Nick Gehlfuss’s birthday: Why we love Chicago Med’s Will Halstead
Sunday is the birthday of Chicago Med star Nick Gehlfuss, so we’re looking at why we love him and his character, Dr. Will Halstead.
Today we’re saying happy birthday to Chicago Med‘s own Nick Gehlfuss, who stars as the ever scrappy, kinda stubborn Dr. Will Halstead.
Nick Gehlfuss is one of the original Chicago Med cast members, who’s been with the show since the backdoor pilot episode that aired on Chicago Fire, and we couldn’t really see the series without him.
There’s the obvious reason, in that he provided the initial connection between Med and the rest of One Chicago, with Will being the brother of Chicago PD‘s Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer).
But while Will may have been introduced as Jay’s sibling, he very quickly established an identity of his own—and many reasons to love him for who he is.
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Will Halstead is the character that most Chicago Med fans can probably identify with. He comes from that working-class background and clawed his way up to find success, even if his father never quite approved of him until last season.
He’s the guy who can be stubborn to a fault, and he makes mistakes and gets himself in trouble, like how he spent part of the first season and into the second dealing with a lawsuit and everything that came with it.
(There’s a reason ‘Halsteading’ is a verb.)
But while he may be a little bit tough, and a little bit flawed, it’s because he wants the absolute best for his patients. Will’s incredibly down to earth, even if it’s because he falls down to earth a couple of times.
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Nick Gehlfuss has proven he’s the perfect choice to play Will, because he can play all the different sides of Will. He can play the determined physician who will go to any lengths for his patients, no matter what that entails.
But he can also play the Will Halstead who’s kind of a pain in the butt when he lets his ego get in the way or can’t get off a point, and the Will who can be incredibly vulnerable, like when it comes to his relationships with his father and Dr. Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto).
There are so many different things going on with Will that could have been oversimplified, but Nick Gehlfuss has made him into a multi-faceted character, and one the audience wants to root for.
As we move into Chicago Med season 3 and Will Halstead has finally turned the corner we’ve all waited for (in terms of his relationship with Natalie), Nick Gehlfuss has had a great season so far.
He’s playing a Will who’s finally entirely comfortable in his personal life, and so far his work life hasn’t hit any major pothole (yet). There’s a new lightness to the character, and that’s reminding us why we love him. He’s got a certain scrappy charisma, and that wouldn’t be the same if he was played by anyone else. Nick Gehlfuss is Will Halstead, and we’re very happy that he is!
Next: How is Manstead doing on Chicago Med?
Join us in wishing Nick Gehlfuss a happy birthday in the comments and on Twitter! Then don’t miss him in the next new Chicago Med episode on Tuesday.
Chicago Med airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on NBC.