Jason Beghe is open to his Chicago P.D. character, Hank Voight, possibly officiating Adam Ruzek and Kim Burgess’ wedding — even if he hasn’t been asked to do so.
“I doubt that they would want Voight,” Beghe, 64, teased during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly on Wednesday, March 13, noting it was a “funny” idea for the head of the Intelligence Unit to marry his coworkers Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) and Burgess (Marina Squerciati), fondly known as “Burzek” by fans.
Beghe took a minute before he added, “If I look at that scene, imagine that scene, there’s so many fun things that could be done with that.”
The actor, who has played the hardcore cop since the show’s 2014 debut, explained: “Voight could either be shy about it or hyper-professional and not quite know what the hell he’s doing there. Or he could be [so] shocked that he finds himself in tears.”
Beghe noted there are “a million things” that could transpire if Voight was the officiant, especially since the character “is kind of finding out who he is” throughout season 11, which premiered in January. “I think that that’s exciting,” he added.
While Ruzek and Burgess got engaged for the third time earlier this season, Beghe isn’t sure fans will ever see them walk down the aisle.
“I don’t care about that stuff,” he confessed to Us, explaining that when it comes to his role on the series, he’s all about crafting authentic police story lines.
“This is a police show. This isn’t a soap opera,” Beghe joked. “So if we’re going to do a wedding, I want it to be through the lens of what it means [to cops] and how that affects and is described as a police officer in Chicago.”
While the fate of a Burzek wedding is still unknown, several cast members have thought about what it would look like if it happens.
“I think, like, they would invite Voight over to marry them and then have some chips and then, like, never talk about it again and just be together,” Squerciati, 39, exclusively told Us in March 2022, before the characters officially got engaged again.
She explained: “They would do something unconventional or something. I just feel like they’re best friends. They’re kind of married already, but right now it’s not working out.”
Burgess and Ruzek have weathered many storms on P.D., including two broken engagements and the loss of their unborn child. However, they were stronger than ever heading into season 11, which is why LaRoyce Hawkins, who plays Kevin Atwater, told Us he was “absolutely” rooting for them to live happily ever after.
“This is something a lot of people don’t know about me … I’m certified to marry people,” Hawkins, 35, revealed in June 2023, sharing that he’s officiated a few weddings in his family.
He teased: “I consider Burgess and Ruzek to be family, and I think Atwater should get first right refusal to actually marry [them]. That’s what we wanna see.”
Beghe, for his part, told Us on Wednesday that he’s “happy” that viewers are seeing a “more personal” side to Voight and his squad this season. However, he is adamant that if Burgess and Ruzek get married it should be shown “through a cop lens.”
“It’s not just, ‘Oh, I’ve fallen in love with this character and now they’re married.’ It’s not that. It’s all about cops,” Beghe reiterated. “So the wedding and all that kind of stuff, it’s only [done in relation to how] it affects the job and [how] the job affects it.”
Chicago P.D. returns to NBC Wednesday, March 20, at 10 p.m. ET.
