Jesse Lee Soffer on Jay Halstead’s future: ‘It could get a little worse’
Chicago PD’s Jay Halstead may not be out of the woods yet. Jesse Lee Soffer told One Chicago Center what’s ahead for his character in Chicago PD season 5.
Jay Halstead has taken his lumps in Chicago PD season 5, with things seemingly coming to a head in “Rabbit Hole” when he realized he was dating a drug dealer.
But that’s not necessarily the end of Halstead’s roller-coaster ride. One Chicago Center connected with Jesse Lee Soffer to talk about where Jay’s headed and what his experiences this season mean for him going forward.
“It could get a little worse before it gets better,” Jesse told us. “I think what you should worry about is how Voight [Jason Beghe] is going to respond to all this.
“He’s lucky that Voight’s not stripping him and taking his badge and everything, which he could. He’s well within his rights,” he continued. “It’s more of we should worry about how Jay’s going to get back into the good graces of the unit.”
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That starts with his partner, Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos). At the start of the season, Halstead had some issues trusting Upton, but she’s done her best to help him, including making a deal with his ex to keep Jay out of trouble.
So after everything they’ve been through in the past 12 episodes, has Halstead reached a point where he can let Upton in?
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“This experience will probably be the thing that does make him open up to her a little more,” he said. “She gives him an ultimatum [in “Confidential”]; she says if you don’t go to therapy, I don’t want to be your partner anymore, because you clearly need to talk to someone about some of the stuff that’s going on inside your head.
“He’s really resistant at first and he finally gives in and says okay, yeah, I recognize I have a problem and I’m going to deal with it,” he continued, “and I think that’s one of the things that makes them closer and makes them trust each other a little more.”
Jesse also answered One Chicago fans’ question about why Jay was never seen bringing any of his problems up with his brother Will Halstead (Nick Gehlfuss): “I don’t know that he’s brought it up [with Will]. He might really be keeping it private.
“I think that’s part of the problem, is so much has been bottled up because he hasn’t dealt with it. This might be something that he’s been struggling with on his own.”
Chicago PD season 5 might have been terrible so far for Jay Halstead, but for Jesse Lee Soffer it’s been a whole new experience playing his character with a new partner and going down a road we haven’t seen before.
“It is different. It’s great for a couple reasons,” he explained. “We’re getting to do a whole new thing with Halstead. We’re breaking him down so we can build him back up, so it’s a bit of a reinvention of the character. After four seasons, to be able to change him and make him grow is a really fun experience.
“The other reason why it’s great is we’re getting to dive into this PTSD storyline. That’s a really important topic given everything we’re seeing today, how prevalent it is with people coming home from overseas,” he added. “To be able to do that, make it a part of the conversation and get people talking and connecting about it, it feels important and it feels special.”
It could also have some long-term effects for Jay Halstead. Even though he’s slowly building back up after everything, the experience will take some of the shine off the character.
“I think he will carry some of this with him,” Jesse reflected. “The accident that he went through in the beginning of the season, the accidental shooting [in “Reform”] and all that, that’s something that changes you forever. You’re always going to see things differently after something like that.
“It doesn’t mean he’s not going to still end up being the boy scout and hero that we love, but he’ll do his job a little differently.”
“I don’t think [Camila]’s going to change how he goes forward with other people,” he added. “I think it’s just him needing to own it within himself, because really it’s his own fault for getting involved. He should have known.”
Halstead surprised Chicago PD fans when he told Camila (Anabelle Acosta) that he loved her in “Rabbit Hole,” considering the swiftness of their relationship. So did he actually mean those three little words?
“I think he needed her trust in that moment and I think he was having real feelings for her,l Jesse told us. “I don’t think he would have said it unless the circumstances were as they were.
“However I do think that his heart is what got him there,” he continued. “He’d been making mistakes based on how he was feeling and his heart was guiding him in the wrong direction. But he had real feelings for her.”
With that relationship over, it’s time for Jay Halstead to focus on getting himself back in order, and also being part of an Intelligence Unit that needs everyone to help hold it together. It’s a challenge for Halstead, and this season of Chicago PD is also a challenge—as well as a reward—for Jesse Lee Soffer.
“We’re kind of rewriting the script for the character,” Jesse said. “We’re changing the foundation of who he is a little bit and we’re kind of chopping him down to build him back up. That’s always going to be challenging because I don’t know where it’s going or what we’re going to end up with, or if the fans are going to like it. But it’s also really fun to reinvent the character. It’s both of those things.”
“It’d be great to see him owning what’s happened,” he concluded. “What he’s going through from when he served, and what happened at the beginning of the season with the shooting. And see him find a new strength and resilience and find him in good standing with Voight and the rest of the unit again. We’ll hope to find some of that Jay that we know and love.”
Next: Here's where Chicago PD left off two weeks ago
What do you think is next for Jay Halstead? Leave us your thoughts in the comments, and tune in to catch Jesse Lee Soffer in a new Chicago PD tonight.
Chicago PD airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.