Did Kelli Giddish Want Her Law & Order: SVU Exit To Be Drastically Different?
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Over the course of its 24 seasons, Law & Order: SVU has seen a few notable cast departures. This includes an assortment of A-list bit-players as well as more notable staples, such as S. Empatha Merkerson, the woman behind Anita Van Buren. Even the series co-lead, Christopher Meloni, has left the show. Although he did eventually return. Now fans are wondering if Kelli Giddish will receive the treatment after it was announced that she was leaving after almost 12 years.
Spoilers Ahead For Law & Order: SVUDespite weathering copious scandals, Kelli Giddish has remained a steadfast cast member on SVU. But on December 8th, fans saw her supposed final episode. In the end, Detective Amanda Rollins decides to leave her job and go teach at the prestigious Fordham.
During an interview with Vulture, Kelli Giddish revealed how she's managed to avoid getting sucked up into the controversies surrounding Law & Order: SVU as well as if she was happy with the way her character exited the series.
Kelli Giddish On Amanda Rollins' Law & Order: SVU Scandals
Law & Order: SVU is no stranger to controversy. After all, there have been some episodes that have really pushed boundaries and even straight-up offended people. Perhaps this is why so many still love it after 24 seasons. But Kelli Giddish got sucked up in controversy as soon as she was cast. Partially because she was brought in to be a replacement for Christopher Meloni's Stabler, both offscreen and onscreen.
Nevertheless, Giddish persevered and actively collaborated with the writer's room to come up with a character she could embody happily. This included the parrels between her life and her character's.
"My personal life choices influenced [the writer's room] heavily.," Kelli Giddish explained during her interview with Vulture. "I’d come in and say, 'Okay, guys, I’m pregnant! So whatever you were thinking for this season …'"
Instead of hiding the fact that Giddish was pregnant, they put Rollins in the same position. And this, as well as her gambling addiction, was one of the many things fans got up in arms about. But according to her interview with Vulture, Giddish was totally okay with this.
"I always said to [producer and writer] Warren [Leight], 'If you need to throw anyone under the bus, let it be me,'" Kelli Giddish explained to Vulture before saying that the controversy made playing Rollins more interesting. "It’s not that I’m trying to annoy the fans or anything, but people aren’t perfect. Let’s show that. People make bad decisions, then they crawl their way out and make it better for themselves. That’s storytelling: somebody overcoming something. So if you need to have somebody not exactly make the best decisions in life and you have to deal with the consequences, let it be me."
Giddish went on to say that she is aware that audience members are very passionate about the characters on SVU. But this can be a good thing, such as their reaction to Rollins and Carisi getting married.
"Look at that scene in bed where they know they’re going to exchange vows, and the kids jump in, and she can experience that intimacy with someone who loves her so much after having been hurt and pushing people away. Look at this rare happy ending this character got. People were really happy for her."
Did Kelli Giddish Like What Happened To Amanda Rollins On Leaving Law & Order: SVU?
While there are many reasons why Kelli Giddish decided to leave Law & Order: SVU, she told Vulture that she felt the character's ending came about organically. In her final season, Detective Rollins started off at a very low point. She was shot, after all. But then she sort of transcended in this beautiful and inspirational way.
"She [starts off] thinking, 'Wait, what am I doing here? I don’t need this anymore'. That really resonated with me personally. I just celebrated my one-year anniversary last year. I have two boys that are 7 and 4. I get to chaperone their trips at school this week," Kelli Giddish explained during her interview with Vulture.
As for how Detective Rollins exits Law & Order: SVU, Kelli Giddish was invested in giving her a happy ending. She herself said that this was a rare occurrence for characters on the hit police procedural as they're typically taken out.
"When the writers said it was going to be a happy ending, I was like, Huh, okay. That’s rare. There was time to show the journey of making the choice to be a professor, making the choice to get married. There was a time to show that in stark contrast to the brassy, balls-out character she’s always been. Let it be me. You know what I mean? I’ll do it. I’ll break the rules. Let’s show the growth."
Giddish said that the way Detective Rollins exits Law & Order: SVU "felt right". It certainly does leave the door open for her to return in the future should she choose to do so. But that appears unlikely at this point.
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