Jon Seda – Chicago P.D.

By starrymag | May 12, 2014

Q) Was there anything about this character that you added to the role that wasn’t originally scripted for you?

A) Well I think what I brought to Antonio is just trying to bring the humanity to who he is. He’s a guy that, like me, I really am appreciative of what I do and the opportunity that I have to be an actor. And so what I wanted to bring to Antonio was the fact that he just really loves what he does, and he pours his heart into every case and into doing his job. And so for me, what I just really try to bring amongst a lot of things, is just the heart to who he is.

Q) You played quite a number of police officers before, what is it about this particular job that continues to draw you to these roles?

A) Well I like to think that if in real life if I wasn’t an actor and I was actually a police officer, that I would at least a good one. But it’s easier said than done. I mean this is being a police office, man or woman, it’s a tough job. It’s something that, unfortunately, some people take for granted, the fact that these police officers are putting their lives on the line day in and day out. And so, for me, I take that serious. And look, there’s a lot of Hollywood projects out there that are fun to do, and I’ve done them, and it’s great to do. But it’s always an honor to be asked to be the voice, or to represent, people that I look at as real heroes. And that’s including the firefighters, the EMTs and the doctors and these are amazing jobs by people that pour their hearts into doing it. I really don’t know how happens when there’s – I end up playing – I look back and go, “You’re right, wow, I’ve played a police officer a few times already.” But for me it’s a no-brainer. When it comes around it’s a great opportunity. It’s one of those jobs that you just feel so good about, it’s great to come to work and know that you’re doing something that is important. It’s Hollywood, it’s acting, but there’s a heart to it and it’s really important.

Q) As we saw last night, the episode left us with quite a bit of a cliffhanger, and I was wondering, can you tell us if Antonio survive and what else we can expect from next week’s episode?

A) Well, crazy things happen on TV and you never really know what’s going happen. I kind of like be surprised myself, so I really don’t really bother the writers or producers and ask them like, “What’s going to happen next week, or the next – following?” I kind of like to be surprised myself so I can only liken to a show a did a while back called Oz, where I was a lead on it, and it just turned out that they really liked the surprise of the lead actually being killed. So, I’m not saying I’m not coming back or I am coming back, all I know is that crazier things happen, crazy things happen on TV.

Q) I’d like to talk about Antonio and Voight’s relationship, because at times it’s solid, but at other times it’s kind of rocky. And sometimes Antonio questions Voight’s orders and his way of handling suspects. So how would you describe their relationship?

A) Well, it’s in a weird way it’s kind of like the Odd Couple, it’s kind of Felix and Oscar in a way. The thing about Voight is he’s just like a tough strong pit bull that you kind of just guide him the right way or just really just be careful with how much – how long of – I don’t know if this is this is the right way to describe it, but how long of a leash he’s on in a way. It’s not a simple relationship, it’s not something that is I guess of the norm, but at the end of the end of the day they both, Antonio and Voight, they both want the same thing, they want to clean the streets. They want to help people. They want to save lives. And Voight just has this unique way about going – going about things, and it’s a tough – it’s agreeing to disagree, but yet it’s a relationship where we trust each other. But at any moment once your guard is down, Antonio I think is worried at some points, to put his guard completely down, because Voight is just full of surprises. And like I said, although they work well together and they get things done, there’s always that extra eye that needs to be on them. And I mean I’ve heard it said before about Antonio being like the moral compass between – for everybody, but – like he knows how needed Voight is and how this unit is really needed. And that’s one of the big reasons why he was – he agreed to be in Intelligence and work with Voight. Because it’s like have a star player that’s amazing, but comes with some past and you just kind of got to watch that.

Q) What do you feel about being seen by a wide audience, an international audience?

A) Yes, absolutely. Well first of all I think it’s so great to be able to be able to been seen internationally. Oh man, that’s a blessing. That’s just so great. And I think it definitely – I think the show relates to everyone around the world, around the globe, because – look there’s good and bad, there’s right and wrong, but there’s all these in-betweens, there’s all these different – it’s not that cut-n-dry. A lot of times I think the reason why it appeals to so many people is because there’s a lot of justice that sometimes doesn’t happen the way we might want it to happen. And although it’s ugly sometimes just the show gives an insight into things that you might not see the media, you might not see in the news. And it’s something that, like I said, people can argue whether it’s wrong or right, or if it’s good or bad, but one thing is that I know there’s many out there that wish justice would happen. And although you don’t want to condone certain actions for it to happen, it’s not like we’re dealing with librarians and scholars, we’re dealing with people that want to hurt others and people that are bringing harm to others. So I think that’s why it appeals to people across the globe.

