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Mariska Hargitay Traces 'Very Close' Friendship and 'Chemistry' with Christopher Meloni Back to Their Joint SVU Audition

Mariska Hargitay recalled the 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' joint audition, where she first met costar and friend Christopher Meloni, in a new interview.

“You and Chris get in a room together, and [ Law & Order franchise creator] Dick Wolf says, ‘That’s it,’ ” Today ’s Willie Geist told Hargitay of the actors’ joint audition, which prompted her to reply, “Yeah. The SVU stars were first paired up during one of her callbacks for the series — now one of the longest-running primetime shows in history at 25 seasons and counting — and Hargitay knew Meloni was the guy for the role immediately. For the actors — who had instant chemistry, plus a shared love of comedy, per Hargitay — that audition was fateful, to put it lightly.

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