Patrick John Flueger on losing Adam Ruzek in Season 12

(This story contains spoilers from the Oc. 2 episode of Chicago PD“Blood bleeds blue.”)

As Patrick John Flueger sits on the porch of his Chicago home on a recent brightly beautiful Chicago afternoon, he has a slightly different struggle than the typical one he faces as all-in intelligence officer Adam Ruzek in the mega primetime series of NBC would struggle Chicago PD.

The fictional police detective in the Veteran Cop series faced countless guns pointed at his face, hand-to-hand combat, and was even shot at point-blank range by a child. But he may have met his best friend today while trying to figure out what's driving his cats crazy on his porch. With real detective work, Flueger quickly discovers that pigeons are trying to claim squatter rights a little too close up, angering the furry cats.

This fight between cats and pigeons helped to ease the tension before we discussed what was possibly one of the most emotionally challenging and exciting Chicago PD Episodes for Fluegers Ruzek.

In a scene that directly follows the end of last week's Season 12 premiere, Wednesday's episode “Blood Bleeds Blue” finds Ruzek trapped behind a bullet-ridden car, staring at his dead partner, Officer Emily Martel (Victoria Cartagena ), who was shot in the head. Just moments earlier, they were laughing in their patrol car and talking about life on the job. It's clear that Ruzek sees that Martel is gone, but he hasn't mentally processed it. He still clings to the possibility that reality isn't real.

The episode then developed into a high-speed chase for Martel's murderer. Ruzek and the intelligence unit are joined by new officer Kiana Cook (played by Tory Turner). Cook proves to be a resourceful and tough cop who can keep up with the angry Ruzek, who is still in shock. The stakes become even higher when it is revealed that the man who shot Martel, Roy Darrow, also shot his ex-wife, kidnapped his young son and hunted his older son Nate.

The Hollywood Reporter spoke to Flueger about his long term in office Chicago PDthe rigors of filming Wednesday's episode, the introduction of an exciting new cast member, and the changes he saw in his character – and perhaps in himself – from his P.D Years.

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To say the least, Adam Ruzek has seen a lot in 12 seasons To Chicago PD.

My goodness, this is season 12. I had a student career. Twelve years, it's crazy! LaRoyce (Hawkins, who plays Det. Kevin Atwater) and I were just talking the other day about how it was like first through twelfth grade; It's crazy that we've been here so long. If I look at it as an arc, from beginning to end as a period of time in my life, it passed far too quickly. But when I think about certain moments, when he and I talk about stories or relive moments together, it seems both short and epically long.

Adam Ruzek survived being shot and being near death; Now he has seen his partner, with whom he has developed a close relationship, shot dead in front of his eyes. I know you did a screen test for Captain America in 2011, but do you see Adam as some sort of superhero based on how much he's been through during your time on the show?

(Laughs) Well, first of all, let's be honest with each other: Chris Evans is Captain America. He was Captain America before we even tested for the role. He just killed that role; So I don't even know why I was in there. But I also want to say that I think Adam Ruzek is a much more interesting character because he's kind of a Joker. It's just an experiment. Brian Luce, one of the producers of our show, was a police officer for 21 years. When we started, he was our technician. He was the guy who made sure we got it right, who confirmed the reality of things. He's the heartbeat of the show and one of the best guys I've ever met. When I met him I thought, “Well, I'll just be Brian Luce.” And that's what I've been doing for the last 12 years, just trying to be Luce like that every time they say “action.” to be as similar as possible.

With all the rapid mental and physical decline Ruzek has suffered in such a short time, what keeps him in this job? Just last season, we saw him fight hard to rehabilitate himself to be fit to play again after being shot by a child.

I think his girl (Det. Kim Burgess, played by Marina Squerciati). I think it's an institution for him too because his father was a police officer. In my head, his grandfather was a police officer. We didn't address this in the plot, but the police in Chicago, in New York and LA are like an institution to a certain extent. It's a family thing. I think that's what keeps him going; he knows nothing else. He will do that. And now he actually has his fiancée, who I think he's just obsessed with, and his daughter. I think he wants to please them, but I also think he's getting adrenaline!

