Mariska Hargitay ‘devastated' when Meloni left SVU
Mariska Hargitay has revealed for the first time ever she was just as upset as Law and Order: Special Victims Unit fans were when co-star Christopher Meloni abruptly left the show.
The 61-year-old star, who plays Olivia Benson in the long-running crime show, revealed on the Call Her Daddy podcast that she was 'devastated' when Meloni, 64, left at the end of season 12.
'The entire world was just devastated - it happened very quickly, and it was surprising,' she told host Alex Cooper of his 2012 departure. Hargitay and Meloni played Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler, partners in the Special Victims Unit from 1999 to 2012. Credit: Supplied
'It was over a negotiation, and I tried everything I could to fix or change it.'
'He left. I was devastated.'
She followed up by saying despite missing him as a co-star, it was 'awesome' that Meloni was able to do 'all these other great shows' since his departure.
Meloni's character Elliot Stabler has since become the star of spin-off Law & Order: Organized Crime, which has run since 2021. Elliott Stabler has starred as the lead in spinoff show Law and Order: Organised Crime Credit: NBC
The actor briefly returned to the world of SVU during season 22 in 2021 and has continued to make occasional small appearances on the series in recent years.
During the podcast Cooper, 30, also asked Hargitay one question SVU fans have been dying to know about the actors' on-screen personas: after 26 years of 'will they, won't they', will Olivia and Elliot ever end up together?
'Maybe on the last episode, that's when I think they should be together,' Hargitay teased the show's fans.
'We are soulmates in a way, we are, and I think that Chris has had a profound impact on my life, my artistry – let's see where the story takes us.'
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