Odelya Halevi stars as ADA Samantha Maroun on Law & Order. New episodes of season 23 air Thursdays on NBC at 8 PM ET and are available to stream on Peacock.
Law & Order, one of NBC’s most treasured and honored dramas, returns for its 23rd season. The series is known for its unique bifurcated format and will once again examine “the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.”
I had the chance to speak with the actress over Zoom and discuss working with Sam Waterston before his exit, tonight’s new episode, the moment it hit her that she was on Law & Order, how her view on the justice system has changed from being on the show, which cases stand out to her, and more. Keep reading for everything she told me!
Last week was Sam Waterston’s final episode, which was so insane and emotional to see for everyone. Can you tell me what you learned from working with him and if you have any treasured memories from that last day on set?
Odelya Halevi: What have I not learned from him? I learned to let go. He’s such a fabulous man. I’ve said it a million times, but I’m gonna say it again, because it’s so… I’ve watched him since I was a little girl in my parent’s living room before I could speak English, before I could read subtitles because we only had two channels, it was either cartoons or Sam Waterston on Law & Order and I was always like, “Him! I love him!” I didn’t know why and then years later, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world, right, because I got to work with him and I realized why, because he has just this… he walks in the room and you just feel that energy. You feel calm and you laugh, and he’s got this very soothing energy. He was sort of like my parent on the show and my parents are very far away in Israel, and he taught me how to laugh between takes, not take anything too seriously. Every time I would do a take, I would never look in his eyes because it would be super distracting because it would feel like I’m watching TV, because to me, I’m watching TV.
In fact, the last episode that we shot that aired last week, is him in court doing a closing argument and I told him, “Sam, I felt like I’m back at my parent’s house watching TV and my whole life I thought I wanted to be a lawyer,” and he told me, “Yeah, there were many people who came up to me,” and they were inspired by his character, they were inspired to go and be lawyers and it’s just so wonderful. It was heartbreaking, the last day on set, he gave this beautiful, beautiful speech and we were all crying, bawling, crying for days. Then, we have Tony Goldwyn, who is an amazing actor that, you know, I was worried at first. I was like, ‘I don’t know what it’s going to be, it’s big shoes to fill,’ and he came in and he fits right in, and the dynamic is different and so interesting. Our characters are on edge, we don’t know what’s gonna happen and it’s been great. He’s just so good and such a natural, and [I am] so honored to be working with him.
It must have been such a surreal moment when you walked on the set that first day, met him and realized that after growing up and watching him on TV, you were going to be working alongside him. Also, like you said, he inspires people because that’s what I believe shows like this do — they inspire, they represent, they tell amazing stories, so to also know that you’re going to be alongside him, inspiring a lot of people…
Yeah, this is such a historical show and he’s been on it since 1994. To me, it’s a lifetime of — yeah, it was very, very intimidating and at the same time, he is such a loving, warm person. I don’t see him not being in my life, we are going to stay in touch. We are going to meet up and… [he is] such an inspiring individual.
Are there any other original cast members from Law & Order that you’d like to work with in the future, whether it’s on the series or in a different project?
I would love to work with Mariska again. Let me tell you, Mariska is a powerhouse. I worked with her once on the show. I walk in, she is boss, she’s just a boss lady. First of all, you would think that after so many years on Law & Order, a person that’s there every day, all day is not gonna give much attention to guests, right? You would think they were gonna go to their trailer and do their own thing. No, Mariska stays around. She’s gonna coach you if you want to. She is nice to everybody. She makes sure everyone’s having fun every single day, and I felt with her like I was back in acting class and she was my coach. She’s so on top of it. I learned so much from her and she’s just so grounded. This is the kind of thing that makes a show, regardless of I mean, Dick Wolf has this amazing, amazing vision and all these shows that have been so contemporary and gone over three decades, but it’s the people that he hires like Mariska, who is so devoted, so dedicated, so focused, and she loves what she does and it shows. I am excited to — I would love to work with her again. I mean, if someone told me, “Your next episode is gonna be with Mariska,” I would be thrilled.
I always love hearing about the different dynamics. Is there one that you consider to be your favorite to bring to life?
I think I love the episodes where my character is really being challenged to do things that are out of her comfort zone, like there was this episode last season where she had to talk about her sister, there was an episode where she had to cross-examine and this is a big deal or do a closing argument and this is something I’m really, really excited about. And yeah, there’s gonna be surprises this season and it’s fun.
In terms of tonight’s new episode, obviously, no spoilers, but can you preview what your favorite part of it is, whether it’s a certain storyline or scene, anything that you can tease for audiences?
I think it’s the episode that so far this season has been the hardest on Maroun in terms of making decisions about giving a plea. Maroun is very empathetic and in this episode, you’re really gonna see that, you’re really gonna see that her decision-making is based on empathy, and really looking out for people and seeing people’s suffering.
You film in New York, which is awesome. Are there any fan moments that you remember, whether it’s people coming up to you or watching you filming, anything that sort of stands out as a really heartwarming moment?
The first season we were shooting, we still shoot there, but like the first season, it was really… I think that’s when I realized that I was on Law & Order is when we were shooting at the court steps and there were about hundreds of people just watching us. Hugh Dancy, who plays Price, and I were on the steps shooting our scene, and that’s when I realized, ‘Oh my God, this is historical. I’m here in this court. This has been in the show since the ‘90s and now it’s me on this show, I play the lawyer.’ It took a second to digest that and I think that it was when people were watching, and it always warms my heart when I go to the trailer and there’s people waiting outside of it, saying how much they love the show and wanting to take a picture. It really makes my day. I mean, just seeing fans, meeting fans, I love that.
How has being part of the show changed your perspective or view on the justice system? Has it changed anything? Has it stayed the same? Do you feel the need to highlight certain things [in the storylines]?
I feel like before the show, I always loved law and before the show, it was very black and white for me, you know? This person murdered someone, jail for life. After the show and after reading those scripts, and of course, it’s all fictional, but it is ripped from the headlines and I think I learned that you could be empathetic towards the people who commit crimes and some people may commit those crimes just once, and you’ve got to give them a chance to make up for what they’ve done and to go out in the world and be better.
Which cases do you personally feel most intrigued by just in terms of how it’s handled? Are there cases that stand out more than others?
The cases that stand out for me more than others are cases of women who have been through abuse, whether it’s sexual abuse or domestic violence because this is a subject that I personally am connected to, and have a deep empathy and compassion towards these women. Those are the cases that really, really get me.
What do you want Law & Order overall to represent to audiences? Like you said, this is such a legendary and iconic show, it’s a staple to television. What do you hope your character represents in the franchise and just the series overall?
Yeah, I’m just so proud to be a part of a show that each character really represents a different opinion that’s out there, right? Which is why the show is so relevant, and so contemporary, and creates important conversations and important arguments. I think that I would love to continue to represent an opinion that’s out there, and just still be a part of this extraordinary show and still represent an opinion of someone in America.
