Chicago P.D. Star Tracy Spiridakos Is Stunning Without Makeup
"Chicago P.D." fans aren't used to seeing Tracy Spiridakos all glammed up on the show, and it turns out that she shares her character's preference for a more natural look. As a member of Chicago P.D.'s Intelligence Unit, Detective Hailey Upton's minimalist approach to beauty just makes practical sense. Why bother putting on a lot of makeup if it's just going to get washed off by the frigid water of the Chicago River when you leap into it to save the passenger of a sinking car?
However, there's certainly nothing wrong with a police detective wanting to brighten up her beauty look with some scarlet lip stain, and the "Chicago P.D." makeup team does liberally use the color red — it's just usually oozing out of fake wounds or mimicking the appearance of a fresh bruise. The show's makeup crew is so talented that some Redditors became concerned about Spiridakos' health after noticing her dramatic makeunder in 2021. "She does not look so healthy anymore," one person wrote. Another commenter theorized that this is exactly how she was supposed to look, writing, "I think they just showed Hailey like that in order to portray better the stress and toll of the job takes on her." A third fan also noted that there's no hint of her character's exhaustion in the makeup-free photos Spiridakos has shared on Instagram, as evidenced by the pic below.
Tracy Spiridakos is always smiling sans makeup
While some celebrities look totally different without makeup, this isn't the case for Tracy Spiridakos. This is because she tends to avoid elaborate beauty looks, opting instead to let her natural radiance be the wow factor when she attends red-carpet events. At the 2023 Monte Carlo TV Festival, she didn't appear to have any brow makeup on, and her mascara had been used sparingly. She looked just as gorgeous in a makeup-free selfie taken a few days earlier — but her smile was far wider. Upon seeing the pic on Instagram, one of Spiridakos' followers wrote, "I love how you always post with just your natural beauty."
Spiridakos' smile also received plenty of praise, and it makes an appearance in many of her bare-faced photos. She and her "Chicago P.D." castmate Marina Squerciati sported matching grins while enjoying a spa day together, and she looked happy to be doing some outdoor reading during a hiatus from filming. She also couldn't help but beam for the camera when her beloved rottweiler Nala decided to give her cheek an affectionate lick. The corners of her mouth were even quirking up as she showed off a big zit on her forehead, which "Chicago P.D." producer Brian Luce had helpfully pointed out.
Spiridakos summed up her relaxed approach to beauty by telling Filler, "I'm more a jeans and T-shirt kinda gal, but this whole red carpet business is pretty damn fun, I must say."
Tracy Spiridakos enjoyed rocking dirt makeup
A good way to convey to viewers that life in a post-apocalyptic dystopian world is tough is by covering its occupants with dirt. Tracy Spiridakos found this aspect of the job delightful when she starred in the TV series "Revolution" from 2012 to 2014. "Rolling around in the mud? I think that's fun! And they paid me to do it? Sure!" she told the Toronto Sun. However, she didn't actually have to go hog wild in the muck to get that grimy look; she told Young Hollywood that the show's makeup artists applied fake dirt with what she described as "a little pounce thing."
In an interview with 98.3 The Key, Spiridakos joked that there was one benefit of her on-screen look being so unglamorous. "That's actually my disguise. When I go out, I put on makeup, and everyone's like, 'Who are you?'" she said. Because of her experience on "Revolution," she found it odd when her role as a prostitute on "Bates Motel" required her to look like she owned a bunch of cosmetics and knew how to use them to the best of her advantage. "Putting on makeup? I was like, 'What is this?'" she recalled to the Toronto Sun. But now that she's followed former castmate Jesse Lee Soffer's lead by deciding to leave "One Chicago," Spiridakos has the opportunity to pursue additional roles that will get her better acquainted with bronzer and bold lip colors.