Outer Critics Award Winner Andy Karl joins the seasoned cast of ‘Law & Order: SVU’ as Sgt. Mike Dodds, son of Chief Dodds, played by Peter Gallagher.
Executive producer Warren Leight has vowed to give it all he’s got on his last season producing the critically acclaimed ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’. Adding Andy Karl to the cast, who starred as Rocky Balboa in the Broadway musical, is a good way to start.
In Andy’s debut episode, ‘ Maternal Instincts’, airing this Wednesday at 9pm ET/PT on NBC, he steps into a team that has been working together, both on and off the screen, for 17 seasons. Excited to spread the word, Andy and Warren generously answered questions during a phone conference call.
Andy, What is the most challenging aspect of your character, Sgt. Mike Dodds?
Andy Karl. I’m the boss’s son. Nobody wants to work with him. Also, this character is new to SVU entirely. He’s never been an investigator in Special Victims Unit. There’s a lot of nuances that go along with that type of investigation. And things that he’s not used to.
I don’t believe he’s ever had a strong woman boss. Lieutenant Benson (played by Mariska Hargitay), is very strong presence and she’s very knowledgeable and making sure that he shows her respect is top of the list.
Warren, Because this is probably your last season as executive producer, how has that changed your approach?
Warren Leight. I think the thing that’s different for me this year, it’s somewhat liberating. It’s a little – it’s bittersweet, but there’s something liberating about “This is your last season.” I think we’re taking bigger chances. I think we’re pushing the narrative more quickly.
Warren, you’ve given us episodes based on Black Lives Matter, and the trouble with facing transgender people. What other kind of big issues can we expect to see ?
Warren Leight. Yes, well, we have one coming up about a religious family that, you know, tries to impose their morality on the viewers of their reality show, and features one thing, but may have a dirty secret festering within their home.
A lot of what we’re going after this year is hypocrisy. It seems like it was the summer of hypocrisy . You know, these iconic figures, we certainly saw story after story about the former – I think we read today the former Speaker of the House just took a plea deal rather than admit to why he was bribing somebody.
Obviously we saw the Cosby story, we’ve seen the Duggar story. There’s just been a state of stories about powerful men behaving badly and doing their best to cover it up. That’s an interesting area for us to explore.
Andy, because we know that Olivia Benson has a good working relationship with Deputy Chief Dodds, how will that be affected now that he’s brought his son onto the team?
Andy. I think Sergeant Mike Dodds, is going to have a lot to prove, and I’m not afraid of that. One of the lines in my first episode is – sink or swim. My Dad, Chief Dodds says it to me and I choose to swim. There’s definitely a mix of awkwardness between her relationship with my father, but something I don’t think Mike Dodds really brings up. I don’t view her as “Oh, you and my father have a working relationship, and therefore I need to go along those lines.” It’s more about I’m coming in here to kick some butt.
But I think there’s going to be lessons learned, because Lieutenant Benson is a very strong force and making sure that I don’t step over the lines is a priority of Mike Dodds. He respects SVU for what it is. He’s certainly not going to try to take any privileges by being the son of the chief.
Warren Leight (chiming in). That said – everybody in the squad room, even though Mike Dodds is doing his best to be one of the guys, everybody is walking on egg shells because they don’t know if he’s going to rat them out.
There’s a lot of tension about nobody wants to work – no offense, Andy, but nobody wants to work with the boss’s son. And that’s one of the things we’re enjoying.
I think Fin’s character is particularly put out by it, and in an upcoming episode, Benson looks right at Fin and goes “I offered you the chance to be sergeant. You weren’t interested, so Shut Up!” There’s a ripple effect when the boss’s son comes to work with you.
Andy, what does your first case involve?
Andy. The first case I come into is interesting because it deals with the internal drama of the characters that are established already. Rollin’s character has a sister that has obviously created problems in the past, and Virginia Madsen arrives on set as Rollin’s mother.
Certain people on the force are overly protective of their own. I’m trying to find out the case of a guy who was drugged, and had his things stolen from him, but he’s accused of rape.
So in all the internal ideas, I’m finding out there’s an established family within the force, and there’s a problem on inside that’s for you and I to see firsthand on the first day.
Thank your Andy and Warren.
Catch Andy’s debut on the critically acclaimed Law & Order: SVU, this Wednesday, October 21 at 9pm ET/Pt on NBC!
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