Few characters have shaken up Firehouse 51 quite like Battalion Chief Hopkins. Since his arrival on Chicago Fire in the wake of Chief Pascal's firing, Hopkins has quickly established himself as a by-the-book leader unafraid to challenge the status quo... which has put him on a direct collision course with Kelly Severide and turned Hopkins into one of the show's most polarizing characters ever.
At the root of Hopkins' issue with Severide is a decades' old grudge he's been holding over actions Severide's father, Benny, took years ago. The events of the past are still unclear, but it's clear that Hopkins' issue with Severide is strongly rooted in the issues he has with Benny. Hopkins has been set on seeking retribution against Severide, who he sees as an ongoing example of what's wrong with the CFD: nepotism, greased palms, and playing favorites.
Hopkins has kept good on his promise to hold Severide accountable for coloring outside the lines and taking his status as a legacy firefighter for granted. Now that an Internal Affairs investigation has been launched, it's clear that we're racing towards a major climax to the Hopkins and Severide storyline, but the end result might bring about some unexpected surprises!
In our exclusive interview, Rob Morgan opens up about embracing the role of the outsider, unpacking Hopkins’ complicated motivations, and teasing what’s still to come as the season heads toward its final episodes.
Playing an antagonist on a long-running show can be tricky and Hopkins hasn’t exactly made the best first impression with fans. What has it been like coming into a beloved show like Chicago Fire knowing your character is going to shake things up—and maybe ruffle a few feathers?
It's been great; it's been a fun experience. The NBC family, the Chicago Fire family has been great to work with.
I'm super excited that we are getting the reaction that we are from the character cause that means I'm doing my job. When I first read the material, I read it as, you know, Battalion Chief Hopkins coming to bring fire to the firehouse, and I believe that's exactly what we've been achieving.
And so it's just been a fun ride so far.
The reveal that Hopkins holds a long-standing grudge tied to Benny Severide adds a personal dimension. How much of that backstory did you know coming into the role and how did you build out it out for yourself beyond what’s on the page?
I believe they kind of manufactured that as we were doing it. Hats off to the writers, coming up with this stuff, being creative and things of that nature because it wasn't really flushed out like that when I read the first episode.
I just knew it was gonna be a character that was coming into a very firm established family with ideas that could go against what was already established simply by going by the book. And that's basically what I came in understanding.
Look whatever they write for next week, as long as this week I go by the book and understand this isn't about a personal vendetta, but more about let's get rid of the nepotism, the greased palms, the playing favorites, and let's just go by the book of what it is to make sure the city of Chicago is safe and to make sure my firehouse and my squad makes it home safely.
So I was just as surprised as you when I found out what was happening with my character as it was happening.
Has there been a particular aspect that surprised you or made you go, "Oh, I didn't expect this" as you kind of dove in and seen the character evolve?
No, I knew I was being brought on to piss the fans off. I knew I was just gonna be looked at as the bad guy and I welcomed it. That's what we have fun [with] as thespians, as storytellers, and as actors, is doing the characters that get under the people's skin or make the people have a reaction. To do this on TV in your living room, it’s fun, it's great. I love it.
Your scenes with Taylor Kinney are central to this arc, how did you and Taylor collaborate to build this character arc together?
Oh man, Taylor [Kinney] is amazing, he's a great scene partner. He has this great technique of working them blue eyes for the camera. I even told him, I said, “Man, you gotta send me to the Taylor-Kinney, School of Eye acting. I need to pick up on some of that.”
But yeah, he's phenomenal. It was great to work with him. He's very dialed into his character, which was fun. And then also, even when you're not working when it's not action and cut, he's just a cool regular cat. That made it fun to come in and play with somebody like that because being one on the call sheet, sometimes that brings a totally different vibe and energy, but man, he was so like down to earth and so present and so ready to play that. It was, it was just a great experience working with.
I think one of the most fascinating aspects of the storyline with Hopkins has been how he clashes so strongly with Severide, while showing a very different side of himself in scenes with Kidd. What do you think it is about Kidd that earns a different level of respect from him?
I think he's attracted to how smart Kidd is in the CFD, how well versed she is with the Fire protocol book and things of that nature. I think that's something that is attractive to Hopkins being that his character is there to make sure that everything is going by the book and he sees how well trained and things of that nature. Stella Kidd is, which is a result of training from Kelly Severide. It’s a lot of connective stuff right there that he is able to pick up on through Stella Kidd's presence and how she responds to situations.
I love that moment with Hopkins’ daughter in the closing of episode 19 when Hopkins gives Severide credit in a very honest, almost feels like a quiet turning point, where Hopkins can’t deny what Severide brings to the table. Did you view that scene as planting the seeds for a possible shift in their dynamic?
Well, it's one of those, adages of, “From the mouths of babes,” right? The pure heart, the unscathed mind is able to see things that sometimes we can't see as grown grown adults. I think that moment was something that tapped into the compassion of Hopkins and also the way he can be persuaded by his daughter and others that make him realize, “Wow, you know, this guy is, he's a stellar firefighter.”
Well, speaking of persuasion of others, we've really seen a unique dynamic between Hopkins and Brooke Smith's character, Captain Williams, who is definitely supporting him but you can see she's kind of got some reservations about maybe his plan. We know she returns in episode 20 so what can you tease about what we'll see from this relationship in the final episodes?
Brooke Smith was phenomenal to work with another very great actress, loved working with her. But you'd have to tune in this Wednesday, I don't think you'll be disappointed at all to see how Williams and Hopkins’ relationship evolve. You'll definitely get a treat for that this Wednesday.
As we close, what can you tease about the final two episodes of the season and what might be coming, particularly in the finale as it seems like we’re building to quite a dramatic climax to this storyline.
Man, I think you're gonna get a good twist that'll make you realize and understand Hopkins' motivation through the entire couple of episodes that he's been on. And, definitely for the season finale, you would want to come back for season 15, which the show got renewed for, and you won't be disappointed.
Don't miss Chicago Fire season 14, episode 20 when it airs on Wednesday, May 6 at 9/8c on NBC.
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