Stephanie March finally has an answer to give to viewers.
Ever since her character, Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot, entered witness protection on NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” fans have been asking when she is returning.
“Now I can say March 10. It’s been kind of nice to be able to give them a definitive answer,” March said in a telephone interview from New York last week. The actress reprises her role for six episodes beginning Tuesday night at 10 p.m. on WHDH (Ch. 7).
“It’s so great,” March said. “It’s like getting together with a group of old friends from school that you haven’t seen in years. Every job I’ve had since then, there’s been a million first days. It’s wonderful to not have all of the anxiety of so many firsts. It’s comforting.”
After departing the series in 2003, March returned for one episode in 2005 and played Alexandra again in the short-lived 2006 NBC series “Conviction.” But that show failed to explain how Alexandra emerged from witness protection and got her ADA job back. That mystery will be explained Tuesday night.
“I think the mistake on ‘Conviction’ was avoiding it,” she said. “Because all it did was increase people’s curiosity.”
The Dallas native said her only request was that Alexandra hadn’t been off doing anything silly, such as performing in the circus.
“I didn’t have a lot of stipulations, but I also didn’t want to spend a lot of time on it,” she said. “Because it’s not that important. People are curious, but we didn’t need to make a whole big deal out of it.”
Many have wondered if Alexandra’s reappearance means that viewers will be seeing less of the show’s current ADA, played by Michaela McManus. March said no, that the show will exist with two ADAs.
“We haven’t acted a bunch together. I think they are kind of saving that for later. Michaela certainly doesn’t need my advice. She’s terrific. She’s a lovely human being.”
Viewers also will be treated to a more mature Alexandra.
“She used to have the militant beliefs of someone right out of law school when she started,” March said. “She was kind of strident, and now I think she’s probably tempered and mellowed a little more by life. She’s a little more circumspect. The writers have just made it so easy for me and kind of naturally tapped into that.”
March will be seen next month on “Rescue Me” as a psychic who interacts with Tommy (Denis Leary) and in the upcoming Ricky Gervais movie “This Side of the Truth.” She credits “SVU” fans for their loyalty to the role that launched her career.
“I don’t think I would be returning if they weren’t so excited. So I would like to express my appreciation and my gratitude for their support. I think it’s a wonderful compliment and I take it very seriously.”
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