‘Chicago PD’ Star LaRoyce Hawkins Plays Five Questions with SCREEN

One Chicago Wednesdays are in full swing and one of the most beloved fan favorites of that NBC universe is LaRoyce Hawkins, known for playing Atwater on Chicago PD. This week’s episode of PD will be particularly impactful for Atwater… and so LaRoyce generously stopped by SCREEN to give us a preview and play a thoroughly entertaining round of Five Questions with SCREEN. Let’s get to it!

SCREEN: This week’s episode will be quite a rollercoaster for Atwater. What can you share about what lies ahead for Atwater this Wednesday?

LAROYCE: What lies ahead for Atwater this Wednesday is navigating all the nuances of his life at once from the unit, to the tenants in his building, to his family members. Everybody needs something and expects something from Atwater. He’s just doing his best to juggle all those plates without breaking anything. And so you can expect him to do his best.

Here’s a very quick preview of this Wednesday’s episode…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB-UbMHxdDI

SCREEN: Now a few lighter questions about the show… Fans are always asking about the crossovers so we thought we’d ask… if your show could crossover with any TV show OUTSIDE of the OneChicago universe, what would it be?

LAROYCE: I just started The Penguin on HBO Max. Chicago P.D. gotta go to Gotham and get them right. Gotham somehow is like the capital for criminals. Like every carried away criminal lives in Gotham. I didn’t realize that until I was watching The Penguin. All of the criminals congregate in Gotham, and they do their best to create havoc all over the place. Thank God they got Batman, but imagine if they also had Atwater, Voight. I don’t think they wouldn’t need Batman. You know what I’m saying? Batman just needs some help in Gotham.

SCREEN: The hardest you’ve ever laughed on the set of Chicago PD?

LAROYCE: It’s just hard to pinpoint. We laugh pretty hard every time we get a chance. Which is my favorite part about the gig. Like sometimes we’ve got to relax because we can’t stop laughing. And everybody’s so funny. Um, whether it’s Marina, whether it’s Jason, whether it’s Paddy, people in the crew. If you know anything about Brian Luce – he’s hilarious.

But there was a moment when I was pranked by Eriq LaSalle. And my little brother was on set, which made it even more appropriate. We got this Sea Breeze to keep us cool when it’s hot. I remember it was a very hot day, so makeup was hitting the back of people’s necks with the Sea Breeze. I guess Eriq DeSalle grabbed the Sea Breeze, unbeknownst to me, and I heard him kind of like revving up for a sneeze. He was behind me and I hear the sneeze and I feel the droplets on my neck and I was like, “did this man just sneeze on the back of my neck?”

My little brother was there and he saw it. He didn’t even know how to respond to Eriq LaSalle. Respectfully, he was like “should we be jumping Eriq LaSalle as a family?” But whole time it was the Sea Breeze. He did the perfect fake sneeze and sprayed the Sea Breeze. And by the time I realized exactly what it was, oh my god, everybody was dying. He got me good. And I’ve been doing my best to get him back ever since.

SCREEN: What’s your go-to karaoke song?

LAROYCE: I got a couple. I was the karaoke king once upon a time in my neighborhood. It really depends on the audience. Most of my karaoke highlights happen in taverns. Taverns are like 35 and up – it’s old heads, OGs in there. They appreciate something from back in the day, so I can go anything Ray Charles – I was a Ray Charles impersonator for a few years. “Hallelujah, I Love Her So” is one of my favorites. Or I go straight Temptations. “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” is a good one. But if it’s a younger crowd, it’s a little bit more of a modern, contemporary approach. I’ll do “So High” from John Legend. There’s a version with a poem in it from J.Ivy, who’s a big homie of mine, two time Grammy winner for spoken word poetry. He has a poem that he attaches to John Legend’s “So High.” A lot of people don’t know that version, but I do. So when I do “So High” at karaoke, I hit him with the J.Ivy poem and people go crazy.

Here’s the John Legend classic without the poetry… if you want it with the poetry, you’ll have to run into LaRoyce around town at one of his fave haunts…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw-6BzTO7Rk

SCREEN: Your most prized possession?

LAROYCE: I got an Emmy for a PSA that I did with the Salvation Army, which I’m just proud of because I didn’t know that you can get Emmys for PSAs. But I’m grateful for it because we wouldn’t have got an Emmy if we would have done the PSA as it was initially asked. I’m grateful that the Salvation Army gave me the elbow room to be a little creative with the approach. We took him to Harvey, my hometown, and took some shots which made it more authentic for me.

And then by the time the Midwest Emmys came around, to be nominated was surprising. And then the win was even crazier. And so I consider it a prized possession because of the story around it, what it means, and the intentionality.

Let’s take a look at this powerful PSA…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvBWy0O3Vto

SCREEN: One dinner, any restaurant, anywhere on the planet, and we’re buying. Where are you heading?

LAROYCE: Quintonil, one of the best restaurants in the world, in Mexico City. That’s somewhere I’d like to go because I’ve heard it’s amazing. I’m also down for the Hooters on Torrance Ave. The executive wing dinner is my favorite. It comes with a bottle of Dom Perignon and 20 wings, your way. I do mine fried hard.

Sounds incredible… here’s a look at this acclaimed restaurant and a chat with its storied Chef…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKXkaVbVsI8

SCREEN: Best advice you’ve ever been given?

LAROYCE: I think the advice that stands out right now, and this I tell my son every morning, is to do the right thing when nobody’s looking. That’s a very simple but effective rule of thumb that can cover so much ground in so many areas of our lives. It’s a lesson in integrity and character, because it’s easy to do the right thing when people are paying attention and when there’s a lot of eyes on you. But when you feel like nobody’s paying attention or when you feel like the lights are off – It’s what you do in the dark and when you’re by yourself that matters the most. That, I think, really defines who you are. When nobody’s looking or when nobody’s capable of seeing you, and you’re still capable of doing the right thing, I think that shows a carried away amount of integrity.

Thanks for playing, LaRoyce! Click here to catch up on current and past seasons of Chicago PD.

Check back here at SCREEN for the latest news on the One Chicago trio of superb shows. You can also click right here to subscribe to our weekly email newsletter.

Photo Credit: LaRoyce Hawkins as Officer Kevin Atwater – Photo by: Parrish Lewis/NBC