Chicago PD interview: Benjamin Levy Aguilar on Torres’ return

Tomorrow night on NBC you will not have an opportunity to see the next Chicago PD episode; not only that, but it marks the grand return of Dante Torres to the show! He has been out on furlough for the past few episodes taking care of his mother and now, we’re gearing up for him to be thrown right into the fire. To be more specific, he will find himself taking on an undercover mission that turns far more complicated than it at first seems — and as a result of that, it could test everything that he’s learned through his time in Intelligence.

Leading up to this, why not hear from the man behind the role? We recently had a chance to chat with Benjamin Levy Aguilar about his return this season, learning more about the character, and also why Torres would want to take on such a case to begin with. Following tomorrow’s episode, we will be back with even more from the actor.

Matt & Jess TV – You’ve been gone from the first few episodes, but were you told that when you came back, it would be with something big?

Benjamin Levy Aguilar – No one really told me, but I assumed that I would come back into a strong episode because we hadn’t seen much of him. In a way I was unconsciously ready for that, and I’d been preparing in so many ways in my own life to go all-in this year as an actor. It was exciting.

With this being your second full season here as a regular, do you feel a little bit more settled? Have you gotten used to the hours, and dealing with the cold that comes with shooting outside?

Absolutely. Cold showers help (laughs). I’m from a tropical country [in Guatemala], and it’s called the Land of the Eternal Spring because it’s around 76 degrees year-round and it’s beautiful. So coming into Chicago, at first it was a lot of layers — and I still wear a lot of layers! But I’m definitely more comfortable in it and embrace it.

So do we get a chance in this upcoming episode to learn about what’s been going on with Torres and his mom?

Yeah, we take some time in the beginning to show him taking care of his mom, but that’s about it. We see the shift from him doing that to being back in [with PD]. Most of the episode is about him diving deeply into an undercover job.

I’ve talked to a number of other cast members over the years, and these are the episodes that they love. You’re getting to play  almost an entirely new character through the lens of your current one. How much fun is that for you?

It’s so fun. It’s fun to be so many times removed from your own self, playing a character as your character thinking that he could be getting caught. It’s an interesting dynamic and I had so much fun with it. It wasn’t that challenging — I don’t know what that says about me (laughs). I have lived a lot of different lives. Being in Guatemala, I was always an outsider. For example, there were people who had a lot of money and I had no money, but I was playing that to fit in. Then, I was Jewish and everyone else was a Catholic, but I didn’t feel Jewish enough to be Jewish. It was all these different things, and I feel like I’ve been acting my whole life. Maybe that’s why it felt so easy.

So how much danger is Torres going to be in as a result of this case?

Oh, he’s in deep. Just the fact that he’s going undercover with drug lords of this level — they kill [without hesitation]. It’s a really dangerous situation there.

Related – Be sure to get some more information on this Chicago PD episode and what lies ahead

What are you hoping to see from Torres moving into the next Chicago PD episode?

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