‘Chicago P.D.’ Star Jon Seda Dreams of Return of Boxing

Celebrity Q&A, Featured Article, People
on March 2, 2014
Chicago P.D. - Season 1
Paul Drinkwater/NBC Jon Seda as Detective Antonio Dawson
https://americanprofile.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/jon-seda-chicago-pd-150x150.jpg

Does actor Jon Seda ever wish he had continued boxing and turned pro?
— Antonio Cruz, Santa Fe. New Mexico

The “Chicago P.D.” star and New Jersey native, 43, was a runner up in the New Jersey Golden Gloves competition, and had thought to follow his passion and tryout for the 1992 Olympics, but he hung up his gloves shortly after making his screen debut as a fighter in “Gladiator.”

“Sometimes I have dreams and they feel so real that I wake up and I go, ‘Oh, wait a minute, I’m not boxing anymore, I’m actually acting,'” he says. “I do, I think about it a lot. To me, it’s kind of like an unfinished chapter. I get to play a lot of boxing roles in films, and experience that. But I think about it all the time. Who’s to say? I could’ve gotten knocked out in my first professional fight and never had a career.”

Acting wasn’t a profession that Seda had seriously considered prior to landing the role in “Gladiator.” In fact, his first thought was, “‘Cool, I’ll do a movie and make some money.’ I went right back to boxing. I had another fight. Next thing I know, I’m making more movies. I didn’t really think about it. I guess it was destined for me, and you could say, ‘God had a plan,’ and this is where I am. I’m not regretting it.”

Prior to “Chicago P.D.,” Seda was best known for his role as Paul Falsone on NBC’s “Homicide: Life on the Street.” His other TV credits include series regular roles on “Treme,” “Kevin Hill” and “Close to Home,” and recurring roles on “Ghost Whisperer” “Third Watch” and “Oz.” Seda has also guest-starred on “Hawaii Five-0,” “The Closer,” “Burn Notice,” “House,” “CSI: Miami,” “NYPD Blue,” “Las Vegas” and “Law and Order,” as well as playing a starring role in the HBO miniseries “The Pacific.”

In addition to “The Gladiator,” his film credits include “Carlito’s Way,” “Twelve Monkeys,” “The Sunchaser” and “Selena.”

As for his current role as Detective Antonio Dawson on “Chicago, P.D.,” he says, “What I like most about Antonio is the fact that, like me, he’s a family guy. I’m really close to my family. It’s just important to me. I like that he’s very moral. He’s very true. He’s respectable, but he’s not someone to take lightly. He’ll get the job done. He’s a tough cop, but he loves what he does. For me, I think, the thing I love the most about him is the fact that he’s a guy that you can really count on.”