CHICAGO P.D.: Patrick John Flueger and LaRoyce Hawkins Preview Ruzek’s Harrowing Undercover Gig

Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) goes undercover with a CI on the Wednesday, February 17 episode of CHICAGO P.D., but his close ties to the man—and the man’s own demons—complicate things.

“We go way back years,” Flueger told reporters in the video below. “But [the CI’s] a junkie, so it doesn’t always go as smoothly as one might like.”

“I liked that episode a lot, because I was able to learn a lot,” LaRoyce Hawkins (Atwater) added. “Not just as LaRoyce, but I think Atwater was able to learn a lot about the relationship between cop and CI, which is interesting.”

“Sometimes we get close to them. Sometimes we feel like the situations we we put them in, or the help that they give us, will help them,” he continued. “Especially when you have a CI like Ruzek’s favorite, who struggles with [substance] abuse. And so we hope that the confidence that they gain and the money they earn can kind of help them turn the corner on whatever that disease might be. And we would love for it to work out, we’d like to think that that’s usually our intention to clean up the streets and clean up the homie at the same time, if you can. But it’s TV. And for the sake of catharsis, and drama, it doesn’t always work out the best.”

The struggle hits especially hard for Ruzek, who is trying to adjust to the changes in his life.

“The writers have been doing a great job over the last couple of years—and I think especially this year…they’re doing a great job of trying to talk about reform and how difficult it is on all sides,” Flueger said. “Me and LaRoyce were having a conversation about this…I think Ruzek, mirrored by Voight and by Alvin Olinsky, who passed away years ago, this is kind of his identity. He doesn’t have a lot else.”

“His dad’s a cop; he comes from the police,” he continued. “And his other family, his best friend is LaRoyce’s character, Kevin Atwater; the love of his life is another woman in his unit, Kim Burgess. So his identity—and because he’s trying to follow new rules and guidelines—he makes mistakes and really questions himself. These new rules and guidelines are necessary, and I think he recognizes that, but I think he also misses being able to go on instinct, even though, if past seasons, indicate that his instincts aren’t always great. Not always, but I think he intends good. So it really, really gets into that: where he just feels like his way of life is maybe going away.”

Watch the video for more from Flueger and Hawkins…

CHICAGO P.D., Wednesdays, 10/9c, NBC

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