The “Chicago P.D.” team discuss Upton's exit and that surprise return

Tracy Spiridakos and Gwen Sigan break down the season 11 finale.

Warning: This article contains spoilers from the season 11 finale of Chicago P.D., "More."

Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) got a happy ending.

For a while now, Chicago P.D. fans have known that season 11 would be Spiridakos' last, and the finale saw her character make one final save — this time rescuing Voight (Jason Beghe) from a serial killer — before deciding it was time for a change. Although we don't know exactly where Upton will end up — the episode featured her looking up agencies like the FBI and the DEA — we know that she's excited about finding her next chapter outside of Chicago. And not everyone gets a happy ending on Chicago P.D.

EW spoke with Tracy Spiridakos and P.D. showrunner Gwen Sigan about the finale, which also featured a surprise return when an almost-dead Voight hallucinated none other than Olinsky (Elias Koteas)!

Related: Chicago P.D. is back! Here's a look at the cast of the NBC hit, then and now

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: For a second there, when Hailey was shot, I was a little worried about how this ending might go. Tracy, what was your reaction to Hailey's exit?

TRACY SPIRIDAKOS: Gwen very kindly let me in on what the arc was going to be so I did know what the ending was going to be like. I didn't know exactly, I didn't know I was going to get shot, but Gwen had let me know that she wanted this ending to be different. I think a lot of people expect that you're gonna get shot or have to leave in a certain way but I was really excited at the idea that she leaves happy and we get to see her feeling good and making this decision to embark on a journey and go a different direction. I loved that idea.

Gwen, I'm sure you all discussed all the possible ways she could leave the show. What made you all land on this one?

GWEN SIGAN: We did, we discussed it all. Tracy had given us some leeway, we knew at the beginning of the season so we had some real estate, we had some time. We settled on this idea that we wanted to give her this arc that was fulfilling and was growth and was her leaving for something better. It's not usually what we do on the show and I think that made it all the more interesting. Also, the things we put Upton through, she's really gone through quite a lot so it did feel very fulfilling that she would get to a place where she realizes, "I want more, I want different."

She really has been through the ringer. What has it been like for you, Tracy, to play that?

SPIRIDAKOS: As an actor it's fun, I've gotten to do all these really incredible storylines and I'm so grateful to Gwen and our writers for writing such an interesting character. Getting to go through all the things that she's gone through has been so exciting and this ending being something totally different than we've gotten to see her do before was such a nice icing on the cake of this story and journey for me.

Tracy, what was the last thing you filmed?

SPIRIDAKOS: Our last scene was when me and Jason are in the basement and I'm cradling him and there's the crane shot up the stairs. So when the team comes down and they find us and then the camera pulls away. It was on stages, me and Jason were covered in blood, and then I of course was covered in blood after we wrapped trying to hug everybody, getting it everywhere. [Laughs] We finished at like one in the morning and the crew and everybody stuck around for the whole thing and then we had a nice little tearful clap off.

Related: Eamonn Walker is leaving Chicago Fire

I loved the scene where Voight asked if he was bad for her, that felt like such a big moment for both of them.

SPIRIDAKOS: That whole scene I really loved. We had a lot of fun shooting it. Me and Jason love getting to play together and getting meaty scenes like that. And Gwen, you were there!

SIGAN: I was there, it was wonderful. They made me cry. [Laughs]

I was so happy to see Olinsky again! Gwen, why was he the right person to have in that moment?

SIGAN: I think that Olinsky is Voight's other half in so many ways. To be that vulnerable and to be in that state and to need somebody to shake him awake and make him realize there's more, it had to be him. It was the only person that would really be that in his head.

SPIRIDAKOS: We all flipped out on set too as soon as we saw him. Everyone was emotional. Everyone's like, "Where's Elias?!"

Tracy, do you have a story or episode that stands out to you from your time on the show?

SPIRIDAKOS: There's so many moments it's hard to pick one. I remember the anxiety attack scene with Halstead [Jesse Lee Soffer] when she's holding the secret of what happened with Roy and it's all boiling and getting to play that for episodes and episodes. That arc was a very intense one but really fun. It's hard to pick one episode but "Still Water" will go down as my favorite episode that we've gotten to do. It felt like its own adventure. All the stunts that were associated with it and the story was so cool and interesting.

Related: Kara Killmer on Sylvie's Chicago Fire exit: 'She does wind up with everything that she always wanted'

Gwen, this show is no stranger to losing main characters but how do you move forward from this?

SIGAN: You have to look at it from a positive standpoint. We're all heartbroken that she's leaving but the interesting thing is you do get to create a new character, you get to create new dynamics, somebody to come in and really shake things up and change things, which will be fun. We've got a lot of different ideas and it's just about settling on the one that works the best.

The last thing I'll ask both of you: Is the door still open to see Hailey again in the future?

SPIRIDAKOS: Oh I would love that.

SIGAN: Of course, it's always open, yes!

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.