TORONTO — Jesse Lee Soffer admits he gets a kick out of kicking butt on Chicago P.D., the crime drama that kicks off its sophomore season Wednesday night on Global.
“I get a little excited, which is really dark and morbid,” said Soffer, who plays Detective Jay Halstead. “But it’s true.”
Halstead, though, isn’t as dark as some of the characters on the series. He’s a cop with a conscience.
“I actually really like being the moral compass sometimes,” he told Global News in June. “Everybody’s constantly conflicted with right or wrong, what they’re willing to do.”
Well, except for Sgt. Hank Voight (played by Jason Beghe).
“Voight, you know what he’s going to do every time,” Soffer agreed. “But for all of us it’s in the grey area and it’s always in question and that’s what’s fun because that’s what real police work is all about.”
Soffer debuted Halstead on Chicago Fire before the launch of Chicago P.D. in January.
He was best known for portraying Bobby Brady in 1995’s The Brady Bunch Movie and 1996’s A Very Brady Sequel and for playing troubled Will Munson for four years on As the World Turns — a role that earned him three Daytime Emmy nominations.
Soffer said being a TV cop lets him live out childhood fantasies.
“There’s a part of me that still wants to be a Navy Seal or an FBI agent right now,” he admitted.
Of course, not all the action on Chicago P.D. involves guns and criminals. The series delves into the personal lives of its characters, which Soffer welcomes.
“It’s more entertaining for the viewers. It’s more challenging and fun for us,” he said. “You get to see what these people are taking home from work and how they’re dealing with it.
“You get to dive into a character a little bit more and figure out where they’re from and where they’re going and who they are.”
One of the leading characters on the show is the titular city.
“The show doesn’t work without Chicago, without the cityscape in the background,” said Soffer.
“We love Chicago. Chicago has welcomed us with open arms.”
Soffer’s co-stars include Montreal’s Elias Koteas.
“He does every once in awhile delve into some French,” said Soffer, “which is always fascinating.”
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