While his fans were sad to see one of the show’s original cast members go, Soffer’s colleagues are the ones who have taken it the hardest. Many took to social media last night to express how they feel about the star’s exit and make it known that Soffer will be missed dearly on set. LaRoyce Hawkins, who portrays Officer Kevin Atwater, shared six snaps of Soffer in character alongside a sorrow-filled message, “to make a long story short, it will never be the same..” Benjamin Levy Aguilar, who plays rookie Dante Torres, also opened up about Soffer’s departure online. In addition to the over half a dozen photos of the two interacting on set–including some behind-the-scenes selfies–shared by the actor, Aguilar also wrote: “don’t really know where to start.. Art does imitate life I guess. When I first came in in the show, you embraced me off screen just like your character did on screen. Thank you for being so giving and encouraging a space for creativity for me. It made everything fun and easy. The click was real ! Thank you for opening up and sharing countless ‘oh f–k’ moments about how crazy similar our childhoods were despite growing up in two completely different worlds. You are a mensch. I respect your story and your journey. Grateful to call you a friend. Im gonna miss you bro [sic] ♥️,” Actress Marina Squerciati, also known as Officer Kim Burgess, shared a candid pic of the two on set and “Jake’s wearing a button down AND I’m wearing a button down?! It’s so obvious; Jake loves Kate. Watch Chicago PD tonight, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A SCENE TOGETHER! 😳,” Squerciati exclaimed. Soffer’s on-screen wife, Hailey Upton, played by Tracy Spiridakos, also shared a heartfelt post, writing, “And off to Bolivia he goes….sigh @jesseleesoffer you’re the best. So much crying that day. Until next time Jay Halstead ❤️ #upsteadforever.” Soffer’s exit was first revealed back in August when he released the following statement exclusively to Variety: “I want to thank the incredible fans for their unwavering support during the past 10 years and want to express my deepest gratitude to Dick Wolf and everyone at Wolf Entertainment, Peter Jankowski, Matt Olmstead, Derek Haas, Michael Brandt, Rick Eid, Gwen Sigan, NBC, Universal Television, my fellow castmates, and our incredible crew. To create this hour drama week after week has been a labor of love by everyone who touches the show. I will always be proud of my time as Det. Jay Halstead.” After the episode aired, Soffer tweeted a heartfelt to fans, “For anyone that’s ever been a Halstead fan, I just want you to know that I’m grateful. Thank you for going on this journey with me. I’m just grateful.” Chicago P.D. airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. More News:
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