Are Jesse Lee Soffer And LaRoyce Hawkins From Chicago P.D. Friends In Real Life?

"Chicago P.D." detectives Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) and Kevin Atwater (LaRoyce Hawkins) spend plenty of time working together as they hunt down and apprehend Chi-town's most heinous offenders. Whether they're working intel leads to sniff out police corruption at their 21^st District H.Q., or they're heading out onto the streets in pursuit of criminals — from kidnappers and thieves to human traffickers and serial arsonists — there's no question that on-duty life for the two cops is action-packed and heart-poundingly intense.

The fact is, both Soffer and Hawkins have been in each other's on-screen lives ever since "Chicago P.D." was spun off from the original "One Chicago" franchise, "Chicago Fire." From joining forces as they bring lawbreakers to justice, to knowing all about each other's various romantic hook ups, they've been up close and personal with each other for nine full seasons of the series. 

That being said, it would be understandable after so much time together that the two actors might want to go their separate ways when not shooting episodes. So, is there any evidence that Jesse Lee Soffer and LaRoyce Hawkins — who share so much screen time on "Chicago P.D." — are friends in real life?

As core characters on "Chicago P.D." since its premiere episode "Stepping Stones" back in 2014, Soffer and Hawkins have spent over 170 episodes of the series as crime-busting colleages. And while this might be plenty of together-time for some, it seems like the two actors actually are pretty good pals when not shooting scenes on the set or in various locations around the Windy City.

For instance, plentiful social media posts have captured the two of them goofing around or otherwise hanging out together on and off the set. Instra-gramer Hawkins_sofferfan posted a shot of both actors mugging for the camera along with fellow intel officer Kim Burgess (Marina Squerciaiti). On that same note, an Instagram post by the actor who plays officer Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) also features Soffer and Hawkins, along with Flueger himself, hamming it up in the back of a vehicle during a break in filming. And if any additional proof of their close bond is needed, a post on LaRoyce Hawkins' Facebook page shows the two breaking character on the set and laughing it up with Hawkins' tagging the post with: "#We Pwrful Jesse Lee Soffer." 

From all of the above, it seems clear that despite spending so much time around each other when shooting "Chicago P.D.," these two actors have actually developed an enduring friendship in real life.