Q&A: Fresh from 'The Night Agent,' Arienne Mandi looks to make her mark on 'Chicago P.D.'

by jmaloni

Mon, Sep 22nd 2025 04:15 pm

Behind the Screens with Joshua Maloni

As her character, Noor, was stealing secrets from the Iranian U.N. office, Arienne Mandi was stealing scenes from her more-well-known co-stars on season two of the hit Netflix series “The Night Agent.”

The actress flawlessly conveyed the danger Noor was in, keeping us on the edge of our seats as she put her life on the line trying to make a deal with the U.S. government to bring her mother and brother to America. She showed grit in standing up for what she wanted, determination in not backing down – and can we talk about how well she spoke Farsi?

Now, Mandi is taking her talents in building suspense, backing down bullies, and bringing a character to life, to the Windy City. She has been cast in season 13 of NBC’s “Chicago P.D.”

Mandi’s character, Eva Imani, meets Sgt. Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) in the aftermath of the stunning season finale. His intelligence unit has been disbanded following the actions (and shocking murder) of Deputy Chief Charlie Reid (Shawn Hatosy).

“Chicago P.D.” premieres at 10 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, on NBC, and will stream on Peacock.

In addition to her work on “The Night Agent,” Mandi has been featured in two short films that showcase her love for the gym – and combat fight training – birthed from a desire to strengthen her core. The Los Angeles native shared more in this edited Q&A.

Arienne Mandi as Eva Imani on "Chicago P.D." (Photo by Elizabeth Sisson/NBC)

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BTS: Tell me a little bit about Chicago. In years past, when I've spoken with Tracy or Toya or Benjamin – when they were the newbies – they always talked about how welcoming the set was; how, when they joined the cast, it was such a great experience. And not for nothing, you're working in a city with some of the best restaurants and best chefs in the entire world.

Arienne Mandi: It has been nothing short of amazing.

I think I got here and I hit the ground running. It was all happening so fast, like from the first audition, to meeting with (showrunner) Gwen (Sigan), to then landing in Chicago and starting work right away; it was very fast and furious.

But like you said, everyone has been so kind and so welcoming, and they're really just like a big family, and it's so wonderful to see how many people have been there from the beginning. Everyone's really tightknit, and so kind and so gracious, and like anything I needed, whether it was recommendations for restaurants, whether it was gym recommendations – because everyone knows I love the gym.

It's been lots of things. I found myself going to Fulton Market/West Loop area a lot, and there's just so many restaurants out here. I've made it a point to not go to the same place twice, because I really just want to see everything that's in my backyard. And like you said, there's so much to see out here, so I'm really looking forward to continuing my foodie journey. …

It’s such a beautiful city. Clean, but has character. I mean, to me, I feel like it's a bit of a hybrid between LA and New York. I don't know if that's a popular opinion, but it feels like a little bit of both – like the best of both places to me, at least. So, I'm looking forward to continuing my exploration.

BTS: What was it about this series, and this role in particular, that was attractive to you?

Arienne Mandi: Oh my gosh. I think I was always really excited at the idea of any sort of action role. I really love utilizing that body for different projects. And I think this job is very demanding in the sense of, like, everyone is very tactically sound, and details are very important on this show, and everyone has their training and they're all really great at what they do. And so, I'm excited to join that squad.

Benjamin Levy and I were actually close friends prior to me getting the job, so that was really exciting to me, as well. I was like, “Oh my gosh. What a dream getting to work with such a good friend of mine.” And he had nothing but wonderful things to say about the show. I remember when he booked the show, he called me and we spoke many times over the last couple of years that he's been on the show; and he just said how wonderful it is, and how wonderful the team was, and how great Jason is, and Marina and Patty, and LaRoyce.

I was excited, because coming on to season 13 of a show, you don't know what the vibe will be, being a new character, and it's been nothing short of super welcoming, super warm, and I feel like I fit in really quickly. It's been really nice.

BTS: Tell me about your character. What can we expect from her?

Arienne Mandi: Eva Imani is a bit of a wildcard. She's reckless; she's instinctual; she's kind of always out and moving; always working on her own. When we find her in episode one, she's been detailed to the ATF and, in the past, she's been working with private military companies. And like I said, not used to working with teams. So, when she collides with Voight, it's a bit of a surprise to see that, as much as she doesn't want to admit it, they're kind of similar in the way they move, in the way they don't mind cutting corners to get to what's important to serve and protect the people. And that's kind of all very new to her.

