<p id=”par-1_30″><em><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/law-and-order-svu/”>Law & Order SVU</a> </em>star Chris Meloni explored new passions after <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/christopher-meloni-reveals-exactly-why-left-law-order-svu.html/”>leaving the long-running procedural</a>. One of the more surprising dreams he wanted to achieve was learning how to fly.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-chris-meloni-once-shared-why-he-needed-to-move-on-from-law-amp-order-svu”>Chris Meloni once shared why he needed to move on from ‘Law & Order SVU’</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Law-Order-SVU-Chris-Meloni.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Chris Meloni acting as his character Elliot Stabler in an episode of ‘Law & Order SVU’.” class=”wp-image-3674675″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Chris Meloni | Virginia Sherwood/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-2_51″><em>SVU </em>was very good to Meloni during his time on the hit television show. He recognized it gave him the kind of security he’d always longed for as a working actor. Especially when Meloni knew what it was like not having a guaranteed role in the <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/law-order-star-christopher-meloni-explains-how-he-dealt-with-early-career-rejection.html/”>earlier years of his career</a>.</p>
<p id=”par-3_12″>Leaving <em>SVU </em>was a tough decision, but one he thought was necessary.</p>
<p id=”par-4_74″>“You work your whole career for what I got. You know, I hit the jackpot. I hit a show that meant something, was well-written, was well-received. You loved the working conditions and the people. It was a well-run machine. Every aspect was there. And yet, you know – the – fill in the blank. The artist in me, the restless actor or creator – that guy needed to move on,” Meloni once told <a href=”https://www.npr.org/2021/04/02/983790321/law-order-actor-found-something-larger-than-himself-on-svu”>npr</a>.</p>
<p id=”par-5_28″>The actor went on to star in several projects after <em>SVU </em>like <em>True Blood</em> and <em>Man of Steel</em>. But he also achieved goals outside of acting as well.</p>
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<iframe title=”Stabler and Fin Catch Up After 10 Years – Law & Order: SVU” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zl0nE7a4HB8?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p id=”par-6_32″>“I just worked on other projects, and I got my pilot’s license ’cause I figured I really needed to truly focus on something that was, without question, a life-or-death endeavor,” he revealed.</p>
<p id=”par-7_28″>Meloni explained that he needed to shift his attention on something after leaving <em>SVU</em>. Learning how to fly planes seemed to be exactly what he was looking for.</p>
<p id=”par-8_104″>“I built a whole life. And I knew if I was walking away from all that, I needed to place that focus ’cause, you know, if you’re an – unemployed – an actor unemployed is not a good thing, especially when he’s been employed,” he said. “So – and I knew that about myself. I needed to employ myself in something that was – that required every fiber of my being to stay focused and on top of things. And it was also good for my brain. I mean, I often said that I’ve never studied – I haven’t studied that hard since college…”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-how-chris-meloni-felt-about-the-way-he-left-law-amp-order-svu”>How Chris Meloni felt about the way he left ‘Law & Order SVU’</h2>
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<iframe title=”Barba Grills Stabler on the Stand During Cross-Examination | NBC’s Law & Order: SVU” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/9Ab8tV3JRXg?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p id=”par-9_34″>Meloni has been a little more candid about his <em>SVU </em>departure over the years. In addition to wanting to pursue new endeavors, Meloni left the franchise because he couldn’t reach a compromise with execs.</p>
<p id=”par-10_52″>“My thought was: Instead of 22 episodes, bring me back for nine episodes, or bring me back for 18 episodes. They literally came to me on a Thursday night and said, ‘This is the deal. We want the answer by tomorrow. It’s our way or no way,’” Meloni once told <a href=”https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a37081725/christopher-meloni-interview-law-and-order-organized-crime/”>Men’s Health</a>.</p>
<p id=”par-11_7″>And this rubbed Meloni the wrong way.</p>
<p id=”par-12_28″>“I don’t want to f*** around with you guys. This is what I want. If you can’t do it, that’s fine. Let’s figure out my exit,” he said.</p>
<p id=”par-13_31″>Meloni didn’t regret leaving <em>SVU</em>, as it allowed him to further branch out into other creative projects. But he did feel like there might’ve been a better way to handle things.</p>
<p id=”par-14_74″> “But for me, it was about how things fell out—and the word I’ll use is that it was inelegant,” he once told <a href=”https://people.com/tv/mariska-hargitay-was-devastated-when-chris-meloni-left-law-order-svu/”>People</a>. “At the end of the day, how it was handled was, ‘Okay, see you later.’ So I went, ‘That’s fine. We’re all big boys and girls here. See you later.’ And I was off on new adventures and doing what I wanted to do. Telling the stories I wanted to tell.”</p>
<p id=”par-15_19″>Still, despite the fallout, Meloni was welcomed back with open arms when he returned for <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/chris-meloni-willing-return-law-order-organized-crime-svu.html/”>the spin-off <em>Organized Crime</em></a>.</p>