Q) You’ve been a part of some incredible iconic films and television shows from Oz to Homicide to the Pacific to now this, what is about – what do you choose a role, especially when – I’m sure you get a lot of offers, but what is it that you really look for, especially in a show like this?

A) Well it’s funny, yes I’ve, like you said, I’ve been really fortunate Pacific, I just remember when that came around I just said, “You know what, it’s Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Band of Brother was before that and just wanted to be a part of it in any way.” I mean it turned out that I got one of the leads, but I would have been a part of that in any capacity. And when it came to – because Antonio Dawson, the character I play now, started on Chicago Fire and I remember when that came around to me, honestly, I was hesitant at first, because I wasn’t sure, I was a regular on another show, on HBO, Treme at the time. And I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t sure about the role. I didn’t know if Antonio – what I was looking for in the role was someone that was going to not just come and go and disappear, and be a guy that comes in and throws some info and I just wanted, if I was going to be a part of it, I wanted to have someone that had some, I don’t know what the word is, some gravitas maybe. Someone that was going to have some connection. And Dick Wolf was just amazing when – how he created the character, and has Antonio’s sister on Chicago Fire and that dynamic. And it just became more than just about being a cop, it became more about what they deal with on a day-to-day basis, and it just evolved from there. I was happy with Chicago Fire, and for it turn into P.D. is just – that’s really incredible.

Q) Having started as a boxer and become a great actor, how would you advise someone, a young guy or girl, to get into acting, and to – what would the best advice you would give them to have the kind of career, or have the kind of career you’ve had? What ‘s the best advice you’d give to an actor or actress just starting out?

A) Well first thing I would say is, “Just know that you’re going to hear the word, no, much more than you’re going to hear the word, yes.” So, that’s something that you got to not take personally, it’s – not everyone out there is going to get that role. And you just have to know that there’s – you got to go out there, you got to work hard, go in there. It’s like a baseball player going up to the plate, go up there prepared, ready, you’ve studied what the pitcher is going to throw. So for me, what I do, since I boxed, the script is my ring. So when I get my script, I look at the character that I’m being asked to portray. And I do everything I can, that’s my training, I do everything I can to come up with the different nuances for that character every single line. Why is he saying this? Where is he coming from? What are the different elements I can add to it? And then I go into that ring and really perform it, and try to hit a homerun, or try to get a knockout. So the advice I would say to someone is just, really, if it’s your passion and you really want to do it, just trust your instincts, trust your heart. Pay attention to your surroundings when you’re acting and you’re portraying this character. Just believe, just believe that you are that character and take it from there.

Q) We were previously talking here that you’ve said in previous interviews that Chicago P.D. is not a common show about cops. And that being said, it’s so natural and real. So taking these into account, do you feel like the P.D. industry has progressed in terms of production?

A) Yes, absolutely. I think that there’s – every now and then there’s – I think what makes this really special, of course outside of the fact that it’s Dick Wolf, and I think he knows a thing or two about TV. His incredible creativity and the producers and the writers from both shows, Chicago Fire and P.D., I think what really makes it unique is that every now and then there’s some shows that come that just have something really different about them and the connect to people in ways that no other show can. And I think Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D., what’s happening is, and why they’re connecting is because at the heart of it these – yes there’s Hollywood involved and there’s things that are going to be catered to making a story and you have to make it enticing, but at the heart of it is that we’re representing real men and women out there that put their lives on the line. And this is giving an insight into what they experience. Every day we see ambulances go by, and fire trucks and police cars, and we see stories, but it’s always from the surface. We don’t dig deep into what’s going on with those EMTs and firemen and police officers. We don’t know really what’s going on in their lives, and this show shows that other side. So I think that’s what’s really unique about it.  Then shooting in Chicago, we’re really shooting here. We’re doing the scenes here, so Chicago in itself brings that authenticity that just really makes it really raw and real. And it’s, to me, that’s what really speaks to the people that watch the show.

Q) Have you struggled during your career as an actor for being taken into account constantly for Latino roles?

