Whether it’s platonic or romantic, Benson-Stabler’s relationship in the “Law & Order” universe is one for the ages. In a 2022 interview with People, Mariska Hargitay responded to the decade-old “Will-they-won’t-they” question. Hargitay acknowledges that the former partners have always had a complicated relationship (which became strained over time after Stabler left), so Benson would have to tread lightly.
But Hargitay does think they have romantic feelings for each other, even if they’re not at that stage yet. “These two people love each other, they have been family to each other but he just lost his wife and no matter how she feels about him, the most important thing for him is to grieve his wife, heal from that,” she explained. “And he’s in a new job and he’s sort of unbalanced … But what we do know is that Olivia loves him, will always love him, will always be there and they have a bond like no other.”
Hargitay also told the outlet that working with Christopher Meloni again felt natural. “There was so much shorthand between us, which all goes back to the trust we have,” she explained. “He’s always made me feel like I could just jump off the ledge, the cliff, the bridge, and he would catch me, in so many ways, whether it was comedy or acting or friendship.”
