Now, Josh Segarra can be seen on Best Medicine, playing the lovable sheriff Mark of Port Wenn, who’s getting over a breakup with Abigail Spencer‘s Louisa and befriending the new doc, Josh Charles‘ Martin. But before then, among his many other roles (including The Other Two) were a couple characters on two Dick Wolf shows, Chicago P.D. and then FBI.
And so when TV Insider caught up with him to discuss his new series, we had to have him look back on those shows as well as share which Dick Wolf show he’d like to appear on next.
What do you remember about filming Chicago P.D.? That was such a tough storyline.
Josh Segarra: Justin Voigt and just Hank Voigt for life. First off, let me say, I love that, man. I love Jason [Beghe], my pop on there. He still has a photo of us on his desk, and he’ll shoot me a text of it every once in a while.
And you talk about the goodbye to Justin, the character. Justin exists in reality so that you can see that softer side of Hank, right? Because he’s such a tough dude. While making it, oh, dude, they treated me so well, and I was a guest on their project. I love Chicago. I love working in Chicago. We also had a lot of good laugh, and the sendoff, Justin in the back of that SUV, they treated me very well that day. I had a lot of donuts, a lot of hot chocolate and coffee, so they were taking care of me, but that was a really special project for me, and I got a lot of love for all of them.
We’ve got to get you back on that as a hallucination. Elias Koteas showed back up like that.
Awesome. I would love to do that. That’d be very fun. That would be very, very fun.
Michael Parmelee / CBS
Then you went over to FBI.
Oh, we shot that right after the pandemic. So it was really fun to get going again. Shot it all throughout New York, and this is where I live. So any project that I get to shoot in the streets of New York City is always going to hit this really nostalgic bone for me. I went to college out here. I dreamt of being an actor when I came to New York in the eighth grade. So when you’re walking up to your trailer on the corner of 72nd and Columbus, the lights are shining bright, it’s never going to stop being cool to me. It’s never going to stop being surreal to me. And FBI is one of those, coming in and getting to kind of mess with the dynamic between OA [Zeeko Zaki] and Maggie [Missy Peregrym]. They’re just really sweet, both of them. And we just had a really good time.
And when you’re getting to shoot those shoot them up, bang them around shows, there’s a part of you that clicks into being an eight-year-old kid again, playing cops and robbers. And that definitely felt like I was a little kid playing on set. They come up, they give you a weapon, you’re walking through, you’re talking to the professionals on how to kind of cover corners and all these things you used to be doing anyways in the mirror. Now you’re doing them at your job. It’s always pretty surreal.
I kind of wish Nestor and Maggie had lasted. I liked them together.
Me too! I thought they were great together. I thought it was good.
What stands out about the relationship to you?
If I’m honest with you, I learned that in the trajectory of the show, I think they brought in a lot of love interest for her, right? So it was always really funny to see where Nestor sat in that journey. So their relationship, I’m sure, was one that they built in secret, had to keep secret, and those relationships are always exciting and enticing. And then he’s got to go. They got to send him off and let her keep growing in her own way. And Nestor’s around in that world. I know he still exists in that world, so who knows? Maybe Nestor will come back around and cause a couple more problems.
I would like that. And I’d also just like to see more of him with OA, to be honest.
Oh, well, that’s my guy, Zeeko, man. He’s just such a stud, and we just had such a good time making that. And he’s such a powerful presence that whenever you’re building any character or any scene, you’re trying to find the things you’re running up against. So you’re trying to find the things that are causing you friction, right? What’s the catalyst for change? And bro, Zeeko, just being such a great actor and such a good dude. We had a lot of good times just kind of butting up against each other. Yeah, man. A really special time of my life doing FBI and doing Chicago P.D.
Which Dick Wolf show do you want to show up on next?
Ooh, anything Dick calls me for, I’m going to show up. I love that man. And I don’t know if this is out there. One of my first tests was for Dick. And when you’re a New York actor, he’s in your periphery all the time. And Dick took a really big chance on me when I was a young actor. I’ll forever remember meeting him that very first time. And I just really appreciate him for giving me a chance, and I’ll show up whenever he needs me.
What was that test for?
That was for Fire, I believe. I was trying to remember the timeline of it. So I think it was for Fire, and then it didn’t go my way, and then a year later they called for P.D.
Which character for Chicago Fire? Was it a guest star?
No, no. It was for … Oh, man, I wish I could remember, but no, it was for one of the main cast. I don’t even remember who they ended up casting in the role, but that’s how it goes. Things that are meant for you are meant for you, and having gotten to know them all so well now, they’re just so perfect. It’s a spiritual thing. You kind of learn how to grasp — I think it’s a bigger thing in life, but especially in show business where what’s meant for you is meant for you, and like the characters you play, they’re so in your bones. Something that I was up for that I didn’t get, I’ll watch it and truly, 100% of the time will go, “Oh, yeah, that’s the person that’s supposed to be doing it.” It just makes sense. And that’s the genius of casting, that’s the genius of the people that are making it. And you just trust along the way that the things that are in you will come out, and you go from there.
