The Sweet Way Hugh Dancy Keeps in Touch with Sam Waterston: We "Love Him Dearly"
Sam Waterston may no longer star on Law & Order as iconic District Attorney Jack McCoy, but his costars have a touching way of staying in touch with him.
It’s been more than a year since Sam Waterston made his emotional goodbye on Law & Order, but the beloved actor — who spent years playing devoted prosecutor Jack McCoy — is still never far from the hearts of his former castmates.
Waterston, who was first seen on the NBC criminal justice procedural in 1994, left the series in February of 2024, but he's still thought of by those at the fictional Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Hugh Dancy, who plays Executive Assistant District Attorney Nolan Price, recently opened up to NBC Insider about the sweet way that he and co-star Odelya Halevi, who portrays ADA Samantha Maroun, stay in touch with Waterston.
Even though Waterston is no longer on set each day, the trio remain connected.
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How Hugh Dancy stays in touch with Sam Waterston
"I occasionally send both of them [Waterston and Halevi] a little message — I mean, mostly for Sam — 'Hey, we miss you, let’s catch up,'" Dancy told NBC Insider. "And then the reality of being in the middle of a filming for TV gets in the way of that. But actually, now that we’re finished [shooting for the season], I’m hopeful that we’ll get to do that soon, because we of course miss him and love him dearly."
Odelya Halevi cried "for days" when Sam Waterston left Law & Order
Halevi shared similar sentiments in 2024 with NBC Insider about what she referred to as Waterston’s “very emotional” departure from the series.
“I mean, I’ve been crying for days,” she said at the time.
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Halevi — who said she grew up watching Waterston on Law & Order from her home in Israel long before she joined the show in Season 21 — described the surreal experience of getting to work with one of her childhood idols.
“At first, I was so intimidated,” Halevi said. “He is... like the grandfather that I wish that I had because he’s so smart. The conversations with him taught me a lot. He’s just funny, loving and warm and when he’s around you, you feel his energy and it makes you feel good.”
She expressed her desire to continue to stay in touch with Waterston even after their time together on the show came to an end.
“I don’t see a world where that man is not in my life,” Halevi said at the time.
What Happened to Jack McCoy on Law & Order?
Waterston’s final episode, “Last Dance” (Season 23, Episode 5), aired on February 22, 2024 and featured a bittersweet goodbye for his beloved District Attorney Jack McCoy.
In true McCoy fashion, the prosecutor chose to resign from his post as DA to spare his office from any fallout caused by his decision to pursue a conviction for a high-profile murderer in spite of the mayor’s objection.
After McCoy stepped into the courtroom one final time to help secure a guilty verdict, the episode’s final scene showed the satisfied DA walking out as he stopped to look at the inscription engraved on the New York State Supreme Court courthouse, which read, “The true administration of justice is the firmest pillar of good government.”
Tony Goldwyn's Nicholas Baxter took over the district attorney job following McCoy's resignation.
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Waterston addressed his departure from the series in an open letter to fans posted by Wolf Entertainment on February 2, 2024, weeks before his final episode aired later that month.
"The time has come for me to move on and take Jack McCoy with me," the note read, in part. "There’s sadness in leaving, but I’m just too curious about what’s next. An actor doesn’t want to let himself get too comfortable. I’m more grateful to you than I can say."
To see what the final episodes of Season 24 have in store, watch Law & Order on Thursdays at 8/7c p.m. on NBC or stream episodes when they become available on Peacock.
