The Chicago PD Stunt That Went Wrong
Like watching a rocket take off or joining the spectators at a NASCAR race, viewing stunt work in action is one of those adrenaline hit cocktails that combines the wonder of the exceptional with the promise that something could go unbelievably wrong. Motorcycles crash, acrobatic flips become acrobatic flops. The highest aspirations of physical acumen are brought low by a single overlooked detail. Take, for example, that time when two of the guys from "Chicago P.D." tried to shoot an Instagram video looking very tough, only for one of them to accidentally crane kick the other one right in the swimsuit region.
The culprits: Jesse Lee Soffer and Patrick Flueger, whose portrayals of Jay Halstead and Adam Ruzek keep audiences coming back for more windy city jurisprudence week after high-stakes week. In the early days of the "One Chicago" franchise, the pair of them spoke with Steve Harvey on the subject of on-set hijinks, and the regrettable decision to use protective stunt equipment without adult supervision.
Chicago PD's stunt gone wrong
The story goes like this: Flueger, according to his recollection of events, was wearing a special harness designed to protect its wearer from "3 Ninjas" scenarios. The equipment only works correctly if the wearer stands up straight, however, making the slight crouch that Flueger employed a very real hazard to any potential future Fluegers. In his defense, he "wanted to look as 'Dragon Ball Z' as possible." It's hard to argue with that.
"I basically dipped myself into your foot," Flueger recalled to Soffer, an experience which we may not have all literally gone through, but to which we can all metaphorically relate.
The video of the incident, like most kicked-in-the-crotch cinema, doesn't last long — a scant 13 seconds or so, the majority of which involves Flueger crumpling to the ground and lamenting the fact that "it didn't work." These are the risks one takes when one seeks to push the boundaries of filmmaking by taking a foot to the southern hemisphere. His sacrifice will not soon be forgotten.