Chris Meloni's Striking Confession About TV Mom Ellen Burstyn: "She's Filled a Void"
The OC star opens up about his sweet friendship with the actress.
The Stabler boys just set the record straight on who their fictional mom prefers over the other.
In an April 14 appearance on TODAY alongside co-star Dean Norris, Law & Order: Organized Crime icon Chris Meloni spoke not only about the upcoming Season 5 premiere but the impact his TV mom, Ellen Burstyn, has had on him over the years. As soon as the topic of Burstyn came up, Meloni couldn't help but call the actress out for "filling a void" he didn't even know existed years after his own mother's death.
"She has been my mom for 25 years now," Meloni explained. "I actually confide in her. She's grown to be — my mother passed a couple years back — and she's kind of filled a void that I didn't recognize at first."
Meloni couldn't resist sending a playful jab in the direction of Norris, who plays Elliot Stabler's older brother, Randall.
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"It's very meaningful to me, but she and I have a very deep bond," Meloni continued. "And she's confided to me that she likes me more than Dean. Which shows she has great taste."
"It's funny, because she confided to me that she likes me more than you," Norris playfully shot back.
"She was going through one of her phases," Meloni quipped.
Longtime fans know that it's not the first time Meloni has sung the praises of his 92-year-old TV mother!
In a February interview with Entertainment Weekly, Meloni opened up about his sweet relationship with Burstyn and dug deeper into his affection for the acclaimed actress.
"On a personal note, when I act with Ellen, there is such a deep affection, I think on both our parts," Meloni confessed. "I've expressed to her what she means to me, and it has kind of surprised me how much she has meant to me on a personal level, because that doesn't happen too often. So whatever you see is deep, true affection."
The countdown to the Law & Order: Organized Crime Season 5 premiere continues
Fans are still buzzing over the explosive Season 5 sneak peek that dropped a few days ago!
The gripping trailer shows Sgt. Ayanna Bell (Danielle Moné Truitt) telling Stabler she needs him to go undercover. Viewers see multiple people aiming guns, including Stabler, and then the detective in the driver's seat of a vehicle as a truck crashes into it, flipping his car over.
Stabler is then seen battered and bruised while being rolled on a gurney as medics shine a light into his face, looking for signs of life.
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Enter Olivia Benson, grabbing Stabler's hand as he lays in a hospital bed, looking worse for the wear.
And that's just the teaser trailer.
Season 5 of the series premieres on Peacock with two episodes on April 17, followed by a new episode every Thursday. A special telecast of the season premiere will air on NBC on April 17 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
