Law & Order: SVUwould be very different without the influence ofChristopher Meloni’s mother.
During Monday’s episode ofLate Night withSeth Meyers, Meloni and hisSVUcostarMariska Hargitayopened up about the beloved NBC crime drama and how it initially had a different title.
In their conversation with the host, Meloni, 60, noted how the show’s original title wasSex Crimes, though it never aired with that name. He then recounted getting the role of Detective Elliot Stabler, and his mom’s concern over the series' title.
“It was calledSex Crimesand I literally went, ‘Okay…'” he skeptically recalled. “As did my mother because when we got it, when we screen-tested and we got it, I go, ‘Mom, I got it!'”
“[She said] ‘You got what?’ [and I said,] ‘I’m onSex Crimes!'” he added. “She’s like, ‘Can they change the name?'”
According to Hargitay, 58, Meloni’s mom was so passionate about changing the title that she eventually went to the show’s creator herself. “And then she called Dick [Wolf] and he did change the name!” she said.
Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
Though the title was officially changed, neither Hargitay nor Meloni was the first to know when it happened.
“We were actually beginning to do a little publicity for it and one of the publicists ran up to us — we’re doing a little publicity line and I said ‘It’s great to be working on the great new show,Sex Crimes’ — and she came running up ‘Hey! Don’t ever say those words again!'” Meloni recalled. “[It’s]SVU.”
“Nobody will watch a show calledSex Crimes,” Hargitay joked.
Law & Order: SVUpremiered on NBC in September 1999 and has been on the air for 23 seasons, becoming the longest-running primetime live-action series in the history of U.S. television.
On the show, Meloni plays Elliot Stabler while Hargitay portrays the role of his partner Olivia Benson. The pair starred alongside each other for the first 12 seasons ofSVUuntil Meloni departed in 2011. He has sincereturned to the franchiseand is now starring in his own spin-off series,Law & Order: Organized Crime.
During their interview with Meyers, theSVUstars also mentioned their unique chemistry upon first meeting.
“You never think that, after being a struggling actor for so long, that any show’s gonna go,” she explained. “But this was a unique audition for us because when we met, there was a certain chemistry, so I actually wasn’t nervous at the audition.”
“But you never think what happened [with the show’s fame] would happen,” she added. “You can’t dream it!”
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Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay.Ruven Afanador
Since reuniting last year,SVUfans have continued to hold out hope that Elliot and Olivia’s friendship will eventually turn romantic, thanks in part to Meloni and Hargitay’ssocial media trolling.
Ina recent interview with PEOPLE, Hargitay said the show is “taking it one step at a time” in regards to Olivia’s evolving relationship with Elliot.
“It’s such a complicated relationship that I think we just want to respect the complexity and the nuance of it,” she explained. “He’s in a new job and he’s sort of unbalanced … But what we do know is that Olivia loves him, will always love him, will always be there and they have a bond like no other.”
Added Meloni of a potential relationship with Olivia: “In the future, I don’tnotsee it. That might be very satisfying for a lot of people, I’ll leave it at that.”
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The pair have also spoken about their on-screen chemistry, with Melonitelling PEOPLE last year of their reunion, “It was Pavlovian: Ring that bell, and you get right into Stabler and Benson.”
“There was so much shorthand between us, which all goes back to the trust we have,” Hargitay mused. “He’s always made me feel like I could just jump off the ledge, the cliff, the bridge, and he would catch me, in so many ways, whether it was comedy or acting or friendship.”
“It’s simple,” Meloni added. “We have each other’s back.”
Law & Order: SVUandLaw & Order: Organized Crimeair Thursdays on NBC.
source: people.com
