Christopher Meloni recalls special ‘Law & Order: SVU’ moment with Mariska Hargitay

Christopher Meloni has revealed his favourite Law & Order: Special Victims Unit scene with ex co-star Mariska Hargitay.

Meloni was a star of Law & Order: SVU for 12 seasons and played Elliot Stabler alongside Mariska as Olivia Benson.

“My favorite Law & Order: Special Victims Unit scene featuring myself and Mariska Hargitay was when Lou Diamond Phillips had a gun to my head, and Stabler told Benson to take the shot,” he told Us Weekly. The scene he referred to was in Season 7 episode, Fault.

“We were bound to each other in that moment as people and characters. And I think Mariska was eight months pregnant at the time, so it’s a moment I find particularly special,” he continued. The actress was pregnant with her first child, August, at the time.

The scene he referred to came when Stabler has to chase murderer Victor Paul Gitano and instead checks on Benson due to their close relationship. The delay allows Victor to escape and results in the murder of a child the killer held hostage. 

Later, Benson refuses to put Stabler’s life in danger when Victor holds a gun to her partner’s head. This makes the duo realize that their close bond is making them put each other first instead of their duty, and Benson requesting a new partner at the end of the episode.

As for Meloni, he departed the show in 2011 after failing to negotiate a contract with the franchise. He returned to the franchise in 2021 with a spin-off show Organized Crime.