Last night, Jesse Lee Soffer ended his role as Detective Jay Halstead on NBC Chicago P.D
While his fans were saddened that one of the show’s original cast members was leaving, Soffer’s peers are the ones who took it the hardest. Many took to social media last night to express their feelings at the star’s departure and to announce that Soffer will be greatly missed on set.
LaRoyce Hawkinswho portrays Officer Kevin Atwater, shared six snaps of Soffer in his role with a sad message: “Long story short, it will never be the same…”
Benjamin Levy Aguilar, who plays rookie Dante Torres, also spoke online about Soffer’s departure. In addition to the half-dozen-plus photos of the two interacting on set — including some behind-the-scenes selfies — that the actor shared, Aguilar also wrote:
“I don’t really know where to start.. Art mimics life I think. When I first came on the show, you hugged me off screen, just like your character did on screen. Thank you for giving me so much space and encouraging creativity for me. It was all fun and easy. The click was real! Thank you for opening up and sharing countless “oh fk” moments about how crazy similar our childhoods were despite growing up in two completely different worlds. You are a human. I respect your story and your journey. I’m grateful to call you a friend. I will miss you brother [sic] ♥️,”
actress Marina Squerciatiaka Officer Kim Burgess, shared a candid picture of the two on set and
“Jake is wearing a button down AND I’m wearing a button down?! It’s so obvious; Jake loves Kate. Watch Chicago PD tonight, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A SCENE TOGETHER! 😳,” Squerciati exclaimed.
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Soffer’s exit was first revealed in August when he released the following statement exclusively to diversity:
“I want to thank the incredible fans for their unwavering support over the past 10 years and offer them my deepest gratitude Dick Wolf and everyone at Wolf Entertainment, Peter Jankowski, Matt Olmstead, Derek Haas, Michael Brandt, Rick Eid, Gwen Sigan, NBC, Universal Television, my colleagues and our incredible crew. Creating this hour-long drama week in and week out has been a labor of love for everyone involved with the show. I will always be proud of my time as a det. Jay Halstead.”
After the episode aired, Soffer heartily tweeted to fans, “To anyone who has ever been a Halstead fan, I just want you to know that I am grateful. Thank you for walking this journey with me. I’m just thankful. ”
Chicago P.D airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
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