Mariska Hargitay wasn’t happy that “Law & Order: SVU” creator Dick Wolf cut her and Christopher Meloni’s kissing scene.
In a new interview with the Hollywood Reporter, the actress recalled filming a scene for Season 24 in which her character, Olivia Benson, smooched Elliot Stabler (Meloni). However, she told the outlet that Wolf made them film another version of the scene where their characters only nearly kiss.
“I think we felt that this moment was earned, that this thing could happen for a second — and so that’s how we shot it,” Hargitay explained.
“Don’t you wish you were there for that?! Yeah,” she continued.
Despite them shooting the scene “a couple different ways,” the actress said Wolf and the editors ultimately aired the near-kiss version rather than the full smooch.
Hargitay, 62, and Meloni, 65, “disagreed” with that decision.
“We disagreed because we thought that it was earned and the way it was dealt with was really complex and very beautiful and very human and showed the complexity of their relationship and all the different ways that they’re connected,” Hargitay told THR.
She added, “[But] no matter what I want, Dick Wolf can totally just say, ‘Uh, no.’”
Meloni previously addressed the deleted kissing scene between Benson and Stabler, who have had a “will they or won’t they” relationship on the NBC series, during TVLine Spotlight conversation last year.
“We were attempting something. I don’t think it worked,” he admitted. “But I’m not going to tell you why it didn’t work, because you all have your opinion.”
Off-screen, both actors are happily married. Hargitay has been married to Peter Hermann since 2004 and they have three children, while Meloni and Doris Sherman Williams have been married since 1995 and share two children.
Hargitay and Meloni joined “Law & Order: SVU” in 1999. Meloni left the show in 2011 and reprised his character for the “Law & Order: Organized Crime” spinoff, which was recently canceled after five seasons.
In her THR interview, Hargitay said it’s “possible” that Meloni could come back to “SVU.”
“At some point? I mean, anything’s possible. Yes,” she said. “The answer to that is he and I are not … it’s not done.”
After the spinoff was canceled, Meloni teared up while thanking fans for their support.
“I wanted to take this moment to say thank you to the fans, who not only helped give the character of Elliot Stabler life and longevity, but for sticking with him and welcoming him back,” he shared in the April 16 Instagram clip.
The Emmy nominee also said he had a “good ride” playing Stabler for nearly 17 years.
