Within Law & Order: SVU’s 26-season history, one element that has remained a fan-favorite is the relationship between Olivia Benson and Chris Stabler. Although Stabler isn't a regular on the show anymore, viewers remain invested in the dynamic between the two law enforcement officials. The writers deserve a lot of credit for that, but a lot of it can also be chalked up to Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni’s undeniable chemistry. Ahead of SVU's return on the 2025 TV schedule, Hargitay recalled discovering that spark amid her audition with Meloni years ago.
Mariska Hargitay's recent comments suggest that she has fond memories of auditioning for the show that would ultimately change her life and career. While speaking with Today, Hargitay opened up about her audition with Christopher Meloni, specifically detailing the first time she laid eyes on him:
It was a sort of once-in-a-lifetime experience. … In the room, when he walked in, I sort of sized him up, and I said, ‘That’s the guy.’ ’That’s the guy. That is the guy. That is the guy.’ It was so obvious to me that that was the guy, and apparently, he felt the same way.
It’s great just how spot-on the ER alum's intuition was. Few would probably deny that Christopher Meloni looks like leading man material but, of course, there's more to acting than having a look. Meloni also had to gel with his eventual co-star and, according to Mariska Hargitay, it didn't take long for the pair to find their rhythm:
We were like, ‘I know we have good chemistry.’ Even at times when we were, like, fighting or had a difference of opinion, or things getting tense, we still had it. It’s chemistry, right? And we were just always very important people in each other’s lives, and we knew it. We knew it from Minute 1. And we’re still very close, very close.
Almost 30 years have passed since Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni met each other, and I love that they remain close today. Whether they're appearing on SVU or Organized Crime together or just hanging out off-camera and even coming across Law & Order references, their bond seems unbreakable. Hargitay knows how great their connection is, and she summed it up with the following comments:
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.
It's interesting when either of the L&O alums provide BTS insight into their work. Over the summer, Hargitay revealed a key Bensler moment was improvised by Meloni back in Season 9, which saw the two character hug after Kathy was in an accident and she and their new baby were doing well. There honestly are few on-screen partners who stack up to these two characters, and few actors have quality chemistry like the stars who portray them, too.
Needless to say, it's a treat whenever Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni share scenes, and seeing them together ahead of the Law & Order finales last year made me seriously miss Benson and Stabler. I don't know when these two characters will share the screen again, but I'm hoping it happens again soon.
You can check out the awesome Hargitay/Meloni chemistry by streaming past episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Organized Crime using a Peacock subscription.
