Kelli Giddish – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

By starrymag | October 7, 2021

By: Paige Zinaman

 

 

Q) Firstly, I want to congratulate you on Season 23. After the events of the finale, what can fans expect to see happening with Rollins going forward into Season 23?

 

A) So, we should see how the Carisi (Peter Scanavino) and Rollins’ relationship plays out. Our characters have been such great friends and relied on each other to such great measure throughout the years that it’s really natural progression, I think. It’s such an organic relationship to go to the next level in terms of where our characters are in their lives and how much they rely on each other. So, that’s been a lot of fun to play with and explore and the writers are really excited about where that can go as are Peter and I. And in terms of relationships with other characters, we’ve got a new detective in the squad room that I think as much as I’ve gotten to work with him, Octavio [Pisano] that’s an interesting relationship because anytime we get new blood into the squad room there’s some getting used to each other and push back. I think Rollins doubts his motives at times, but I think overall becomes okay with him. It’s a fun dynamic to have someone new in the squad room. [laughs] I still feel like newbie sometimes even though this is my eleventh season which is saying a lot about our show, I think.

 

Q) The relationship between Rollins and Carisi is one of the favorite couplings of the show. What kind of fan feedback have you received to the paring of these two characters?

 

A) One thing that stuck out to me…I’m not on social media a whole lot, but one thing stuck out to me was a fan wrote in that knowing Rollins’ past (she was assaulted in the past) and kind of knowing that and knowing she has two different kids from two different fathers – to have Carisi in her life and to really trust that he really adores her and really respects her and really is invested in their relationship and who she is and what she means to him I think is huge. For a survivor of assault to see that reflected back in a relationship on TV and two characters they really love like, “Look she’s actually trusting him.” And there’s a lot of tenderness to their relationship because of her past and that’s been really rewarding for the audience to bear witness to.

 

Q) You just aired your third episode last night. What are some themes we’ll be exploring in the coming season?

 

A) I think with Elliot (Christopher Meloni) and Olivia (Mariska Hargitay) finally sharing the screen together – I think that’s kind of a guiding light for our season this year to be able for them to explore that. You know relationships coming from your past and what they mean for you now. The growth every year always surprises me. The new layers to mine and Mariska’s – you know, Olivia and Amanda’s relationship and getting to see that on screen. We’ve done so much to cultivate that as well.

 

Q) Playing Rollins after so many seasons, is there anything that you’ve not done story wise that you hope to see for your character in the future episodes?

A) [laughs] I mean, yeah, if it involves her jumping out of airplanes! I miss doing stunts. Any time there’s a little action I’m like, “Oh my god! That would be great!” and then it’s my stunt double. I like dangerous situations or bad decisions and having to come back up out of those. And that’s kind of what Rollins has done over and over. Whether it’s been with her family or gambling or relationships with men. Not that I would like to see repeat behavior, but I like playing that stuff. So often we are the heroes – the detectives are the heroes of the episode. It’s nice to see how fallible they are to see them make mistakes and come back up. It shows how solid the squad room is. You know me and Fin (Ice-T) and Benson and Carisi – you know, people can make mistakes and come back up and the family is there to support you.

 

Q) The 500^th episode is coming up! How excited are you to be a part of that and to have Danny Pino coming back?

 

A) I’ve over the moon. [laughs] He’s literally, he might be the kindest person on the planet. I’ve never met anyone like him. I’ve seen him here and there in social situations, but to be able to put in long hours at work with him and have all the discussions that we’ve been able to have between takes I’ve already cried three times and it’s just a deep connection. We came on the show at the same time when Chris Meloni left. We were kind of in the trenches together and now that he’s back and he’s had so much success on other shows and films and his kids are growing up beautifully – I’m over the moon. And besides all of that, as a human being he’s a phenomenal actor and it’s great to have him come in and inject his wisdom and openness into every scene. When get with someone you have so much kismet with sparks fly in your mind and you’re ignited, you’re excited and the scene takes a different shape, and it gets better. I can’t say enough about what it means to me to have him back. One episode is not enough.

 

Q) “SVU” is such a legendary show, with such legendary characters and storylines, what is it that you feel continues to make SVU so unique and special?

 

A) I think it comes from the top. Warren Leight and Julie Martin continually so invested in the storylines and really shining a light on dark matters. They’re not as dark as when the show first started, which says something huge about our show. Where all these topics are not so taboo or not so difficult to talk about and to say that this happens everywhere to every single one of us knows someone who’s been a victim or survivor of this kind of assault. I think that’s why people tune in, that’s what gives me a great satisfaction and contentment and excited about working on “SVU.” It’s not just a procedural, which is another reason why people love it. It’s got a beginning, a middle and an end; it’s great storytelling and now it’s like the outlier to all the other TV shows because everything is serialized what once was a formulaic is now kind of an outlier. It’s like, “Okay, listen, if you missed last week it doesn’t matter. Come join us this week.” You don’t have to know who the nieces or the nephews are or why they’re in jail. You don’t have to keep track of any of that. It used to be the standard and now we are kind of leading that charge on network TV. There’s also a reason Mariska is doing her 23^rd season and Ice-T, people love the characters, and they know what Fin is going to say. They want to invite Ice, Mariska, m, and Peter into their living rooms. They know us and our characters and they like to see how we are going to handle a new situation every week.

 

Q) You’ve been a part of “SVU” now for ten plus seasons. What is something working on this special series has taught you?

 

A) Honestly, what I touched on before, that I think literally everyone knows someone who has been assaulted. That has been violated in some way and it’s outstanding to me. It’s taught me that the more you talk about it, the more light that you shine on this subject matter the easier it is for survivors to talk about it and to process it. The easier it is for them to move onto the next chapter of their lives hopefully.

 

Q) What is something you’ve taken away from being on this show?

 

A) Just the gratitude for the fans or survivors that come up to me and say thank you. I thought I was signing on to pretty much a procedural that the “Law & Order” franchise is known for, and it’s become much nearer and dearer to my heart than I thought possible.

 

Q) Social media is such a huge part of fandoms and television shows, being part of social media yourself. What is it like to get on there and see such instant feedback from the fans after an episode?

 

A) It’s nuts. It’s absolutely nuts. It’s overwhelming to me. [laughs] Sometimes it’s intimidating because they know more, they remember more facts and things about the show than I do and I’m like, “Oh Crap, they’re right. That guy was here.” Or whatever it is like, “Oh geez.” As a conglomerate the fans have much more encyclopedia knowledge than I would ever have about the show, so they’re very reliable in terms of what’s happened in the past and a lot of the times what they want for the future is pretty spot on. I think the fans are very much listened to by our writers at “SVU,” in terms of what they want to see like, “It’s time for Rollins and Carisi together give us that.” And they’re like, “You know what, let’s give it to ‘em.” I think that the fans feel that. The back and forth and they feel the respect that they get and the admiration and also desires to what they want to see on the show.

 

Q) “SVU” has such an amazing, supporting fan base, the most dedicated I’ve seen. What would you like to say to them?

 

A) A huge thank you for your investment week after week, month after month, year after year. It’s because of you that we’re celebrating that 500^th