Jason Beghe Returns to Chicago Fire --- And Perhaps a Spinoff?

Even on a show all about the brave men and women who put out fires and save lives, there has to be a character that's less than heroic. Jason Beghe is that guy, a dirty cop who's been recurring on Chicago Fire (Wednesday at 10/9c on NBC).
TV Guide Magazine: You've showed up on almost every show on TV since the late '80s: HBO's early sitcom 1st & Ten, Picket Fences, Melrose Place, Chicago Hope, American Dreams, Everwood, Castle. And recently, the dead-too-soon Prime Suspect and Last Resort.
Jason Beghe: Prime Suspect was really cool.
TV Guide Magazine: I blame the cancellation on Maria Bello's silly hat.
Beghe: [laughs] You're not the first person I've heard that from. What a nice lady, fabulously talented.
TV Guide Magazine: Will you be back on your friend David Duchnovy's show Californication? The last time we saw Bates, he was a bartender in a gay bar.
Beghe: In assless chaps! Good God. [laughs]. I just talked to David and they're filming the first episode. I'll probably do one or two but I really also want to spend a little time with my wife and kids.
TV Guide Magazine: Your Chicago Fire character, Doug Voight returns this week. He's out of prison. Is he back on the force?
Beghe: Yeah. He has a chance to redeem himself. But I had always looked at him not as a corrupt cop but just a man who has shades of gray. So far, you've seen the darker shades of gray. You'll start to see a fuller picture of who he is.
TV Guide Magazine: How did Hank get released?
Beghe: I would put it this way: It's too dangerous to keep in him in prison. The gang universe started to fall apart and people started dying when he was put in jail. He kept the peace. Also, there's some people on the force who know he knows a lot that they don't want out.
TV Guide Magazine: He contacts Dawson [Monica Raymund] the firehouse paramedic. Why?
Beghe: Voight had helped her and Antonio [Jon Seda] her undercover cop brother.  He wants some character references.
TV Guide Magazine: Could that compromise her or even endanger her?
Beghe: People are naturally a little trepidatious about interacting with Hank Voight. He's done some bad, even unforgivable things. One would be wise to have their antennas up whenever they interact with him.
TV Guide Magazine: He was willing to ruin Casey [Jesse Spencer] — or do something worse — to keep his drunk driving son out of jail. Voight is pretty bad, isn't he?
Beghe: He's fairly questionable morally, but because half the guys his son would be interacting with in prison were put there by his family Voight didn't think his son deserved to be raped to death. Not that that justifies what Voight did.
TV Guide Magazine: There's an upcoming murder of someone connected to the firehouse. Does Voight get involved in that storyline?
Beghe: You'll get to see that Hank Voight is a hell of a policeman.
TV Guide Magazine: What are the chances that Hank will get out of the season alive?
Beghe: If Hank Voight was determined, I think you could shoot him and the bullet would go through him and he wouldn't even notice [laughs]. I think there's a very good chance.
TV Guide Magazine: If Voight survives, would you like to be in the possible Chicago Fire cop spin-off?
Beghe: Hank Voight is a dynamic, interesting character and I certainly have a lot of fun playing him and they seem to have a lot of fun writing him. No matter what happens, there's a lot that could be explored with him in the future.
Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!