Now that Stephanie March is back in the role of Alexandra (Alex) Cabot on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," fans will get some long-awaited answers to what exactly happened to her character.
March left the show in 2003, when Alex was shot and placed in the witness protection program. The character briefly reemerged shortly after to testify against her shooter and again in 2006 as part of NBC's short-lived series "Conviction."
But because March was added to the "Conviction" cast during production and the show was canceled after one season, the writers never had the chance to explain how she came to be back in New York and out of protection.
"Stephanie has a great scene with Mariska [Hargitay], Chris [Elliott], Ice-T and [Richard] Belzer where all of [the questions] definitely come up," "SVU" executive producer Neal Baer told reporters yesterday. "We definitely talk about witness protection, we definitely talk about the past, and it's quite a moving scene."
"Hopefully, it will complete a circle and make sense to the audience," added March. "This will be nice and neat."
The episode Baer describes will air March 10 at 10 on NBC.
In her time away from "Law & Order," March has guest-starred on NBC's "30 Rock," ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and FX's "Rescue Me." She will appear in the films "This Side of the Truth" and "The Treatment."
March, who is married to chef Bobby Flay, said the decision to return to "SVU" was akin to giving an old boyfriend another shot.
"SVU is like an old flame. Every time I run into it I think, 'Hmmm ... what if?'" she said. "And I'm delighted to be here. You think it's going to be really strange, but it's remarkable how easy it is. I'm pretty excited about bringing [Alex] back."
March warns that Alex is a bit different from the last time she was on the small screen, because of what she's gone through.
"I think [Alex] has always been pretty strong and determined, but maybe not as knowledgeable or seasoned as she is now," March said.
"She's definitely more vulnerable and more questioning," said Baer.
"She was maybe more sure of herself before, but when she comes back, you may see that maybe that was more of a cover ... but you'll certainly recognize her as the Alex Cabot you loved five years ago." |