With Season 13 around the corner, the NBC series is welcoming new cast member Ari Mandi.
When Chicago P.D. returns on Wednesday, October 1, fans will meet a brand new member of the Intelligence Unit: Officer Eva Imani, played by new series regular Arienne Mandi. And it turns out, behind the scenes, Mandi and the real life Chicago stars get along great.
“It’s been a very brief moment with Ari Mandi, but she’s growing on me. She’s growing on me fast,” longtime Chicago P.D. star LaRoyce Hawkins revealed exclusively to NBC Insider. “We love her energy so far. She fits right in with the pace and with the energy that we like to bring to set. She works extremely hard.”
Hawkins has played Officer Kevin Atwater since the very first episode of Chicago P.D., so his sign-off means a lot, and he says Mandi is one to watch for One Chicago fans. “I can tell within this brief amount of time that she’s gonna be something that stands for a while with the Chicago P.D. fans. They’re gonna thoroughly enjoy it,” he predicted.
As for what else fans can expect from the upcoming 13th season, Hawkins said simply, “I just love the fact that we’re still kicking it, you know, that the fans still thoroughly enjoy themselves every Wednesday night… like the whole city lights up on Wednesday nights now because they know when Chicago is back on, and you can just expect for me to do my best… that’s all I’m at liberty to say at this point.” Copy that, officer.
Why Ari Mandi’s Officer Imani is “coming in hot”
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Gwen Sigan was at liberty to say a little bit more about the new season, specifically revealing tidbits of Imani’s backstory.
“She’s coming from the ATF [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] so she’s got a different background,” Sigan said. “She comes in hot. The first episode, she’s tracking a gun trafficker undercover and we wind up trying to find the same offender, so we end up working together. And it’s great because she’s coming in without any prior knowledge of [Sergeant Henry “Hank” Voight (Jason Beghe)], so she’s not intimidated by him.”
“She’s not this green, brand-new cop,” Sigan added. “She’s been around and is able to be very honest with Voight right off the bat. We see her speak to him like he’s anybody else on the street. She’s a breath of fresh air,” she continued, teasing that the newcomer will become “a little bit of a partner for Voight whether he wants it or not.” Give it to me now.
