July 10, 2025
‘SVU’ Star Peter Scanavino Shares Mariska Hargitay’s Parenting Advice


Peter Scanavinoโ€™s ADA Dominick Carisi on โ€œLaw & Order: SVUโ€ is starting the new year off by needing a little help from his friends.

In the Jan. 16 episode, โ€œFirst Light,โ€ Carisi grapples with his lingering trauma after being held hostage in the fall 2024 finale. When the suspect in this weekโ€™s case changes his plea, Carisi struggles to move forward.

Scanavino didnโ€™t go out of his way to prepare for his characterโ€™s emotional journey and instead treats it like his real life.

โ€œIโ€™ve got a lot of responsibilities in my regular life, as well as on the show,โ€ he tells TODAY.com in an interview. โ€œSo, everything is just kind of chaotic, and I think that mirrors a lot of whatโ€™s happening with the show, where you donโ€™t have a lot of time to just kind of sit and slow things down and reflect on whatโ€™s going on.โ€

Peter Scanavino as A.D.A Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr. in season 26 of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."
Peter Scanavino as ADA Dominick “Sonny” Carisi Jr. in Season 26 of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”Scott Gries / NBC

In the fall finale, Carisi spent the majority of the episode held hostage at his local bodega by two men. One of those two men shot and killed the storeโ€™s cashier, and the other sexually assaulted a female customer in the store.

The case in the upcoming episode is focused on a woman who receives a video showing events from a night she canโ€™t remember, which leads to some surprising revelations and decisions that trigger Carisi as he tries to do his job.

โ€œThings keep happening, and whatever youโ€™ve been dealing with, emotionally or personally, you just have to bring that into your responsibilities because the world keeps moving, whether you like it or not, and you have to find a way to deal with that,โ€ he explains. ย 

One of Carisiโ€™s most important relationships is with his former boss-turned-peer, Capt. Olivia Benson, whoโ€™s portrayed by Mariska Hargitay.

Scanavino describes Carisi and Bensonโ€™s relationship as โ€œvery trusting and respectful.โ€ The bond between the two is so strong that it translates off-screen as well.

Peter Scanavino and Mariska Hargitay on the set of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" on Sept. 30, 2024 in NYC.
Scanavino has been a full-time “SVU” cast member since Season 16 alongside Hargitay, who has been with the show since the start. Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin / GC Images

He says heโ€™s received โ€œa lot of good adviceโ€ from Hargitay, including some thatโ€™s โ€œvery personal,โ€ but thereโ€™s one bit of parenting wisdom from the mom of three that has stuck with him.

โ€œShe gave a very good parenting piece of advice to me and my wife, which was, donโ€™t threaten a punishment to your children that youโ€™re not willing to carry out,โ€ he says.

โ€œIf you say, โ€˜One more time, weโ€™re going to go home,โ€™ donโ€™t say that unless youโ€™re really prepared to do it,โ€ he explains. โ€œAnd I think thatโ€™s been a very good lesson and rule to have as a parent.โ€

Scanavino has been married to Lisha Bai for 13 years, but on screen his character is married to Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish), who will appear in Thursday’s episode. It was announced in September 2024 that Giddish would be reprising Rollins on โ€œSVUโ€ again in Season 26, after a few other guest appearances since leaving the full-time role in 2022.

Kelli Giddish as Amanda Rollins, and Peter Scanavino as A.D.A Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr. in season 26 of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."
Scanavino says this family scene in the Jan. 16 episode is one of his favorites.Scott Gries / NBC

Scanavino describes the Carisi/Rollins relationship, aka “Rollisi,” as โ€œstill very solid,โ€ but like with any relationship, โ€œyou deal with issues and things as they come up.โ€

โ€œWhen we used to see each other every day, it was โ€” you kind of have a more casual relationship,โ€ he says about Giddish, โ€œbut now itโ€™s kind of more, โ€˜Whatโ€™s going on in your life? How are the kids?โ€™โ€

He adds the first day is โ€œjust more of a catching up.โ€

โ€œThen we kind of fall right back into how we were on the show, which was really, really, really close friends,โ€ he says.

Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson, Peter Scanavino as A.D.A Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr., and Kelli Giddish as Sgt. Amanda Rollins in season 26 of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."
Giddish will guest star for the second time so far in Season 26. Scott Gries / NBC

Just because Carisi has Rollins to help him through this especially difficult time, it doesnโ€™t mean Carisiโ€™s trauma will be โ€œwrapped up in one episode.โ€

โ€œI think itโ€™s definitely going to pop up in different episodes in different ways,โ€ Scanavino says.

โ€œI think heโ€™s carrying around a lot of anger about what happened in that deli and also how the case is going to progress in the future,โ€ he adds.

One thing that will happen in the future is a visit from the district attorney, Nicholas Baxter (Tony Goldwyn), who will cross over from โ€œLaw & Orderโ€ for a guest appearance on โ€œSVUโ€ in a later episode.

A promo from earlier this month showed Carisi and Benson in a scene with Baxter.

Scanavino describes Goldwyn as โ€œa great guy.โ€

โ€œItโ€™s interesting, when you just know people by reputation, and you actually get to meet them, and all of a sudden youโ€™re just talking and hanging out, itโ€™s always nice when that happens,โ€ he says.

โ€œI always love the kind of crossover stuff to blend the worlds,โ€ he explains. โ€œIt feels like it anchors everything: our show, their show. So it was cool. It was a nice little treat.โ€

โ€œLaw & Order: SVUโ€ airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, following โ€œLaw & Orderโ€ at 8 p.m. Both shows stream the following day on Peacock.

(Peacock is part of our parent company, NBCUniversal.)



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