Chicago PD star Tracy Spiridakos explains why she is leaving the long
Tracy Spiridakos opened up about her decision to leave Chicago P.D. after seven seasons.
Tracy – whose co-star Emmon Walker is reducing his role on the series – made the decision last year after season 10 wrapped and told producers she wanted her character's storyline to play out.
'I decided at the end of my sixth season, which is when I had reached out to Gwen and to everyone at Wolf to let them know that I just wanted to do one more year,' she said.
'I wanted us to send out the character with one last season,' Spiridakos told Variety, adding: 'It was a hard decision – very, very hard. I love everybody on the show – cast, crew, producers, writers, everybody. It's such an incredible team.'
Tracy explained that she was curious about 'what was out there for me and wanted to switch it up, and that was it.'
Tracy Spiridakos opened up about her decision to leave Chicago P.D. after seven seasons
She made the decision last year after season 10 wrapped and told producers she wanted her character's storyline to play out. Seen with Eamonn Walker as Battalion Chief Wallace Boden
Spiridakos has played Detective Hailey Upton since the fourth season of the One Chicago show.
Season 11's finale will be her 140th episode and she told the outlet there are two qualities of her character she hopes to take with her.
'One of my favorite things about her is her vulnerability is her strength. For me, I'm not great at vulnerability. As an individual, I usually make awkward jokes,' she said.
'So that's something that I really love about her – that and how she is so much herself. She doesn't care if you love her or if you don't.
'Those are the two qualities that I hope have rubbed off on me a little bit, particularly the vulnerability.'
Her last episode will be a dramatic one with the frantic search for her partner Hank Voight (Jason Beghe).
Voight was kidnapped by serial killer Frank Matson (Dennis Flanagan).
Hailey will do everything in her power to find him since he is her closest confidante.
'I decided at the end of my sixth season, which is when I had reached out to Gwen and to everyone at Wolf to let them know that I just wanted to do one more year. I wanted us to send out the character with one last season,' Spiridakos told Variety
It was a hard decision — very, very hard. I love everybody on the show — cast, crew, producers, writers, everybody. It's such an incredible team'
Tracy explained that she was curious about 'what was out there for me and wanted to switch it up, and that was it'
Spiridakos has played Detective Hailey Upton since the fourth season of the One Chicago show
Season 11's finale will be her 140th episode on the show and she told the outlet there are two qualities of her character she hopes to take with her; seen right with Bojana Novakovic as Josephine Petrovic left
'She goes through the emotion of feeling so scared of losing him and then focusing all of that fear and anxiety on the work to do everything she can to outsmart Matson as best she can,' she teased.
The 'intense' finale is extremely fast-paced and hectic, Tracy told the outlet.
'The whole team is doing everything they can, she said, adding 'I don't think anyone sits down the whole episode…
'There's a lot of really vulnerable moments. We see these characters, who we haven't necessarily seen be so vulnerable, you see a lot of that come through as well.'