PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: CREATING GREAT CHARACTERS: DICK WOLF AND MARISKA HARGITAY IN CONVERSATION {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented at The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles. This evening celebrates the careers and collaboration of Dick Wolf, creator and executive producer of the "Law & Order" franchise, and Mariska Hargitay, the longtime star, executive producer and director of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."
Host Rene Reyes (executive in charge of production, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks and introduces the season-nineteen episode "Something Happened," which is then screened in its entirety. (For synopsis and credits, see ACCNUM 133477.) Clips from other episodes are also interspersed throughout the program.
After the screening, Reyes welcomes Robert Greenblatt (chairman, NBC Entertainment) to the stage. Greenblatt shares several notable milestones associated with the series, noting that in its upcoming twentieth season, it will tie the original "Law & Order" and "Gunsmoke" for the longest-running primetime drama series in television history. Wolf and Hargitay then join Greenblatt onstage.
Wolf, Hargitay, and Greenblatt discuss such topics as: the show's premiere in 1999, two days before "The West Wing"; the show's considerable growth and escalating ratings over the years; Wolf's original idea for the spin-off under the "viable" umbrella title of "Law & Order"; the network's uncertainty about a show focusing on "sex crimes"; their "mind-blowing" immediate season pick-up after their Sept. 20, 1999 debut; the wide-ranging audition process and how Hargitay and actor Christopher Meloni, who played Detective Elliot Stabler from 1999 to 2011, "cheated" in working together to show off their chemistry; Hargitay's decision to abandon a development deal with another network to pursue the role of Detective Olivia Benson, as she had "never loved anything more"; how Benson's existence as a child of rape, established in the pilot episode, has informed the character over the years; Hargitay's memories of learning shocking real-life statistics about sexual assault at an awards ceremony in 2001 and her awareness that the series was "more than a TV show"; her activism and frequent encounters with grateful fans and assault survivors; how her happy family life, including husband Peter Hermann, who plays defense attorney Trevor Langan on the show, helps to balance the show's consistently dark and heavy themes; the show's real-world impact on viewers' ideas of sexuality and assault, including rising numbers of reported assaults; teenage viewers' discovery of the show via streaming platforms like Hulu; praise for the show's writers and how they have "educated themselves" to write sensitively about rape and assault; Hargitay's 2006 Emmy win for the memorable episode "911" and her memories of the emotionally demanding shoot; praise for the show's production team; how the series went from a "two-hander" to a "one-hander" after Meloni's departure and Benson's eventual rise to Lieutenant; Hargitay's creative collaborations with new executive producer Michael Chernuchin and their shared desire to break new ground with each successive episode in season 19; Hargitay as the "barometer" for the show's continuation and her desire to carry on with many more seasons; and the challenging two-hour season finale, "Remember Me" and "Remember Me Too."
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics, among others: Hargitay's lack of regrets about not pursuing more film roles; her advice to her younger self, including the importance of trusting one's own instincts and "mining yourself"; the infamous tenth-season episode "Wildlife," which involved an animal-smuggling ring and Benson's brief role play as a sex worker; the most challenging season 19 episodes, including the unusual rehearsal process for "Something Happened"; praise for the cultural authenticity of Latino lead characters Detective Nick Amaro (Danny Pino) and A.D.A. Rafael Barba (Raúl Esparza); the series' many prominent guest stars, including Hargitay's praise for Melora Walters in "Something Happened" and for Brooke Shields, who played Benson's adoptive son's biological grandmother in five episodes; and the importance of maintaining one's empathy and humanity in exploring and prosecuting sexual crimes.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 1999 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:05:05
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 133459
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Rene Reyes … Host
- Robert Greenblatt … Moderator
- Dick Wolf … Panelist
- Mariska Hargitay … Panelist
- Elizabeth Ashley
- Michael Chernuchin
- Raúl Esparza
- Peter Hermann
- Christopher Meloni
- Danny Pino
- Brooke Shields
- Melora Walters