“Chicago P.D.” star Tracy Spiridakos recalls model agency circling her ‘body flaws’ at 17: ‘You need to lose weight’

Ryan ColemanTue, August 11, 2026 at 10:13 PM UTC

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Tracy Spiridakos in Los Angeles in 2026Credit: Paul Archuleta/GettyKey Points -

Tracy Spiridakos recalls her “body flaws” being circled with Sharpie at a modeling agency meeting as a 17 year old.

“They said, ‘You have to lose weight here, here, and here if you want to do this,’” she recounted.

The Chicago P.D. star described the meeting as a “gut punch,” but says her “very protective” brother swooped in to defend her from the slight.

Before she played tough-as-nails detective Hailey Upton on Chicago P.D., Tracy Spiridakos learned the hard way how strong you need to be to survive a life in the spotlight.

Back when Spiridakos was 17, she won a modeling contest, which meant the Winnipeg, Canada native and one of her brothers packed up and took off for a meeting at a modeling agency. “I got there and they gave me a bikini and told me to put the bikini on and they were going to take some pictures,” Spiridakos recalled on Monday’s episode of the I’ve Never Said This Before podcast.

“So I went, I put the bikini on, I came out and they took Polaroid pictures of me and then laid them out in front of me,” Spiridakos continued. The agent “took a Sharpie and circled all my body flaws with a Sharpie and laid them out and they said, ‘You have to lose weight here, here, and here if you want to do this.’”

Tracy Spiridakos stars on ‘Chicago P.D.’Credit: Lori Allen/NBC via Getty

Spiridakos said the moment felt “like a gut punch,” and she “didn’t really know what to say.” Her brother sure did.

“Both of my brothers are very protective. So my brother got defensive and he was like, ‘You guys brought her out here. You told her she won this contest and now you’re telling her that she needs to lose weight? They said, ‘You know, look, she’s pretty for guy-meets-girl kind of pretty, but if she wants to make it in this industry, she’s got to lose weight,’” she recalled.

Spiridakos couldn’t recall the name of the “pretty big agency,” but it ultimately doesn’t matter — she and her brother walked out. “‘You’re not modeling anymore,’” he told the future actress. “‘I’m telling mom you’re done.’”

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Looking back on the harrowing yet all-too-common experience, Spiridakos reflected, “It’s funny, because, like, those places on my body that they circled, even now — and it’s been a long time — I still see those things in the mirror. I see those flaws, even though they’re not flaws, because you’re at such a young age and so impressionable.”

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Spiridakos wouldn’t have to wait long to land her first screen role, on a 2007 episode of Supernatural. She went on to snag small parts on series like The L Word and Psych before earning a Saturn Award nomination for her performance on the NBC series Revolution.

She joined Chicago P.D. in a recurring capacity in its fourth season, was promoted to the main cast for season 5, and after her season 11 departure, Spiridakos appeared in a guest capacity on the recent 13th season.

You can watch Spiridakos’ full interview on the I’ve Never Said This Before podcast above.

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”