'Chicago P.D.': LaRoyce Hawkins Talks NBC Drama's Legacy and SimpliSafe's Innovation for First Responders (Exclusive)
In May, as Chicago P.D. finished airing its 10th season, LaRoyce Hawkins also completed his 10th season as Officer Kevin Atwater of the Chicago Police Department's 21st District Intelligence Unit. While the series is part of NBC's fall schedule for Season 11 later this year, due to the writers' strike, it's unclear if that will remain the plan or if it will be delayed. Luckily, Hawkins is staying plenty busy this summer otherwise.
Hawkins will be taking part in Epic Conventions' One Chicago pop-up event in Rosemont, Illinois on Saturday, July 22, where fans will be able to purchase meet and greets, autographs, and selfies with a total of eight stars from Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, and Chicago Med. Not only that, but he is helping launch SimpliSafe's newest innovations.
Home Security System SimpliSafe has launched a first-of-its-kind monitoring innovation, 24/7 Live Guard Protection, and the new indoor camera, the Smart Alarm Indoor Camera. Together, they are intended to help improve the strained emergency ecosystem and will help reduce the noise created by false alarms so that true emergencies get the accurate, fast response they need. With video verification, AI-powered motion detection technology, and two-way agent audio, customers will be able to feel more protected in their homes and will be able to rely more on the fast response of first responders.
Scroll down to read our Q&A with LaRoyce Hawkins, where he talks all about Chicago P.D., the pop-up event, SimpliSafe, and more.
Let's just jump right into it! What was your favorite part of Season 10 of Chicago P.D.?
It took a minute for it to hit that it was Season 10. That was quite the accomplishment for all of us. And so it just felt like a special year. Everything felt a lot more intentional. So yeah, once the nostalgia of being a part of something that's been around for 10 seasons wore off, then we could kind of get to work. It was great. And the growth, seeing everybody's growth over time, watching people who used to be camera PAs now operating is beautiful to watch.
Going off of that, being on the series since the beginning, did you ever think that it would go on as long as it has, especially with hitting 200 episodes last season?
I mean, if you would've told me that, I would've believed you. But at the same time, it's like hitting the lottery. You don't really expect to hit the lottery, but you play it because it's a good chance. So, I think everybody felt good about our chances way back when, and we just feel proud of ourselves for making it this far. And we're talking about Season 11, we still got another season. There might be more. You know what I mean? So it's just an exciting ride to be a part of.
What are you most looking forward to with the upcoming season?
I'm really looking forward to really just getting back to work for everything. I miss everybody. It's hard. It's hard not to love what you do when your dreams are coming true. So I'm just ready to just get back to it.
Do you have any stand-out moments from the past 10 seasons, whether it is while on set or any fan interactions at all?
Yeah, of course, I do. To be honest with you, anything can happen any time you go to work. It's waking up every morning to add value, not just to act, but to add balance to television as we know it. You know what I mean? It's like, to be a part of that history, it's a little piece of nostalgia every day.
Would you ever want to see Kevin become a detective after all these years? Or do you think he is just fine where he is as an officer?
Nah, he wants to be a detective, for a fact. And we think it's about that time. I'm excited for next season because I think, there's obviously an opening for detective in the unit. Kevin feels like he deserves it. I'm excited to see what they do. I can't really say much, but I can say that I'm ready for whatever happens.
Yeah, it's definitely been a long time coming for his promotion in the unit.
Yeah, it's about that time. It is either going to be him or Burgess, but Ruzek is also qualified. So we'll see. I think they saw a competitive nature of all three of these characters. They're family, they love each other. You know what I'm saying? So I think anybody would be proud of anybody that makes it to the next level. Be well deserved and very much a long time coming.
As a fellow Midwesterner, I know what the weather can be like because it's usually unpredictable year-round. How do the crew and the actors prepare for any storms that may or may not be coming?
Like snowstorms?
Yeah, snowstorms, rainstorms.
It's hard to prepare for, to be honest with you. Chicago P.D., we're just very much used to the elements because we shoot in the elements often. So obviously, there are rules. If there's really storms, if you see lightning and hear thunder, the protection that we have to take. But ultimately, we really drive through those moments when the elements do their best to get us. The show that has a problem with the elements more than anybody else, and I say this with love, [is] Chicago Med. Chicago Med, they're so used to being Club Med, indoors, that any little thing that happens outside, they panic and go crazy. Honestly, pretty hilarious to watch them react.
