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 Posted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 1:39 pm
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He was once a hardened criminal on HBO’s Oz, but for the past 12 years, Christopher Meloni has been on the other side of the law as Detective Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Along with Mariska Hargitay, who plays Detective Olivia Benson, Meloni is one of the most consistent presences in the Law & Order universe. I spoke to Meloni about his long run, the SVU family, and not taking his work home at the end of the day.
You’ve been doing Law & Order: SVU for over a decade now. Does it still have the power to surprise you?
In its best moment, it truly does. It starts with the writers, always, but every once in a while, the actors will have a different interpretation of a scene that will give it a little shapeshift. So, yeah, in our best moments, yes.
What has made you want to stick with the show for so long?
I think the circumstances were kind of comfortable and meant a lot to me—New York City, my family, people that I work with. I enjoy coming to work. You know, that’s the bottom line, actually. I still enjoy coming to work.
What are the benefits to working with so many of the same cast members for an extended period of time?
The benefits are, you’ve got a shorthand. Any time someone new comes into the mix, there’s always that courtship time. It’s a different energy. It’s not good or bad or anything—it’s just different. You kind of have to acclimate and incorporate their energy into the whole flow. Now it’s just a no-brainer.
Which cases do you think affect Elliot Stabler the most?
Oh, the ones involving children, no doubt. That, I just think, is a crime that he has a very difficult time wrapping his head around.
Do you ever find that there are cases that affect you in the same way that they affect Stabler?
Well, you know, I must say that it’s the child thing again. The most innocent, the most in need of protection—to be victimized. It makes me really unhappy.
Stabler is always trying to not take his work home with him. How do you, as an actor, experience all the heavy trauma on SVU and then stay happy in your personal life?
First and foremost, on the set we have a great crew and cast who love each other. We have a great sense of humor. That’s really important. Something as small but as important as—I enjoy working out, so I love doing that. And I love my family, so they’re nice to come home to.
Tonight’s episode is about a rape that gets broadcast on a college campus. Is this a “ripped from the headlines” plot or an original story?
As I read it—I didn’t write it, but my opinion of it is, I think what happened in Jersey. There was a fellow who filmed his roommate, I guess having a sexual relationship, and then broadcast it on campus. I think that was the genesis, the original idea. But our stories end and evolve differently. What I found very compelling is, [tonight’s episode] brings us back several years prior to a crime and a kidnapping that occurred. We have to try and now solve this cold case, in order to figure out what has happened with this assault and kidnapping on campus.
This season, we saw Olivia thrown for a loop when she became guardian to a child. Will Elliot be facing any personal issues that might affect him in a similar way?
Well, not along the lines of children. I think he’s full-up right now. Five kids deep, so no more kids for Elliot Stabler, please. Don’t send them to me. I can’t really speak to that right now. We’ve kind of shot all of our episodes, so no, we’re kind of doing procedural and issue-oriented stuff, so nothing deeply personal for Elliot in the next couple weeks.
http://www.tv.com/story/25120.html
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