So that's, I think, what we explore over the course of the season, is how she fits in – or doesn't – with a group.

Her and Voight are pretty much kindred spirits.

Arienne Mandi’s Eva Imani is a “breath of fresh air” to the “Chicago P.D.” team. (Photo by Parrish Lewis/NBC)

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BTS: You know, a lot of times actors are asked to play characters with a tremendous amount of knowledge of their city or their co-stars’ characters, and so they have to make us believe they have this backstory – that they know these things; that they're familiar with these other people we see them with on screen. But, in the sense that your character is new to Voight and his team, and you're new to this series, is that helpful that you both sort of get to discover more about the team as you go along?

Arienne Mandi: Oh my gosh, very much so. … Well, yes and no, because, if I'm being totally honest, I feel like, from the get-go, Jason and I kind of hit it off in the sense that we realized we had a similar sense of humor. He was just so awesome in extending himself and welcoming me on board. So, it felt comfortable very fast; I'm not going to lie. I mean, every day on set with him is a treat, because he not only comes incredibly prepared, but he just has so many golden nuggets of information that he shares with me all the time.

And a testament to, I think, the way everyone works on the show is they're always finding the scene; you know, they're always reworking it, and questioning it, and molding it and reshaping it, which is really exciting to me – I think to any actor, really – it's the collaborative process, and everyone is so collaborative. So, that's been really great.

I think we're constantly getting to know each other as we move. And every day, we have such a great time, but we always check in, and we're still learning each other, and we're still figuring it out, and that's the fun.

BTS: You were fantastic on “The Night Agent,” and so much so that I legit thought Farsi was your first language. You were completely believable in that role.

Obviously, you're very good at prep – but I'm guessing you had more time to prep for that role than for this one. Assuming that was the case, were there certain things you wanted to highlight, or were there certain things you wanted to focus on, as far as your prep, before you got into this series?

Arienne Mandi: You are very right in saying that I had a little more prep time on “Night Agent” than I did with this!

I want to say that the way things unfolded so quickly kind of lends itself to my character, Imani, being out of her element. Like, I don't think I have a grip on everything, character wise – my character doesn't have a grip on everything that's happening around her, because it's all new. Colliding with Voight, and how we get entangled in the work environment. That's all new for me – and Ari, who didn't have a lot of time to prep, it was like kind of perfect, because I was still getting my bearings in our very first days of shooting, and still building this character, and learning her, and finding out what makes her tick. It very much was aligned with how it was actually happening. I am really grateful for that.

Who knows how it would have unfolded differently if I had more time to prep. I mean, you never really have enough time. It's always when you get to set and you feel your surroundings, and you get to know your castmates, and they let you in on the world, that it all kind of takes shape.

Yeah, it happened as it did, I'll say (laughs).

BTS: You mentioned action. I'm of the age that I grew up with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and action movies; “Alias” is one of my favorite series of all times. So, when I see someone like you who I know can handle themselves in real life, my first inkling is like, “Oh man, I want to see her kick some bad guy butt right up and down the screen!”

But that might not be realistic to “Chicago P.D.,” or to the kind of character you're playing. So, how do you balance what you can do, and maybe what you would want to do, or want to show, with trying to make this be as realistic a portrayal of the Chicago Police Department as it can be?

Arienne Mandi: Well, I mean, I have everyone around me to thank, especially Brian Luce, who is our guy on set, who's basically fact-checking everything and making sure I know exactly what I'm doing. He was a real-life police officer for many years, so he kind of leads me in the right direction for bringing truth to everything.

I will say, though, my character is coming from the outside, is used to working alone, doesn't really play well with others, and she is scrappy in the sense that she's not P.D. She comes in, and she works for private military company; she does her own thing; so, she doesn't exactly play by the rules. And I think that's reflected in how we see her. If there's a fight sequence, if there's gun work – whatever is done – it's not exactly the way everybody else does it.

So, I think there is some of that, and I think that will maybe evolve over the course of the season. Who knows? But, right now, it's not exactly what you've seen before, and that's new, and that would be – now that I'm thinking about it, if Gwen said the character is a breath of fresh air, it's a little bit different from everybody else.

BTS: I'm sure, whatever the role is, you're going to be fantastic. Like I said, I know you are very, very good at your craft, and so we're excited to see you on this season of “Chicago P.D.” …

And if you happen to throw someone out a window, Jack Bauer style, we're not going to be mad at that either.

Arienne Mandi: Thanks, Josh. It's going to be exciting, I'll tell you that much.

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