Kim Burgess is officially in her detective era on Chicago P.D. — but that doesn’t mean she’s ready to be Hank Voight’s right hand.
Warning: Spoilers from Chicago P.D. season 12, episode 6.
“I would like to inhabit that role, but differently,” Marina Squerciati, who plays Burgess, exclusively told Us Weekly on Monday, November 4, of her character’s connection to Voight (Jason Beghe) after becoming a detective. “I don’t want to be his confidant. I don’t want to fill a hole.”
Squerciati, 40, explained that Burgess doesn’t “feel like he’s [her] father figure,” noting that many of Voight’s former second in command officers have had intense relationships with him. (Sophia Bush’s Erin Lindsay was partially raised by Voight and his late wife, while Tracy Spiridakos’ Hailey Upton became a daughter-like figure for Voight after his son’s death.)
“I feel like equals is not the right word, but let me just use it here in that, like, they really respect each other and like each other,” Squerciati said of Burgess and her boss. “It would be interesting to explore now that she has the role of detective, what their relationship can be.”
During the Wednesday, November 6, episode of Chicago P.D., Burgess aced her written and oral exams for detective before getting shadowed by an active detective to see if she would pass and get promoted.
When Burgess took over a scene that linked back to a past Intelligence case, she turned to her team to help her solve it. While there were a few hiccups along the way — and Burgess ended up almost getting killed after splitting up from her mentor Suarez (Elizabeth Rodriguez) — she realized just how key Voight has been in her development. (Suarez claimed that Voight always covers Burgess’ “ass” as well as the rest of his team, which she said makes Burgess a little soft.)
“I think it’s the first time that she understands this sort of protective shield that Voight has around the team,” Squerciati told Us, referring to Detective Suarez’s jab. “She’s never understood that she gets to be the cop she is because of who Voight is.”
The actress added that Suarez’s harsh assessment “sort of robbed [her] of some of the joy of her win” when making detective.
Moving forward, Squerciati noted that Burgess will have a “nagging voice” about that safety net in the back of her mind now that she’s a detective with the Intelligence Unit. Even with the doubts, Squerciati told Us that there won’t be much of a change in how Burgess works with her fiancé, Adam Ruzek (Patrick Flueger), or the rest of the team.
“You know when people are in a good relationship and they get married [and] people are like, ‘What’s different?’ And you’re like, ‘Nothing.’ It’s exactly the same,” Squerciati explained. “The team is so strong, and Burgess is so strong, I don’t think anything’s gonna change.”
Burgess will, however, have “more power.” Squerciati noted that her longtime coworkers, including Ruzek and Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins), are “strong enough” to have a “badass boss.”
She teased that the boys will “maybe sometimes over a beer, [say] like, ‘Yo, today you got a little over your skis. [And] I’ll be like, ‘All right, you’re right.’ But other than that [it won’t change].”
Squerciati confessed that it would be “awful” if Burgess became “power hungry” as soon as she got her badge, confirming that the character is “strong” and “still who she is” after the promotion.
Chicago P.D. airs on NBC Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET.
