'Law & Order: SVU': Why Connie Nielsen Won't Reprise Her Role

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit fans are gearing up for a new spinoff starring Christopher Meloni. He'll reprise his beloved role of Elliot Stabler in a project titled Law & Order: Organized Crime. Given this news, fans have been curious if any other figures from SVU's past might also return in some capacity. However, one character viewers definitely won't see anytime soon is Connie Nielsen's Detective Dani Beck, who appeared for a six-episode arc in 2006. In an interview ComingSoon.net published in March 2020, Nielsen dished on why exactly she won't ever be back on the NBC procedural.

"Are you kidding me? No!" Nielsen said with a laugh when asked whether she would ever return to Law & Order: SVU. "Because literally there are these people who are obsessive about hating her! I'm like, 'Chill the f— out, people!' There are people who are professional Dani Beck haters and I never knew even that they existed until they went on Instagram and started tagging me on there. I was like, 'WHAT?'"

"There are people who hate this character I did 10 years ago while Mariska Hargitay was giving birth," the actor continued. "They should be grateful to me, I allowed her the time to be home with her baby. Instead some assh— is like, 'We hate Dani Beck.' Well f— you too! I cannot believe it. Law & Order is not for sissies, let me tell you. They have a shooting schedule that is mindboggling."

As previously mentioned, production is ramping up on Law & Order: Organized Crime. Meloni has already reunited with Mariska Hargitay for crossover scenes on both SVU and OC. Meloni previously appeared on 12 seasons of Law & Order: SVU before leaving the series in 2011. The actor's time on the show even led to him receiving an Emmy nomination in 2006 for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series. At the time, Stabler was written off the NBC program when he decided to retire from the NYPD. Following his stint on Law & Order: SVU, Meloni has since gone on to appear in shows such as SyFy's Happy and WGN America's Underground.