The actor first appeared as a young rookie in Season 9 of Chicago P.D.
It’s been more than three years since Benjamin Levy Aguilar first appeared as a fresh faced rookie on Season 9 of Chicago P.D.
As it turns out, there was one very specific production request the actor needed to fulfill in order to officially get the role. Aguilar opened up about his fateful casting call in the One Chicago Podcast’s November 6 episode.
“I was in Guatemala when I got a call from my agents. It was a straight offer, they wanted me to play Torres,” he told podcast host and Chicago P.D. executive producer Brian Luce. “They said, ‘If you shave your head, and you’re in Chicago by Wednesday, the role is yours. And I came, I got there, and I shaved my head, and I did the first table read.”
Torres severe buzz cut and clean shaven face quickly became his signature. However, in the time since, fans have been on an emotional rollercoaster with the broody young cop. From confronting his checkered past and falling in love with his C.I. (and witnessing her murder), to an agonizing existential crisis, the Torres we see now has been transformed. The most obvious sign? What’s on the outside.
What Torres’ hair means on Chicago P.D.
In most recent Season 13 episodes, his depression is indicated by his overgrown hair and beard. The slight, important change was an intentional way to communicate Torres’ struggles to the audience.
“We had a lot of conversations about the hair,” showrunner Gwen Sigan told NBC Insider. “And Benny [Aguilar] was of course game, ’cause he’s always game for whatever we throw at him. We were all excited to see a little bit of a different look to him.”
She continued, “We were like, ‘This is a physical manifestation of what you’re going through.’ He’s such an odd little duck. That character always wears the same thing and has good-looking shoes that he probably scrubs every night. And to see him physically look a little bit different [is jarring].”
As for Aguilar, he was looking forward to taking on the challenge with his character, which began in Season 12.
“I’m really excited to see where this story, this arc, takes me this season because it’s an arc that carries into a new season,” he said in a chat posted to NBC’s One Chicago Instagram account. “How do people behave when they have an existential crisis? When they truly are completely lost in the idea of who they think they were? I’m very excited to explore that as an actor and as a character.”
He added, “I think it’s a whirlwind of pain. Just a lot of pain and darkness, so I am expecting a lot of dark moments. I don’t think the light is there yet — but I’m excited.”
The good news? Chicago P.D. Season 13’s most recent episode, “Send Me,” indicated that Torres may finally be returning to his normal self. While his new romance with tattoo artist Jimena doesn’t provide the consistent relief from pain he’s craving, his latest cast proved helpful.
Following a car crash, Torres was taken hostage by a convict named Odell Morgan (The Wire’s Chad L. Coleman), Despite the harrowing situation, he soon began to empathize with Odell’s impassioned pursuit of the truth in the name of his innocence. Odell’s faith inspired Torres and helped him uncover a conspiracy that’s now given him purpose once again.
Watch Chicago P.D’s fall finale on Wednesday, November 12 at 10/9c on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
