It’s a cold morning in Chicago, the kind where the wind coming off Lake Michigan cuts through your coat like it has a personal grudge. Inside a modest coffee shop not far from the Chicago PD set, Tracy Spiridakos leans forward at a corner table, hands wrapped around a paper cup for warmth. The warmth isn’t just for the weather — today she’s talking about Hailey Upton, the character she’s inhabited for years, and the scars, both visible and invisible, that have shaped her journey.
“Hailey’s been through a lot,” Spiridakos says with a quiet certainty. “Some scars never fade. But they don’t have to break you — they can teach you how to fight.”
From her introduction to the Intelligence Unit, Upton was never a character content to fade into the background. She brought with her a fierce determination, sharp instincts, and a past she didn’t talk about unless she had to. “We always knew Hailey was tough,” Spiridakos reflects. “But toughness isn’t just about being able to take a hit — it’s about being able to keep going when it feels like the ground’s been pulled out from under you.”
Over the seasons, viewers have seen Upton in high-stakes standoffs, chasing suspects down dark alleys, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her team in the face of danger. But Spiridakos says some of the most important moments happen away from the adrenaline — in the quiet scenes where Upton’s guard slips. “Those moments are where you see her humanity,” she says. “The way she processes loss, the way she pushes through fear… those are the scars talking.”
She credits the Chicago PD writers with allowing Upton’s character to grow through those vulnerabilities. “We don’t shy away from showing that she’s been hurt, that she’s made mistakes,” Spiridakos explains. “Those experiences are what make her so capable — not because she’s fearless, but because she knows exactly what fear feels like, and she moves anyway.”
When Spiridakos joined the cast, she worked closely with the creative team to understand Upton’s backstory — her upbringing, the family dynamics, the early career in robbery-homicide. “It’s important to me to know where she’s coming from in every scene,” she says. “That way, when she makes a choice — whether it’s in the field or in her personal life — it feels authentic to who she is.”’
Hailey Upton’s relationship with her fellow officers, particularly Jay Halstead, has been a cornerstone of her story. “That dynamic is about trust,” Spiridakos says. “Trust is everything in their world. And trust doesn’t just happen — it’s built, it’s tested, and sometimes it breaks.”
She pauses, eyes thoughtful. “When you’ve been through as much as Hailey has, letting people in can be harder than facing a suspect with a gun. But when she does let you in, it’s for real.”
Filming Chicago PD’s intense action scenes is a challenge Spiridakos embraces. “We do a lot of our own stunts, and it’s exhilarating,” she says with a grin. “But the emotional work — that’s the real heavy lifting. It’s one thing to run down an alley; it’s another to carry the weight of a storyline where you’re confronting your own demons.”
She recalls one scene in particular, where Upton was faced with a moral decision that could save lives but compromise her integrity. “It was such a pivotal moment,” Spiridakos says. “I remember thinking, ‘This is where you see who Hailey really is.’ She’s someone who will do whatever it takes — but she’ll never stop questioning if it was the right thing.”
The city of Chicago, Spiridakos notes, plays a huge role in shaping both the show and her character. “It’s not just a backdrop — it’s a character in itself,” she says. “The neighborhoods, the people, the weather — it all informs the tone. There’s a grit here that matches the grit of the Intelligence Unit.”
Off-screen, Spiridakos and her castmates share the kind of camaraderie that mirrors their on-screen bonds. “We’ve been through so many long nights, so many high-pressure shoots,” she says. “You can’t fake that kind of trust. It comes from real connection.”
As the conversation shifts to Upton’s future, Spiridakos is careful not to give away plot details, but she hints that challenges ahead will cut close to the bone. “She’s going to be tested in ways that make her question everything — her role, her relationships, even herself,” she says. “And that’s exciting as an actor. You want to keep peeling back the layers.”
When asked what she hopes audiences take away from Hailey Upton’s journey, Spiridakos doesn’t hesitate. “I hope they see that strength isn’t about never falling — it’s about getting back up. And I hope they see that scars, no matter how deep, can be reminders of what you’ve survived.”
She leans back, a small smile breaking through. “Playing Hailey has made me braver,” she admits. “Not in the sense that I’m running into danger like she does, but in the sense that I’ve learned to face my own challenges head-on. She’s taught me that you can be tough and still be human — in fact, that’s the best kind of tough.”
