Jesse Lee Soffer said walking away from “Chicago P.D.” was one of the hardest decisions he’s ever had to make in his professional life. In February, the actor spoke with Variety about his decision to leave the NBC drama after 10 seasons as Detective Jay Halstead. On what led to his exit, Soffer said, “I’ve thought so hard about how to answer this question — and there’s no good answer. … Except I was ready for more.”
“Eventually, you know the character so well, there’s not much that can shift or transform. I really wanted to grow and expand, and we’ve only got this one trip,” he explained, adding, “If I signed up again, it would have been for another three years. I would have turned 40 on the show. I thought, ‘You know what? It’s time to take a risk.'” Soffer said he was just as heartbroken about leaving “Chicago P.D.” as longtime fans were. Telling the outlet, “I love the fans of our show so much, and I love my fans. I know that they’re still grieving this, and to some degree, I am too.”
Following his departure, Soffer returned to the show in 2022 to direct Episode 16 of Season 10 entitled “Deadlocked.” The episode — which aired in March 2023 — marked the actor’s directorial debut. Chatting with TV Insider about his comeback, Soffer said it was like he never left. “It was great,” he said. “It was a really kind of seamless transition,” adding that he had a great time reuniting with his co-stars.
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
Nicki
