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Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni were two actors who hailed from comedy and fans would’ve never guessed they would thrive in a serious drama likeLaw & Order: SVU. However, Hargitay knew Meloni was“the guy”right from the moment he walked in for the audition. While she admitted that she and Meloni were polar opposites in real life, she shared that they fit together perfectly.
When Hargitay’s agent brought her the role, she was warned that it was a darker show for her. It turned out to be true as Hargitay and Meloni saw some heinous crimes from real life being adapted to their show. However, Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler quickly became the champions of s*xual assault victims.
Mariska Hargitay opens up about her chemistry with Chris Meloni
After 26 seasons,Mariska Hargitayis pretty much synonymous with her character, Detective Olivia Benson. She sat down for an interview with Willie Geist ofTODAY, where she talked about her co-star Chris Meloni, who played Elliot Stabler. According to Hargitay, she had figured out that Meloni was the right guy opposite her from day one.
“I have thought about that”: Mariska Hargitay Knows When Her ‘Law & Order’ Days Might Come to an End After 26 Years, But Her Real Fight Is Far from Over
Hargitay was a clear favorite of the creatorsand met Meloni during one of her callbacks. She recalled seeing him for the first time as he entered the room for the audition. She shared:
In the room, when he walked in, I sort of sized him up, and I said, ‘That’s the guy.’ It was so obvious to me that that was the guy, and apparently, he felt the same way. So, it was — just felt meant to be.
Hargitay also spoke about howshe and Meloni were polar oppositesin real life. However, she shared that they perfectly fit together like yin-yang, making them suitable for the roles in the series. Hargitay shared that this dynamic of the actors came up in discussions early on and the creators believed that it would work perfectly. She shared:
Chris and I are polar opposites in terms of who we are as people. I mean, you can’t get two people who are more different. And yet, there was this yin-yang. We just fit, and so everyone had talked about that very early on. So that wasn’t a surprise, because we knew it.
Their chemistry was incredible as partners who had slightly different perspectives on a particular crime. At one point, fans believed that the two were going to pursue a romantic relationship. However, Stabler’s marriage remained the biggest obstacle throughout the 12 seasons that Meloni stayed in the show.
Hargitay alluded to their chemistry in the interview,“Even at times when we were, like, fighting or had a difference of opinion, or things getting tense, we still had it.”She further shared that they knew they would become important people in each other’s lives. Fans hope that their characters will cross paths again in theLaw & Orderuniverse and pursue that romantic chemistry.
Why aren’t Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler still together after hisLaw & Orderreturn?
With Elliot Stabler’s return in the new spin-offLaw & Order: Organized Crimeand the death of his wife, fans believed that he and Olivia Benson finally had a chance. BothSVUandOrganized Crimetried to build up the momentum for this relationship, but there has been no significant progress.
“I didn’t care about the record”: Mariska Hargitay Proved Dick Wolf Made the Worst Decision by Almost Firing Her From ‘Law & Order’ After a Fight
The biggest hindrance now is that the two characters are in different shows. It brings up logistic difficulty, as seen in previous seasons whenOrganized Crimehad to go into a development limbo. Interestingly, Chris Meloni’s show will be back on Peacock, which will allow for some crossover episodes.
Just like how Mariska Hargitay made the confession about Meloni, fans want Benson to make her confession to Stabler. Some fans consider it best if it would happen in the finale ofLaw & Order: SVU.
Episodes ofLaw & Order: SVUandLaw & Order: Organized Crimeare now available for streaming on Peacock.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3018
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
