ADA Dominick “Sonny” Carisi has a close-knit relationship with Olivia Benson onscreen, however so do Legislation & Order: Particular Victims Unit actors Peter Scanavino and Mariska Hargitay.
“I believe my relationship with Mariska actually mirrors their relationship,” Scanavino, 44, informed Us Weekly solely forward of the SVU winter premiere on Thursday, January 16. “After I got here on the present, I all the time revered her. I appeared as much as her as an actor and at the same time as a pal. I believe Carisi did as nicely, as a detective.”
When Scanavino joined SVU in the course of the sixteenth season premiere in 2014, Carisi was an “inexperienced detective” and labored his manner up inside the squad. He’s since pivoted to being an ADA within the Legislation and Order universe.
“As their relationship has grown, so has mine with Mariska,” he continued. “It’s one of the vital vital relationships I’ve in my life. She’s considered one of my finest pals. We will converse very actually with one another in actual life, identical to Benson and Carisi can converse very actually with one another.”
Thursday’s winter premiere of SVU was semi Carisi-centric because the character offers with uncovering his trauma within the aftermath of the present’s November 2024 fall finale. The episode, titled “First Mild,” is Carisi’s first time again within the courtroom after he was held at gunpoint at his native deli. Throughout one scene — after declaring a number of instances that he’s “tremendous” — Carisi seemingly blows the case after fumbling in court docket. He and Benson have a somewhat tense however rewarding heart-to-heart after the very fact.
“That one scene particularly, it’s good the way it’s type of adopted that [journey]. All of it feels very earned,” Scanavino informed Us. “There was nothing compelled, nothing pushed. It was simply an natural relationship evolving into this factor the place they’re very, very shut now.”
One other relationship showcased throughout Thursday’s episode is, clearly, that of Carisi and his spouse, Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish). Scanavino informed Us that Carisi is “in good palms” with Rollins on the subject of overcoming these laborious instances.
The household scenes between him and Giddish featured in Thursday’s episode “really feel very actual” to Scanavino, he mentioned.
“I’ve a household and I believe Carisi and myself are very comparable in that manner. I believe we actually prize household above all else,” he shared with Us. “Working with Kelli, who I’ve such respect for personally, and I simply suppose Rollins as a personality — who’s clearly been by way of quite a bit — she’s very well-suited to cope with any person else going by way of one thing.”
Scanavino additionally mentioned that he’s “not fairly positive” how Carisi overcoming his trauma will play out as SVU season 26 continues.
“On the finish of this episode, what you possibly can see is that he’s beginning on the trail. The clouds have parted simply momentarily and you’ll see a manner ahead,” he mentioned. “We’ll see what occurs if he will get confronted once more with this. If he has to revisit this in a trial or no matter type which will take.”
Legislation & Order: SVU season 26 airs on NBC Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET and streams the subsequent day on Peacock.