Jesse Lee Soffer left Chicago P.D. as a collection common after greater than 200 episodes of One Chicago motion (together with Hearth and Med), and Season 10 has needed to transfer on with out Jay Halstead within the combine. The actor didn’t keep gone from the present for lengthy, nonetheless, as Soffer stepped behind the digicam to direct the subsequent episode of NBC’s hit drama. Known as “Deadlocked,” the episode will put a harmful spin on a homicide trial for Voight and Intelligence, and Soffer spoke with CinemaBlend about returning to direct, together with what was “difficult” about it.
“Deadlocked” shall be Jesse Lee Soffer’s directing debut, which was introduced simply a few weeks after Chicago P.D. mentioned goodbye to Jay Halstead. Soffer was definitely aware of the present beforehand due to 9 full seasons as a star underneath his belt, together with the primary three installments of Season 10. When he spoke with CinemaBlend, he opened up in regards to the origin of his need to direct. Based on Soffer, he’s been eager to pursue directing for for much longer than followers may need guessed, as he mentioned:
It was form of like an itch that had been rising since Season 4, or one thing like that. I am undecided. All of us do a variety of problem-solving and bits and items of directing right here and there as regulars on the present, taking what’s on the web page and turning it right into a scene, and I simply realized that it was one thing that I assumed I might do, and that I used to be all for. I simply felt like I used to be continually doing it in some vogue, as does Jason [Beghe] or Marina [Squerciati] or Tracy [Spiridakos] or Paddy [John Flueger] or LaRoyce [Hawkins], for that matter.
Directing wasn’t a dream of Soffer’s that he simply got here up with as just lately as the tip of Season 9, however one thing that had been “rising” for a number of years. Him returning as a director merely wasn’t introduced till after he was already gone from P.D. as an actor. After getting some unofficial expertise with directing due to his position, he was in a position to return to his outdated Windy Metropolis stomping grounds and work together with his former co-stars in a brand new means. The actor-turned-director continued:
To some extent, you are all the time having some a part of your perspective on the right way to make this work, and never simply telling the character’s story, however the right way to make it work for this scene, or for this component within the story. I simply began to comprehend that I used to be doing that so much, and I used to be actually wanting on the macro facet of storytelling. I used to be like, ‘I feel I wish to direct,’ and in order that simply saved rising till lastly I requested.
Asking to direct definitely paid off! Soffer was rapidly again on the present’s set after ending Halstead’s story in order that he might shadow director Bethany Rooney, who’s credited with directing the sixth episode of Season 10 that centered on Atwater. All indicators level towards Soffer in his component as soon as he took the reins of his personal episode.
Soffer additionally couldn’t have hoped to make his directing debut on a present on which he had extra expertise than Chicago P.D., after ten seasons and simply shy of 200 episodes. (P.D. hit the 200-episode milestone with an enormous Burgess episode again in February.) So, did coming again to shadow as a director not too lengthy after ending as an actor have an effect on Soffer? He defined what received difficult:
It was useful it doesn’t matter what. It was gonna be useful each time I did it, as a result of there’s a lot duty, and it is so time-consuming, and there is a variety of work that it’s important to put in. So it was actually eye-opening to see that, and I used to be so grateful for that have. The one difficult half was that I left set and got here again every week later to shadow, and now I am identical to a silent observer and I do not get to have an opinion, and I am fairly opinionated. I am very opinionated about what makes P.D. work. So it was difficult to should chunk my lip and simply [say] ‘Okay, received it. That is how this episode is gonna be.’ As a result of I’ve a robust standpoint about it.
Expressing opinions as an actor is seemingly very completely different from expressing opinions when shadowing a director, and Jesse Lee Soffer didn’t spend a lot time away from the present between saying goodbye to Halstead and making ready to direct. Followers will quickly get to see all the selections he made for the subsequent chapter of the Intelligence Unit’s story as soon as he was in a position to graduate from shadowing to directing. Soffer shared what it was wish to direct his former co-stars:
It was only a nice expertise. It was actually cathartic. It was a pleasant sendoff. It felt good to get to be on that aspect of issues, however expertise an episode with all people, once more, from that perspective. It was superior.
Whereas Chicago P.D. followers should wait till the episode airs on March 22 to see what precisely Jesse Lee Soffer dropped at the present as a director, his former co-stars had been hyping him whereas he was again on set. He shared a set of pictures, together with one among Tracy Spiridakos wanting so much happier than the final time that Upton and Halstead shared a scene (or the upsetting Upstead growth earlier this yr). Have a look:
Tune in to NBC on Wednesday, March 22 at 10 p.m. ET for the subsequent new episode of Chicago P.D., additionally out there streaming subsequent day with a Peacock Premium subscription. “Deadlocked” will see Voight taking the stand in a homicide trial, however Intelligence should step up when a juror is compromised. Remember to test again with CinemaBlend after the episode for extra from Jesse Lee Soffer!
Chicago P.D. continues to shut out a full evening of One Chicago motion, following Chicago Hearth at 9 p.m. and Chicago Med at 8 p.m. on NBC. For some extra viewing choices within the not-too-distant future, try our 2023 TV premiere schedule.
