"His rhythm [as Torres] is so different to us, his cadence is so slow and melodic - it's lovely."
Jesse has been on the show since 2014
Jesse, who has been portraying Detective Halstead since the NBC series exploded onto screens back in 2014, announced in late August that he will be departing early on in the upcoming tenth season.
In a statement the 38-year-old actor said: "I want to thank the incredible fans for their unwavering support during the past 10 years and want to express my deepest gratitude to Dick Wolf and everyone at Wolf Entertainment, Peter Jankowski, Matt Olmstead, Derek Haas, Michael Brandt, Rick Eid, Gwen Sigan, NBC, Universal Television, my fellow castmates and our incredible crew."
He continued: "To create this hour-long drama week after week has been a labor of love by everyone who touches the show. I will always be proud of my time as Det. Jay Halstead."
