'Law & Order: SVU' Season 17 News, Spoilers: Peter Scanavino on Rollins-Carisi Romance; Christopher Meloni on Benson-Stabler Romance
Actor Peter Scanavino, who plays Detective Dominick Carisi on "Law & Order: SVU," has certainly come a long way. From being cast in a three-episode arc, the actor has since been promoted to a series regular and has even earned the admiration of many long-time fans of the veteran police procedural series.
Scanavino took center stage in Wednesday's episode, titled "Sheltered Outcasts." The episode, which was helmed by "Law & Order: SVU" star Mariska Hargitay (Lieutenant Olivia Benson), had Carisi going undercover to find out if one of the resident sex offenders in a homeless shelter was the suspect behind a string of rape cases. Though Carisi had to endure an unpleasant confrontation during his investigation, he was able to put the perpetrator behind bars and even received a dinner invitation from Detective Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish) at the end.
The actor recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about what's ahead for Carisi and whether or not he and Rollins could soon become an item.
According to Scanavino, Carisi is still mulling over which path to take. Can he best pursue justice for his victims by becoming a prosecutor or by gathering evidence and working on cases as a police officer?
"I think that's still open for him and that's a question in his mind, which he's going to have to resolve in the near future," the actor said.
Scanavino also spoke about the "very special friendship" between Rollins and Carisi, saying, "It's still definitely on the friendship level, but who knows?"
"I think there are a lot of possibilities there, and I think all those possibilities have grown from Kelli and I interacting with each other onscreen," he told THR.
Meanwhile, former "Law & Order: SVU" star Christopher Meloni, who exited the series between episodes 12 and 13, recently opened up about his character, Detective Elliott Stabler, and Stabler's relationship with Benson. As fans recall, Benson and Stabler had a long-running partnership that had its share of physical and emotional tensions, though the two never took the step towards becoming a couple.
Speaking to James Lipton on "Inside the Actors Studio," Meloni said (via E!), "That I think they always knew would be the death knell of that relationship."
"I think they needed to keep that line taut and very clear. …Keep the tension, never cross it," he added.
"Law & Order: SVU" airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.