I remember once I was shooting on Med, and it was snowing, and there was this big apartment building. And you know how the ice can start to accumulate on the corners of the roof, and a big icicle can fall? A big icicle fell off the building, and everybody starts running, you know what I'm saying? The AD starts making announcements on the bullhorn. He's like, 'Everybody, go to lunch, everybody, go to lunch. Stay on the perimeter.' I'm like, 'Bro, this is an icicle that just fell. This happens all the time on P.D., and we shoot right through it.' They broke everybody for lunch, and they had to put them on the perimeters. It was hilarious.
I love that so much! And being a working dad, how do you find the time to balance your professional and personal life?
Yeah, you just got to hit those windows. There are always windows, and there's always a little time. So I do my best to just be diligent in how I think ahead. Me and my son have busy schedules, both of us, especially in the summer. He does camp, football practices, football games. And so, one of the things that we do is just, we line up our calendars. And I do my best to make sure that I'm in the pocket for where I need to be. Yeah, it's a good time, though, and it's definitely work.
Switching to other projects, I heard that you're working on the launch of SimpliSafe's new Indoor Camera and Fast Protect monitoring. Can you talk a little more about it and how you got involved with it?
Yeah, I think obviously playing Kevin Atwater for 10 seasons has qualified me to have a conversation in the space of protection, especially when it comes to protecting our loved ones. So I was very, very excited about the opportunity to work with SimpliSafe, especially when I learned more about how advanced their technology is. I think they do one of the best jobs in home security today as far as just stabilizing that workload of first responders. Like I said, I've been playing a first responder for long enough to understand that sometimes it takes a long time. It could be a very troubling circumstance to be in the middle of a rock and a hard place and to not have time necessarily to protect yourself. And so SimpliSafe really simplifies the difference. And so I'm excited to be a part of something like that because it's just going to make families safer everywhere.
You were announced for the One Chicago pop-up event from Epic Conventions in Rosemont next month. How excited are you to not only meet fans of the Chicago franchise but to be reunited with members of the One Chicago family?
I'm excited about that because I know we miss each other, you know what I'm saying? We've been watching each other travel and enjoy ourselves on these vacations through Instagram. Me and Burgess have honestly been DMing each other more than ever because it's been a very long time with these people, and like I said, we've become family, and we really start to grow quite fond of each other. So, this summer has been extremely… I'm not going to say extremely difficult, but it hasn't really been the same. Other summers, we kind of just like, we act cool, like we don't really miss each other. We come back, and we know what it is. But this summer, we're doing our best to stay tapped in. I think we're looking forward to getting back on the battlefield. So it'll be great to see them at that pop-up.
You're also reuniting with your former co-star, Jesse Lee Soffer. How much do you stay in touch with him since he left the series?
To be honest with you, Jesse was a little under the radar most of the time anyway. So we keep up with each other about the same. But he knows I'm here, and I know the same thing, but I can't wait to catch up on all his golf stories. I'm pretty sure he's been kicking out there on the green. Can't wait to hear about all of his accomplishments, so I can't wait to listen to it. We have a thing where it's like, I found this golf company, this golf clothing company called Ghost Golf. And for whatever reason, I subscribe. Don't even golf, but I subscribe to this golf newsletter, and they send me discounts all the time for polo shorts, golf clubs, socks. And I just send them straight to Jesse. I don't even bother myself with it. I just send it all to Jesse. I'm like, "No, this is or you." I think I got him a belt for his last birthday or something like that from the company. It's good.
I love that so much. I mean, might as well put it to good use.
Might as well. I know that man loves golf. He's trying to go pro. He wants to direct. He might be directing golf movies at this point. It's hard to say. But he's definitely missed on set. We can't wait to just convene with him, and we laugh. It's always a good time.
Aside from the pop-up event and the SimpliSafe launch, how else do you like to spend your summers when you're not working?
Like I said, I do my best to find my son, Roman. He's hard to track down sometimes. We let him do his own things in the summers, outside of camp, and making sure that he goes back to… So he's about to start first grade. And so I've been allowing him to… He's already started first grade because I let him go to school with his big cousin, who's in third grade. So I just want him to get a jumpstart on his classmates so he can be a little ahead. So we're just trying to keep updated on his studies. I love playing with him when it comes to basketball, football. He's a talented young man. And so, like I said, my windows and my time off, if I'm not working, I'm finding that little boy.
To wrap it all up, is there anything that you want to say to the fans of Chicago P.D. who have either been on the ride since the very beginning or are just getting into it?
I just want to say thank you, and we're grateful for you. We've been telling stories for a long time, and we do our best to make sure that we can just keep you entertained, whether you are big on cop dramas or you just need something to fold your clothes to. We do our best to make sure that we give you quality stories. And so, if you're tapping in for the first time, I hope you give enjoy yourself. And if you've been tapped in for quite some time, then we're grateful for your patronage.
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