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Tag: chris meloni

  • Mariska Hargitay Talks SVU Character Olivia Benson

    Mariska Hargitay has spent the past 16 years of her life playing the character Detective Olivia Benson on the hugely popular show Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

    We have watched her character grow throughout the years, and in anticipation of the new season appearing on Wednesday, Hargitay sat down with James Lipton for Inside the Actors Studio to talk about everything from the development of Benson to her former partner Christopher Meloni.

    To prepare for her role, Benson revealed that she shadowed cops, and learned to shoot a gun like a professional. She had to get herself into the mindset of a detective, and that meant doing whatever she had to do, even viewing an autopsy.

    For 12 seasons we saw Hargitay and Meloni develop a relationship that the fans came to love. However, Meloni decided to end his career as Detective Stabler just before season 13. Hargitay said she loved the time she got to spend acting with Meloni and praised him for being such a good actor.

    “I’m so grateful for my time with him,” she said. “I think Chris is incapable of lying. He is a truth-teller; he’s committed to the truth at all costs. I loved his passion and commitment…He made me better and I love him. I loved acting with him and I love him as a person.”

    Season 16 of Law and Order: SVU airs on Wednesday, September 24, and Hargitay says she is excited to find out what is in store for her character. “I love her more now than ever…I love her because I am challenged by her,” Hargitay said. “I never know what’s going to happen. She surprises me. [Warren Leight, showrunner] surprises me. This character has evolved, which is the most exciting part of it. I feel in many ways she’s a new character because she’s gone through so much that has truly transformed her.”

  • Richard Belzer Leaving Law And Order: SVU

    Richard Belzer Leaving Law And Order: SVU

    Richard Belzer has announced his departure from the hit crime drama, Law And Order: SVU. The news came on Wednesday, October 9th, when he gave fans a big surprise, and it was announced that his character Sergeant John Munch would be retiring on the show, and that he would be leaving the show as a result. The show has enjoyed a great amount of success over the years and has been on the air since 1999, currently in its 15th season.

    Belzer has been with the cast from the beginning and will surely be missed by the show’s beloved fans. The only other actors to remain on the show for the entire 15 seasons are Mariska Hargitay and Dann Florek, although Ice T, joined the show shortly after it premiered and has stuck with it ever since. Belzer’s character Munch has appeared in not only Law And Order: SUV, but also several other crime shows, first being seen in NBC’s Homicide: Life On The Street. The famous cop character has also appeared in episodes of The X-Files, The Beat, Law And Order, and Law And Order: Trial By Jury, according to US Weekly.

    In the episode on October 9th, Captain Cragen told Olivia Benson in a huge shock that Munch had put in his papers. While this was hard news for her to grasp, he told her that nothing changes, and that everything will be okay. Unlike his former co-star Chris Meloni, Munch will be given a proper farewell on the show, and the cast will be throwing him a retirement party in the episode that will air on October 16th. Chris Meloni played Detective Elliot Stabler, Benson’s longtime partner.

    For a character that has had a television career of more than 20 years, fans will be sad to see him go. However, fans of the show do not have to worry too much since, although he will be leaving the show as a series regular, it has been confirmed that he will make recurring appearances on the show. Law And Order: SVU airs Wednsedays at 9 p.m. on NBC.

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