CHICAGO P.D. -- "Do What You Do" Episode 215 -- Pictured: Marina Squerciati as Kim Burgess -- (Photo by: Matt Dinerstein/NBC)

Chatting with Marina Squerciati From Chicago P.D. Wednesdays, NBC 10pm PT/ET

CHICAGO P.D. -- "Do What You Do" Episode 215 -- Pictured: Marina Squerciati as Kim Burgess -- (Photo by: Matt Dinerstein/NBC)
CHICAGO P.D. — “Do What You Do” Episode 215 — Pictured: Marina Squerciati as Kim Burgess — (Photo by: Matt Dinerstein/NBC)

Marina Squerciati of Chicago PD,  sits down for a conference call chat about her role as a tough female street cop.

 

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For her off-Broadway performance as Judy Holliday in “Just in Time: The Judy Holliday Story” at the Lucille Lortel Theater, Many don’t know that Marina Squerciati won the prestigious Agnes Moorehead Award, for her off-Braodway performance as Judy Holliday in “Just in Time: The Judy Holliday Story”.

She made her Broadway debut in an adaptation of Ernst Lubitsch’s “To Be or Not to Be,” directed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw.

Her film credits include “It’s Complicated,” directed by Nancy Meyers, and the 2012 feature “Alter Egos,” directed by Jordan Galland and based on the graphic comic.

Marina graduated from Northwestern University with a B.A. in theater.

I hope you enjoy the interview.

What is it that you like most about the Kim Burgess character you play in Chicago PD?

Marina Squerciati: I really like the fact that she’s not cool.  I see a lot of role models who are just badass at everything. And I think that my character definitely has a badass quality, but also has some places where she needs to grow and learn, much like young girls today,  looking to go into law enforcement.

Everyone has places they need to grow, and my character definitely has that. So that excites me as an actor as well because my character is constantly trying to improve.

What about the ambitions of Kim Burgess. Do you think she is still scheming to be part of the intelligence unit? What are her plans for the future?

Marina Squerciati: It was really hard when I learned that I wasn’t making it to intelligence because that had been my goal as an actor and as a character for so long.  I really do think it’s something that she’s not thinking about right now. I think that Roman — her new partner — really has this love of the street and taught her this new found respect for being where she is. And I’m not saying that that’s not in the cards, but I really do think it’ something that’s taken a back seat to her ambition right now. I think she’s very happy where she is.

The idea of two police officers being in love and engaged is very romantic, and yet it’s also fraught with so many different potential perils. Do you think that their relationship will be able to survive both the dangers and just the stress of the job?

Marina Squerciati: I think that’s actually something I’m excited about, that they’re going to address, the fact that your partner is constantly putting themselves on the line, as are you.

Burgess has these bursts of comedy that come out on the show. Is that you just working it in, or is it in the scripts originally, that you should be funny. How did that evolve?

Marina Squerciati: I think that it’s both. I love comedy and it’s something I’ve done a lot of improve at UCB and Second City. I think it’s both, but the writers see that I can do humor and comedy. So they write it in.

I also think that the lightness is really wonderful to have with all the darkness on Chicago PD. When I’m working with Platt I think it just comes naturally. We both have a good rapport that it just – it’ll come out of any scene, even a horribly serious scene. So sometimes we have to run it a couple times offstage so we don’t laugh.

Since Burgess and Ruzek are now engaged, will we get to see any kind of wedding planning going on this season?

Marina Squerciati: We’re filming episode nine, and so far there has been no wedding bells or hint of wedding bells. And I think a lot of my fans tweeted me as to when are we going to see it? They think that I know. I don’t know. The writers do not trust me with that secret!

Dick Wolf is such a legend in making TV procedurals. What is it like to work on with him and on one of his shows?

Marina Squerciati: There’s a lot of trust and a lot of confidence when you work on a Dick Wolf show. It’s kind of like you know that you’re safe because you know that his formula works. You know he knows how to run a show and treat his actors with respect and his writers with respect. It feels like a great, safe environment. You’re with someone who’s been through it and knows exactly what works.

Do you run into female police officers that look up to you? You  play a very authentic character on the show. Do you run into  real women police officers that say anything to you about that?

Marina Squerciati: Yes,  we have a technical advisor on set. His name is (Brian Luce) and he’s absolutely wonderful. Sometimes there are specific problems, specific to female officers. He set me up with a female who I’m not going to name, but she has been helpful and guided me in the murky waters of being a female police officer.

One of the things she told me is that she tries not to lead with her voice, or bark, because a guy’s always going to be louder. She finds other ways to control the situation. I found that interesting, like using your strengths as a woman to control a situation.

Fans of the show really appreciate the strong female character. We haven’t gotten to see too much of is the interaction of the two main female characters.

Marina Squerciati:  Sophie is a good friend of mine and I love her. We always want to be in scenes together. It’s fun to work with your friends.  I’m not really in one-on-one scenes with a lot of intelligence officers. We have  a different storyline.

But this year we definitely have more interaction. There’s a couple storylines where Jesse and Soph go undercover as uniformed officers for a minute. We have this interaction in the teaser. So little things, which really are lovely and hopefully will build to a big kickass girl fight sequence that I hope the writers read that I’m requesting right now!

Besides Chicago PD and Chicago Fire, they’re  adding a new show, Chicago Med. Will that show be crossing over into the world of Chicago PD?

Marina Squerciati: Oh, my gosh, yes. I’ve already been on Med, which is so wonderful and cool, and I’ve been on Fire a couple times. There’s going to be a lot more Molly scenes, which is great. Dick Wolf has said that he wants more Molly scenes, more crossovers in each episode.

And what I love about it is, sometimes there’s substantive crossovers; but a lot of times it’s just like because it’s the same world, and Chicago’s such a big little city that we’re all often at the bar, or just walking by, saying hi, ordering a drink. It doesn’t have to necessarily be this major storyline, which is kind of cool. It just shows that the world is so cohesive that Dick Wolf has built.

What do you love most about your character, Kim Burgess?

Marina Squerciati: I really do love her dedication to her job.  I had a day job while trying to make it as an actor the whole time. I did commercials. I did all the stuff you needed to do to work my way and get this job that I love so much on Chicago PD. So I think that sort of drive and energy, and the inability to be exhausted by it – in terms of just trying to get to your goal — I think that we share that.

Be sure to watch Marina in Chicago PD, Wednesdays at 10 pm PT/ET on NBC

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