DeNetria Gibson still remembers the moment the van door opened.
Inside sat the cast of “Chicago P.D.” — the very actors she had watched from afar, now suddenly her co-stars. For a brief second, the Oakland University senior froze.
“And I’m like, ‘Oh my god, where am I?’” she said. “But then I was like, ‘No, they’re human — I have to talk to them like they’re human.”
Acclimating, the Oakland University senior and BFA acting major’s initial disbelief quickly gave way after encouragement from her fellow cast members. She was making her television debut as a guest star in Season 13, Episode 16 of the long-running NBC police procedural.
“They were all really funny,” Gibson said. “I thought [series lead] Jason Beghe would be really, really serious, but the first thing he said was a joke. We got on set, and it was really fun.”
In the episode, titled “Restored,” Gibson plays Katharine “Shorty” Short, a woman entangled in a criminal investigation involving the father of her child. The role placed her at the center of several interrogation scenes, and required an intensely emotive and demanding application of her skills.
“I played the accused’s girlfriend — or his baby mama,” she said. “They think I’m involved, and so they interrogate me… The character is there for one episode to move the story along, but she is essential.”
After receiving notice of the audition through professor Milica Govich, Gibson submitted her tape within hours. She quickly moved from consideration to “pinned” — the top choice — and was officially booked in the role shortly afterward.
Gibson then spent two weeks filming at Cinespace Studios in Chicago. The shoot marked her first experience on a professional television set. She explained that the environment differed significantly from her past work in stage acting.
“I got to work with a real baby, which was… traumatic, to say the least,” she said. “That first scene was the hardest, but after that, it got easier. As scared as I was, I felt more comfortable than I do on stage.”
Gibson’s love of acting first began in childhood, the product of Disney movies and television inspirations as well as an enterprising imagination.
“I would repeat lines and learn monologues from my favorite TV shows to pretend like I was that character,” she said. “I had Barbie dolls, Ken dolls, and Transformers, and I would make my own little movies with them.”
Gibson first pursued acting through school programs in third grade, continuing theatrical work through high school. At OU, she has portrayed the lead in three short films, participated in several plays, and also worked as a director and choreographer for university productions.
Drawn to stories that reflect her identity and community, Gibson hopes to work with filmmakers like Ryan Coogler and pursue roles that center underrepresented voices.
“I really like stories that voice my community,” she said. “Black lesbian stories — that’s my cup of tea.”
Her next steps are already in motion: two upcoming short film roles on campus, the lead role in a touring production of Euripides’ “Medea” in Greece. She hopes to eventually relocate, spending more time in Chicago, before heading for Los Angeles to pursue screen acting professionally.
“It was crazy,” Gibson said. “I was like, ‘There’s no way that this is happening to me right now, right before I graduate. But I really feel like I can do this in the future.”
