Chicago Med: 10 Facts You Didn’t Know About Will Halstead

Will Halstead is quite the package ⁠— good-looking, ambitious and motivated by passion and determination. He isn’t always the easiest person to be around on the Chicago Med scene, but he is definitely worth watching in that when he fixes his mind and heart on something, he won’t relent ⁠— until he has it. He has had a challenging past and carries his fair share of issues, and while some of his moves might seem arrogant or not quite match up to what viewers expect he is, for the most part, a wholly human and believable a character. Here are 10 things about Will Halstead fans might not know.

10 From plastic surgeon to life saver

Will wasn’t always in emergency medical services. He started out his career in the medical field as a plastic surgeon. With all that charm, who wouldn’t want to hire Will Halstead as a personal plastic surgeon?

Still, with his talent in the medical profession, it was only a matter of time before he spread his wings to reach for greater things. In the series, he has abandoned plastic surgery to become a third-year emergency medicine student, at the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.

9 A disapproving father

It should come as a surprise to viewers to learn that Will’s father considered him a disappointment. This was when Will chose to attend college instead of going straight into the workforce after school. Most parents would want it the other way around.

However, it would seem that Will’s father was more than a little difficult to please. This had huge ramifications for Will and his sense of identity, with him on more than one occasion doubting his own value or ability as a medical professional, and also doubting his ability to be with Natalie, and forcefully pursuing her.

8 He is ambitious

Will went against his father’s stated wish for his life and chose instead to follow his dreams to study medicine, showing him to be someone who is not just intelligent, but ambitious as well.

When his dad refused to consent to him studying after school, Will went ahead with it anyway…paying his own way through college.

7 Brothers with determination

Will is not alone in having tremendous ambition. His brother is Jay Halstead, of Chicago PD fame. Whereas Will chose to follow a career in medicine after school, Jay chose to become a US Army Ranger, eventually being deployed in Afghanistan. Following this, he returned home to become a detective for the Chicago Police Department. The brothers both have tremendous potential and determination — “two peas in a pod,” as they say. They also both seem to love action, though each has chosen to pursue this differently.

6 A challenging past

As bright and becoming as he is, Will did not have life easy in his younger years. In addition to receiving disapproval from his father, his mom died of cancer at a fairly young age. Sadly, Will was not around when his mom died and this was the cause of much bitterness from brother Jay, who was stationed in Afghanistan at the time and wanted someone to be there to support their mother. Will continues to feel a tremendous amount of guilt over his mom’s death.

5 Will’s debut

The viewers of Chicago Med first meet Will Halstead at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Emergency Department. In this same episode, a train derails and Will helps attend to the victims. One of the victims is a surrogate mother, Gina, who suffers a severe head injury. This same victim causes arguments between Will and Natalie Manning, who wants to use the supply of nitrous oxide for the baby. Will says the baby is unlikely to survive and the reserves would be best used in saving the life of another victim.

4 He can be emotional

Who can forget the scene in Season 2 when Natalie comforts a devastated Will, following the death of his first mentor, Dr. Rowan? Will became very emotional when he learned that Dr. Rowan had been admitted for kidney failure and pneumonia.

He even replayed the doctor’s graduation speech over and over again, visibly touched by her sentiments in the speech, which is that one should treat the patient and not the disease.

3 Brothers unite

Will and brother Jay haven’t always seen eye to eye. However, it would seem their differences are overcome at their father’s death. Pat is caught in an apartment fire later on in the series and is admitted to Chicago Med. He was subsequently kept on a ventilator. Will and Jay, arrive at the mutual decision to switch off the machine together. It’s a touching moment and one of triumph for the brothers who. for once, appear to be standing in perfect unity.

2 A faithful heart

It would seem that it’s not just his career that Will approaches with tenacious determination. He is the same with women, specifically one woman ⁠— Dr. Natalie Manning. Fans of the series will know that he has a crush on her from day one, when he first begins work at Chicago Med. Natalie and Will’s relationship develops, frustratingly so at times, for viewers who hope it will progress in leaps and bounds, as according to the evident feelings Will has in his heart for her. However, they are eventually engaged, which is another indicator of Will’s steadfast determination towards everything in his life.

1 He has a Catholic upbringing

Will is full of surprises and while it might be hard to picture him as an altar boy, this is exactly what he was, growing up. He was raised in a staunch Catholic family, and Catholic traditions colored much of his experiences of childhood. He also attended a Catholic school. What’s more, fans may or may not have noticed the cross tattoo on the third finger of his left hand. What this positioning means, only Will  — and the showrunners ⁠— would be able to tell you.