Mariska Hargitay Reveals She Filmed a Kiss Scene with Christopher Meloni for Law & Order: SVU That Was Cut

NEED TO KNOW

• Mariska Hargitay says she and Christopher Meloni filmed a kiss scene for Law & Order: SVU that was ultimately cut
• The moment was vetoed in favor of a near-kiss that aired, despite Meloni’s differing view
• The actress also reflects on her decades-long bond with Meloni and their on- and off-screen relationship

Mariska Hargitay is revealing a long-teased moment between two of television’s most enduring characters that never made it to air.

Hargitay and her longtime costar Christopher Meloni shot a scene in which their characters, Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler, finally kissed, the 62-year-old star told The Hollywood Reporter in a new interview published April 28.

However, the moment was ultimately scrapped.

According to Hargitay, series creator and longtime producer Dick Wolf vetoed the scene, opting instead for the near-kiss that aired — a decision Meloni did not agree with.

Meloni, 65, has previously spoken about the evolving dynamic between the two characters and the challenges of shaping it on screen. In a 2025 TVLine Spotlight conversation ahead of the fifth season premiere of Law & Order: Organized Crime, he acknowledged the creative experimentation behind the scenes.

“Guys, we were attempting something. I don’t think it worked, but I’m not going to tell you why it didn’t work. Have your opinion,” he said.

“I know what transpired,” Meloni continued, adding that while scenes are filmed, actors are not always aware of what will ultimately be included. “We don’t have that power. We do the best we can to be honest with the scenes we’re given. … We’re doing the best we can to make it honest, not make it baited. If we do bait, at least for me, I always do it with a wink.”

“I think it’s good-natured, but maybe you guys are over that, and that’s valid,” he added. “But what can I tell you, you give us too much credit for the power that we might have — will they, won’t they and all that stuff.”

Hargitay and Meloni, who have portrayed the former NYPD partners for decades, have long acknowledged the chemistry between their characters — and their close bond off screen.

Speaking on a 2025 episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Hargitay described the depth of their relationship.

“We are just connected,” she said. “We are so close. It’s like we’ve been through the battle together. We know each other so well. We love each other so much. We respect each other so much.”

She added that the pair share “a very similar sense of humor” and a “shared perspective,” which gives them a kind of shorthand with one another. “We are so comfortable with each other, we deeply trust each other … Whatever he needs, I will always be there for him, and that’s mutual. And we have grown together, we’ve known each other 27 years,” she said.

That connection made Meloni’s departure from SVU after season 12 in 2012 especially difficult, Hargitay said.

“I was devastated. I was devastated,” she recalled, noting that his exit happened quickly and unexpectedly. “It happened very quickly, and it was surprising. It was over a negotiation. And I tried everything I could to fix it and change it,” she said. “He left. I was devastated.”

Meloni later returned to the franchise in 2021 with Law & Order: Organized Crime, a spinoff that reunited the two actors on screen. The series ran for five seasons before PEOPLE confirmed on April 16 that it would not return for a sixth season.

Reflecting on the show’s end, Hargitay told Extra she was emotional watching Meloni process the moment.

“I saw it and burst out in tears, first of all,” she said. “I immediately burst out in tears because it has, just like he said, and he was so beautiful and open — because it has been a great ride. And it has been so beautiful and intimate and such a huge part of his life and was life-changing for him.”

“It kind of took me by surprise because I knew and Chris is working and in demand and such a magnificent actor,” she added. “But it’s, in a way, closing a chapter. So when that happens, one needs to take inventory. It’s a real marker in your life.”

Most recently, the pair reunited off screen. On April 24, Meloni shared a series of photos on Instagram showing the two dining together in Los Angeles.

“What one does on a random Thursday when still in L.A. and freshly unemployed. Dinner hang with pals @therealmariskahargitay,” he captioned the post.

In the same interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hargitay also said she is set to direct the show’s upcoming 600th episode.