#’Chicago P.D.’ Stars Talk Complicated Team Relationships, Plus More Upstead Is Coming

If you’ve been wondering if you maybe just dreamed partners Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) and Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) taking that big step and becoming romantically involved earlier in Chicago P.D. Season 8, don’t worry: You didn’t.

Just because we haven’t had “Upstead” moments onscreen doesn’t mean that the NBC procedural has forgotten about their relationship. “We have a big cast — there’s nine regulars — and a lot of storylines, and it’s tough in 42-43 minutes to service everybody,” Soffer recently told reporters. “[If] you’re not seeing a certain dynamic play out in one episode, it’s because we have a lot of story we have to cover and I’m sure you’ll see it in the next episode.”

Considering how many inter-team romances there have been over the course of the series (so far), it’s no surprise that Sergeant Hank Voight seems to now have “a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ attitude,” Jason Beghe said of his character.

But don’t expect Voight to be part of the next CPD romance, say, with the new Deputy Superintendent Samantha Miller (Nicole Ari Parker). Their dynamic is “probably not [one of a] traditional romance,” according to Beghe, though he did acknowledge, “one never knows where Cupid’s arrow could land.”

Rather, between the two, “there’s a deep respect and a need because we need each other to survive,” he continued. “There’s a connection there and there’s a trust.”

Speaking of complicated relationships and mutual respect, we’ve seen Halstead push back against his boss in the past. “You will see more of it, but maybe not in the way it played out in previous seasons,” Soffer previewed. “Their relationship’s really grown. Halstead appreciates what kind of cop Voight is, and Voight appreciates what kind of cop Jay is. They might not see eye-to-eye and Jay might push back at times, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t totally believe in Voight and trust Voight.”

What’s changed is that now Halstead is “looking out for Voight’s best interests,” Soffer said. “He wants Voight to succeed and in the new world — with progress and everything that’s going on in current events — Voight might need to be a different kind of cop to do that, from Jay’s perspective.”

That’s what Voight wants from his detective. “Voight loves and respects Halstead as he is,” Beghe adds. “There’s a reason why he has a team. He doesn’t want a team of eight Voights. He needs Halstead to be Halstead. His mantra is ‘the best thing you can be is you.’ But Voight is who he is. So he does that and he stands up for it, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t appreciate people disagreeing.”

Chicago P.D., Wednesdays, 10/9c, NBC