The cast of The Rookie is committed to their roles.
The beloved ABC police procedural follows the lives of a series of LAPD officers, led by Nathan Fillion’s character John Nolan.
Over its seven seasons (season eight premieres in January), the officers have found themselves in plenty of action-packed moments, which since the actors largely do their own stunts, has meant an injury or two from them.
Series stars Melissa O’Neil, Alyssa Diaz, Eric Winter, Shawn Ashmore, Mekia Cox and Titus Makin Jr. took part in a panel at Epic Con Chicago in 2024, and some opened up about some of the gruesome injuries they have gotten from filming.
Melissa O’Neil
Melissa, who plays Sergeant Lucy Chen, revealed that she once cracked her head open on concrete while filming a scene, not once but twice. “That was crazy,” she said, adding that it was a “full-on concussion,” and she was “nauseous,” has some “personality change,” and “the whole thing.”
Shawn Ashmore
Shawn, who plays lawyer Wesley Evers, also recalled leaving set with a broken rib, after filming a scene in which he needed to tackle someone. “First take, adrenaline is going, ‘Action!’ And I hit him. I ran into him, and I felt a lightning bolt go through my body,” he said, adding: “Cut to 12 hours later, we’re done with the day of shooting, and I go home, and I’m like ‘I’m in pain.'” A few days later, his wife Dana Wasdin finally pushed him to go to the hospital, where he was told it had been broken the entire time.
Eric Winter
Eric, who plays Sergeant Tim Bradford, had a bit of a different story, revealing that rather than injuring himself, he injured Alyssa, who plays Detective Ángela López. Though he didn’t share details, he said it happened during a fight scene, and that he warned her ahead of time that he “was really into Cobra Kai” at the moment.
When The Rookie returns
The Rookie comes back for an eighth season — which was partially filmed in Prague, Czech Republic, on January 6, 2026.
The Rookie spin-off update
A new spin-off from The Rookie universe, The Rookie: North, has officially received a pilot order, and cast its leading man, Jay Ellis.
