<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> NYPD Meritorious Police Duty </Td> </Tr> <P> Casting for the lead characters on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit occurred in the spring of 1999 . Dick Wolf, along with officials from NBC and Studios USA, were at the final auditions for the two leads at Rockefeller Center . The last round had been narrowed down to six finalists . For the female lead--Benson--Samantha Mathis, Reiko Aylesworth, and Hargitay were being considered . For the male role--Stabler--the finalists were Tim Matheson, John Slattery, and Christopher Meloni . Meloni and Hargitay had auditioned in the final round together and after the actors left, there was a moment of dead silence, after which Wolf blurted out, "Oh well . There's no doubt who we should choose--Hargitay and Meloni ." The duo, who Wolf believed had the perfect chemistry from the first time he saw them together, were his first choice . Garth Ancier, then head of NBC Entertainment, agreed, and the rest of the panel assembled voiced their assent . Hargitay trained as a rape crisis advocate to prepare for the role of Benson . </P> <P> During the last months of her pregnancy in 2006, Hargitay took maternity leave from SVU, and was temporarily replaced by Connie Nielsen . </P> <P> In May 2009, after the show's tenth season, Hargitay and Meloni's contracts expired when they were reportedly making $375,000--$385,000 per episode . During negotiations in April for a new contract, the duo attempted to receive a percentage of the show's profits as other high - profile Law & Order actors had done in the past . It was rumored that NBC threatened to replace Hargitay and Meloni if they persisted in their demands . However, two months later it was officially reported that both their contracts had been renewed for two more years . When the thirteenth season was about to air, initial reports indicated that Hargitay would appear in only the first 13 episodes . However, NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt later clarified that she would be in every episode of the season . </P>

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