Chicago PD star reflects on Upton's exit: "It's very heartbreaking"

Chicago PD is back to close out season 11 after nearly a month of being off the air. It was exciting to see the IU pick up where they left off with the episode "Buried Pieces," but new episodes also means we are getting closer to the end of the line for Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos).

The character will exit at the end of the season, and credit to the show for not yet making it clear how or why she plans to exit. It seems like we won't have the entire story until Upton literally puts down her badge. It's sad to think of PD without the veteran character, but it's been even more sad for the rest of the PD cast.

LaRoyce Hawkins will miss the "light" Spiridakos brings to set

LaRoyce Hawkins, who plays Kevin Atwater, spoke to NBC about the massive vacancy that Spiridakos will be leaving behind. He admitted that it'll be tough to adjust to life post-Spiridakos, but is happy he got to have another year acting alongside her:

"It's very heartbreaking, to be honest with you. She grew into all of our lives as, like, just a favorite. She's just extremely funny, extremely sweet. She's really like a sister."

Hawkins also praised Spiridakos for bringing a light-hearted tone to the set, which we would imagine would be useful given how bleak some of the Chicago PD storylines can get. The actor hopes that she will "leave a little bit of light" with the cast even after she leaves, but asserts that Spiridakos will find success in whatever she embarks on next.

He considers Spiridakos to be a "sister" on the set

"Watching her go is gonna be tough for us," he conceded. "But [we're] also very excited for her, right? For whatever's next. Whatever she touches is gonna turn into gold. And so we're proud of her, you know?"

Spiridakos hasn't book any projects outside of Chicago PD, nor has she commented on her reason for wanting to leave the show. Showrunner Gwen Sigen simply noted that the actress felt it was time to move on. We hope Spiridakos continues to act on film and television, and explains what her next steps are once the final PD episode of season 11 airs.