‘Chicago P.D.’: Tracy Spiridakos’ Stunt Double Was Hit By a Car While Filming
As part of the popular One Chicago universe, Chicago P.D. focuses on the fictional 21st District police patrol officers and the department’s Intelligence Unit. The NBC hit crime drama is packed with intense situations as officers enforce the law and work to prevent crime on the Chicago streets.
Chicago P.D., like the other One Chicago TV series, features show-stopping stunts and top acting talent. While the actors of the TV show do some of their own stunts, the cast calls in their stunt doubles for scenes that could put untrained stunt professionals in harm’s way.
Recently, Marina Squerciati (Officer Kim Burgess), Amy Morton (Sergeant Trudy Platt), and Tracy Spiridakos (Detective Hailey Upton Halstead) shared some of their favorite stunts their characters performed on Chicago P.D. The three ladies agreed that Spiridakos’ stunt double getting hit by a car while filming is one scene worth replaying.
Binge-worthy scene of ‘Chicago P.D.’s’ Hailey Upton getting hit by a car
In season 10 of Chicago P.D., Hailey Upton, played by Spiridako, gets hit by a car. While Spiridakos is OK performing certain stunts, she relies on her stunt double, Kelli Scarangello, for extreme scenes like the car hit.
While getting hit by a car is intense, it doesn’t compare to Scarangello’s plunge in the icy Chicago River in Season 9, Episode 13. The thrilling TV show never disappoints fans with a lack of action. So, when Squerciati, Morton, and Spiridakos were asked in a recent interview on One Chicago’s Youtube channel about which stunts the trio love to watch, you would think it would be a hard choice.
However, Squerciati quickly jumped in with the story of Scarangello, the stunt double for Hailey, getting hit by a car while filming. Spiridakos and Morton agreed it was an intense scene worth watching again, especially knowing the behind-the-scenes story.
Why Spiridakos’ stunt double getting hit by a car almost stopped filming
While it’s not surprising to see characters on film and TV shows get hit by moving vehicles, viewers may not realize how intense shooting a scene like that can be. For example, when Spiridakos’ stunt double was hit by a car while filming a recent Chicago P.D. episode, it shocked the cast and crew to the point that the focus puller almost stopped the take.
The whole on-set team said it sounded so violent when Hailey got hit by the car that everyone wanted to stop filming. However, the film kept rolling despite wanting to stop because of Scarangello‘s intense hit. In the One Chicago Youtube interview, the women shared that the focus puller apparently almost stopped the take after just hearing a body.
However, the stunt double was totally fine afterward and continued as if it were just another day at the office. Spiridakos texted her “incredible” stunt double the next day to check on how she was feeling after taking such a violent hit, and her stunt double responded, “I’m alright, a little bruised.”
‘Chicago P.D.’ cast and their stunt doubles
While the Chicago P.D. actors try to do most of their stunts themselves, stunt doubles are called in for the “real hard stuff,” Spiridakos shared in the Youtube interview. The nature of this action-packed show provides the cast and crew to participate in their own stunts to a degree.
While some fearless cast members would do almost anything to get that heart-racing thrill, the final decision on whether the actor or stunt double performs the dangerous scene is the producers and the network.
