Dann Florek made a special guest appearance in the 500th episode of “Law & Order: SVU” in 2021. He didn’t just return to the show to assure fans that Donald Cragen was still alive and well but also to film a moving scene with Mariska Hargitay. During a video call, Donald Cragen makes Olivia Benson get emotional by telling her, “Thank you, Captain. You don’t know how proud it makes me to say that.” Florek told E! News the former colleagues’ sweet exchange wasn’t originally part of the script. “I actually asked for that scene. … I said well, ‘I think I have to have contact with Olivia. Not just for me in a selfish way. I think the audience will want it,'” he explained.
Florek has been a steadfast supporter of Hargitay since his “SVU” exit. When Hargitay penned an essay for People about being raped, Florek was among the “SVU” alums who praised her brave decision to speak out about her devastating ordeal. “She is the heartbeat and the soul of this show, and to realize that that nugget was in there, it only [serves as a] testament to why she was, and is, so incredible,” he told Entertainment Tonight.
In case you can’t tell by how highly Florek speaks of Hargitay, he would love to work with her again on “SVU” someday. “I’d be there in a heartbeat,” he told TV Insider in 2024.
