One Chicago newbie Mandi reveals that Officer Eva Imani shares some surprising parallels with the Sergeant.
Arienne Mandi’s Officer Eva Imani may be new to Chicago P.D., but her hard-edged instincts and unshakeable determination already echo the Intelligence Unit’s fearless leader, Sergeant Hank Voight (Jason Beghe).
In Mandi’s exclusive interview with NBC Insider, the new Chicago P.D. star opens up about stepping into the One Chicago world and why Eva is destined to shake things up from the start. Ahead of the high-stakes Season 13 premiere of P.D. — airing October 1 at 10/9c on NBC — Mandi teases that Eva enters the Intelligence Unit ready to match Voight’s intensity, setting the stage for a new dynamic on the Intelligence Unit.
Read more, below:
Meet Arienne Mandi’s Office Eva Imani: “She’s used to working alone”
NBC Insider was keen to learn more about the new face joining the Windy City squad room, gaining some crucial lore about Officer Eva Imani.
“[Eva] comes from a military background. She’s used to working alone. Kind of travels around to different military companies,” Mandi reveals. “And when we meet her in Episode 1, she’s been detailed to the [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] and she kind of collides with Voight.”
While Officer Imani will cross paths with Voight in the P.D. premiere, Mandi reveals that her character is less than thrilled to be collaborating with the Sergeant upon their first meeting.
“In general, she’s used to working alone and isn’t the type to be in a team environment usually,” Mandi explains. “We see what it’s like for her to work with Voight [in P.D.’s Season 13 premiere] and how that all kind of unfolds.”
Arienne Mandi breaks down Eva Imani’s relationship with Voight: “They move in similar ways”
While fans are eager to meet Eva Imani in P.D. Season 13, they’ll be fascinated to learn that she like the Intelligence Unit’s longtime commanding officer. From their lone wolf demeanor to their shared tenacity on cases, the two P.D. characters will discover some interesting connections in the upcoming season.
“They have a lot of similarities, the two of them. Like, reluctantly, you know, Imani’s not quick to realize it,” Mandi tells NBC Insider. “Everything in her wants to push this person away, because they’re in the same space. And like I said, she’s not used to working with others, but they move in similar ways. And their goal is obviously the same.”
Mandi adds that Imani isn’t afraid to bend the rules to deliver justice, another Voight-ism. Considering the P.D. icon’s affinity for manipulating the justice system for the greater good, it sounds like Imani is prime Intelligence Unit material.
“They’re very devoted to the people, but they don’t mind kind of cutting corners to get there, to whatever the end goal is,” Mandi says. “They kind of work in the same way, so they realize that pretty quickly on.”
Catch Arienne Mandi’s Officer Eva Imani in action in Chicago P.D. Season 13
Don’t miss Mandi’s One Chicago debut as Officer Imani by watching the Season 13 premiere of Chicago P.D. by tuning in on Wednesday, October 1, at 10/9c on NBC for the return of One Chicago Wednesdays.
Chicago Med Season 11 kicks off the premiere event at 8/7c, followed by Season 14 of Chicago Fire at 9/8c, concluding with the Season 13 premiere of Chicago P.D. at 10/9c. All new One Chicago episodes are available to stream the day after they air on Peacock.
