More than a decade later, Chicago PD is still going strong and will return for its fourteenth season this October on NBC, with several original cast members still anchoring the hit drama. But one actor who was originally offered a leading role walked away before the series even premiered, turning it down for the most unexpected of reasons.
Today, Scott Eastwood is best known for his acting work in movies such as Suicide Squad, The Fate of the Furious, Fast X, Pacific Rim: Uprising, Regretting You, and The Longest Ride, but before his big break arrived, he booked the role of Officer Jim Barnes in the backdoor pilot for Chicago PD. Eastwood appeared in the two-part episode and was lined up to play a key role in Chicago Fire’s police spinoff, but he walked away after Chicago PD was picked up to series and exited the franchise just as quickly as he entered it.
During an interview with CBR promoting his film Alarum, Eastwood reflected on being offered a lead role on Chicago PD, which he ultimately turned down because he did not want to commit to a long-term project. As he explained, when he was offered the part, it came with a contract that would have locked him into the role for six and a half years, which was a commitment that was simply too big for Eastwood to accept. His disinterest in moving to Chicago also did not help.
“I was offered one of those lead roles, and it shot in Chicago… and at the time I was like, I can’t do that. I don’t want to move to Chicago. I’m not going to sign up for something [for] six and a half years. That’s just too long. I don’t know what I’m going to be doing in six months from now, let alone six and a half years. So I said no — and they were all like, ‘You’re crazy. It’s Dick Wolf.’ And I was like, ‘Well, that’s not my path. That’s great, but that’s not my journey’,” Eastwood remarked of his decision to back out of Chicago PD.
While some might regret walking away from a show such as Chicago PD, which has become one of the most popular shows on television and part of one of the most successful television franchises of all time, Eastwood seemed to have no regret about walking away. As he explained, his gut told him joining the show was not for him, and his time in the industry has taught him that you should always follow your gut.
“It’s just like anything in this industry: follow your gut, always. Your gut will never lead you wrong. Any time I’ve not followed my gut, I’ve regretted it. When I’ve said yes to a movie that I didn’t think was as good or doesn’t turn out to be as good as I thought it would be… Just follow your gut. I think it’s true for anything in life.”
Passing on Chicago PD opened the door for him to pursue several acting roles, which helped put him on the map, but it certainly is interesting to think of what could have been had Eastwood committed to Chicago PD. The cast could have looked very different had he not walked away, though he wasn’t the only actor who appeared in the backdoor pilot and failed to land a spot as a series regular in season 1.
Chicago PD’s original cast looked much different before season 1 premiered
Scott Eastwood wasn’t the only original cast member who was part of the planned cast for Chicago PD and appeared in the backdoor pilot. In fact, there are only two members of the original Chicago PD cast who actually appeared in the backdoor pilot.
Jon Seda and Jason Beghe are the only stars who were attached to the backdoor pilot that actually joined Chicago PD as a series regular. The rest of the cast from the backdoor pilot on Chicago Fire ended up departing the show for one reason or another before Chicago PD premiered in January 2014.
In addition to Eastwood, Seda, and Beghe, the original cast for Chicago PD included Melissa Sagemiller as Detective Julia Willhite, J.B. Smoove as Sergeant Pruitt, Tania Raymonde as Officer Nicole Sermons, and Kelly Blatz as Officer Elam. NBC would essentially wipe the slate clean when it came time to cast Chicago PD, which worked out for the best in the end.
LaRoyce Hawkins (Kevin Atwater), Jesse Lee Soffer (Jay Halstead), Sophia Bush (Erin Lindsay), and Elias Koteas (Alvin “Al” Olinsky) would all become core members of the Intelligence Unit and were introduced to fans on Chicago Fire before making the jump to Chicago PD. NBC then added four additional cast members ahead of the Chicago PD series premiere by adding Patrick John Flueger (Adam Ruzek), Amy Morton (Trudy Platt), Marina Squerciati (Kim Burgess), and Archie Kao (Sheldon Jin) to the cast. The quartet made their official One Chicago debuts in the first episode of Chicago PD, putting them in a rare group of characters who starred in a One Chicago spinoff’s original cast without appearing in the backdoor pilot first.
It’s honestly wild to think how different Chicago PD would have been as a show when you consider how many of the show’s most iconic characters weren’t initially part of the show’s cast. There’s no telling what could have been, but we’re certainly happy with how things turned out, as the core ensemble was an incredible unit, and we’re fortunate to still have most of the original cast on the show all these years later!