I always thought about it like he was an adrenaline junkie. And when the shooting happens and he freaks out, he seems to kind of like it.

So he sees that Martel is dead. How does Adam process her death? They just talked about things they saw at work and laughed together.

It wasn't written, but we've always made a call for 12 years. It's: “Atwater, are you good?”, “Kim, are you good?” We always make that call, and in 12 years I don't know what everyone else's action is, but for me it's the first time, that I said: “Martel, are you good?” and there was no answer. You're right when you asked if he thinks he's a superhero. I think he actually thinks that no matter how crazy things get, nothing will really go wrong: “We've done it before, we'll do it again.” And I think if it doesn't work out that way, that's it a shock for him.

While we were filming the episode, I at least played it back as if I couldn't understand it and asked myself, “Why didn't it work this time?” I couldn't imagine bullets flying and sometimes friends as part of a television show die. But I think it was the first time in 12 years that I called and no one responded. And I think that was the whole episode for me. She just never said anything back.

You mentioned that Brian Luce mentored you in preparing your Ruzek. Have you spoken to other police officers to prepare for this episode?

Oh my goodness! They all have stories… They all have stories. Talking to these cats and the idea of ​​waking up and doing what they do every day is pretty wild. (Breaks) It occurs to me.

Can you talk about the intelligence unit's relationship with the new character introduced Wednesday night, Officer Kiana Cook (played by Toya Turner)?

Kiana Cook! She's such a good actress and I feel like we basically bullied her. For example, in two episodes where she is introduced, we completely beat the crap out of her. It was hot – the first episode she was in it was like 30 degrees – and we were running and so much was happening. And then in the following episode, when she came back, they wrote that it had been raining the whole time; So we put up all these water towers to spray them with rain all the time. But she ruins it! I'm so excited about this! I just think people will love them. She has this tenacity. Her father is a police officer; She grew up with, I think, five brothers, so she got into playing. And I'm really excited about what it has to offer.

What do you think about Adam Ruzek's career over the years?

I don't want to toot my own horn, but I think my character has grown and changed the most compared to all the other characters. He was just an enthusiastic boy whose father was a police officer and who always said, “Yes!” Over the years he's been shot, he's been beaten up a few times, and he's been fun to play. Patrick Flueger has grown up a lot since this show began; I hope he did. And Adam Ruzek grew up next to me, so to speak. And it was cool. I think being that guy sometimes helped me grow up.

You get into some serious…

Let me help you with some heavy stuff (laughs).

Yes, thanks. Who helps the most with loosening things up on set?

The funny thing is, with all the darkness, we're fooling around all the time. Everyone is so serious, but at the same time we're goofing around. Every set says, “We are a family, we are a family.” I’ll tell you what: we Are a family! Our crew works so hard; They've been there so long that I don't know how it could survive if we didn't fool around.

I don't know if it's a specific person. LaRoyce Hawkins is a funny cat. But even Jason (Beghe), as serious as he may be, is an idiot. Nobody takes themselves too seriously on our set, not 12 years later.

So can you imagine sticking with the show until it runs its course?

(Laughs) What should I say to that now? As long as they have me, I'll be here. Can you imagine if I said, “No, I’m quitting!”

The thing about our show is that as an actor, every few years you feel like you're doing something that's just different enough to get hired again. Or there’s a new cast member like Toya who makes you think, “Ah! I’m so excited about her!” Or Ben Aguilar (as Officer Dante Torres). The writers, the directors, the producers just do these things that make you feel engaged again. And I don't think that happens all the time. I mean, after twelve years, I feel like, “Oh, we've started again, we're trying something new.” I feel very blessed and lucky to be where I am.

Chicago PD airs new episodes Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC and streams on Peacock.