A) I’ve been so fortunate that I’ve had a really wide variety of different kinds of roles throughout my career. And it’s true that a lot of times that doesn’t happen. A lot of times there’s a lot of stereotyping going. But you can’t hold up one Puerto Rican or one Mexican or one Colombian and say, “This is what they all look like.” Because we’re so diverse and there’s so many different colors. So for me, I’ve been so fortunate that I’ve been able to play different types of roles, where I’ve played Latin and I’ve played non-Latin. So like going from like Selena to the Pacific, where one was Italian and then one was a Tejano. So for me, I’ve been really fortunate and thankful for that. But it takes a lot of work and it takes having to say no to certain roles and yes to others, it really takes – which is tough. It’s hard sometimes, because you also have to work, and you have to provide, and there’s certain jobs that you – sometimes you have to take. But throughout my career, for the most part, I’ve been really fortunate that I haven’t had that stereotype.

Q) This is being touted as kind of like the Golden Age of Television with cable and new series. And it wasn’t too long ago when television was looked at as a stepchild under movies, but that seems to be changing with a lot of big actors, film actors now coming to it. Do you feel like it is really, as an actor, is it really changing?

A) It’s funny that you mention that. I was just talking about that not too long ago with my wife and it is changing, it really is. I mean look, cinema and film, I think will always – maybe I shouldn’t say, “Always,” but for the most part, will stand alone, because there’s nothing like going to a theater and seeing that big screen, and the surround sound and watching it. But nowadays, you can get that at home. And I think that the network, in particular for what we’re talking about, for NBC, they’re realizing that. And I think they’re trying to catch it while it’s hot and say, “You know what, we need to adjust, we need to change our way of thinking. We need to bring content that is something we never really had before.” And I think that’s like with Chicago P.D. and Chicago Fire and The Blacklist and Revolution and other shows. they’re taking that step where maybe 10 years ago, 15 years ago, even 20 years ago, these are shows that would had a real tough time because of how raw they want to show these shows. And these were shows that you would only usually, I think, see on cable. so I think things are changing. And I think what’s happening is a lot of actors out there, mostly film actors, are seeing the opportunity to be on a TV screen every week and having everyone see them. Definitely every week and not having to worry about whether or not someone’s going to go to the theater to see them.

Q) Your show, and on so many other shows, the writing is just really spot on, even better than a lot of films I think.

A) Yes, yes, that’s absolutely right. I think a lot of  the writing is incredible, the producers, and you’ve got a lot of film writers that are writing for these shows and writing for us. Like Derek Haas and Michael Brandt, these guys who worked on 3:10 to Yuma was just one of the ones which was a great film. These are the producers and writers that we have working with us, so I mean it’s just absolutely incredible. It’s such an amazing team and we’re trying to bring – I mean I know when we work, I’ve talked to Jason Beghe about this, a lot of times when we’re working on the show, we’re always trying to bring that film mentality to the show. So it’s like changing, evolving, but it’s really just the two kind of coming together really, like film and TV and just bringing that.

Q) What shows do you watch on network and cable that are your favorites?

A) Well let’s see. Good family TV like the Walking Dead. Gather the kids around and we all sit and watch the Walking Dead. That’s one of our favorites we like shows like that. A friend of mine who’s on the Bates Motel, Vera Farmiga. and I just think that’s really cool right there. I always loved the film, so now it see it in that kind of light, and see that relationship, is really cool. We watch the Blacklist, I think is incredible. James Spader is just absolutely phenomenal. We love to watch – with the kids, we love to watch The Voice. That’s something that’s great. I’m into True Blood, I watch True Blood. Boardwalk Empire, things like that. And of course my sports.

Q) This is one series where characters from other shows like Chicago Fire and SVU truly integrate into an episode and blend in with the characters. So with that said, how do you feel about the crossover episodes? Do you think there are advantages and possibly even disadvantages in bringing on characters from other shows?

A) Well I think it’s one, from an actor’s point of view, I think it’s incredible. It’s always great to be able to work with actors that you respect and admire, and have an opportunity to work with them, whether you’re crossing over to their show or if they’re coming here, like when Ice T and Mariska and whether we go there, they come here. For us, it’s a lot of fun. Honestly, I don’t know how the writers do it. It’s so much work, and I’ve spoken to some of them about it and just I’m in awe as to how they put it all together, because that’s not easy to do. But I think it’s incredible. I think it’s really unique. I think the fans really like it because you have a mixture of all these shows coming together and it’s just, to me, I think it’s fun. I think it’s something – I think that’s what’s really unique about Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, how they can intertwine every now and then. And it could be a small little scene that intertwines, or it could be a big event, like what just happened a couple of weeks ago. And then you can get Law & Order in the mix, I think it’s incredible.

 

*CONFERENCE CALL*