Christopher Meloni’s Latest Reinvention: On ‘Underground ,’ Black Lives Matter, and the ‘SVU’ Diss The veteran actor stars as a renegade outlaw in WGN’s ‘Underground,’ a thrilling new series about the Underground Railroad. He opens up about the role and much more. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...ound-black-lives-matter-and-the-svu-diss.html
For a generation of Law & Order: SVU superfans, Christopher Meloni will always be known as Det. Elliott Stabler—the “bad cop” to Benson’s “good cop.” When he abruptly exited the series prior to the Season 12 finale, in a move he’s called “ham-handed and poorly done,” fans were crestfallen. And when they heard what went down during the Season 16 finale, well, they were just plain confused. “I know I wasn’t what your old partner was for you,” Det. Nick Amaro (Danny Pino), Stabler’s replacement, told Benson before exiting the precinct, to which she replied, “No, you weren’t. I grew more in my last four years with you than I did in the 12 years I was with him. You know, that relationship, whatever it was, didn’t allow for anything else. But with you, your support, I have a family.”When I ask Meloni about the controversial finale, which seemed to throw serious shade at the Stabler character and diminish his legacy, a big, awkward smirk creeps across his face.“I have no comment on that,” he says, laughing and shaking his head. “No comment.”Truth be told, in the years since his sudden SVU exit, Meloni has creatively distanced himself from his buff, no-nonsense cop, flexing his comedy muscle on shows like Veep and Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, and his dramatic one in films such as Man of Steel, 42, and the excellent The Diary of a Teenage Girl.“When I first left [SVU], I felt like the house cat that was locked out of the house and had to fend for himself, but things have settled into a really good rhythm. I’m so happy. This is why I left, really.”
