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‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’: Christopher Meloni Has Had a Lot of Awkward Auditions

Acting isn’t always easy, even though stars like Christopher Meloni from Law & Order: Organized Crime make it seem that way. But even the biggest stars, Meloni included, have an embarrassing audition story or two from their days trying to make it in Hollywood.

Meloni is without a doubt best known for his role as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler. He played the role on the NBC legal drama Law & Order: SVU (Special Victims Unit) for the show’s first 12 seasons. He has since brought back his beloved character in the Law & Order spin-off, Law & Order: Organized Crime.

But before he made a name for himself as a hardened detective, Christopher Meloni had some awkward moments as far as auditions are concerned. Actors know that auditions can be especially hard when you haven’t yet made it. Making their way into a room full of strangers who are going to judge them, it’s definitely a high-pressure situation.

Meloni opened up about some of his audition horror stories in a 2020 interview with Backstage.

“Almost all of the ones for jobs wound up with this cold, awkward silence in the room,” Meloni said. “Standing there with my pores open from sweat.”

According to the Law & Order: Organized Crime star, there is an unspoken feeling among actors when their audition doesn’t go as planned.

“The unspoken word is, ‘Who let the imposter in the room?’ I’ll just slink out of there and I’ll go back to my untalented hole.”

‘Law & Order: Organized Crime’ Star Was ‘Desperate’ for an Acting Job

Obviously, actors like Christopher Meloni love what they do. They have to love it, after all, because no one starts out famous and on top of the game. Actors know that it only takes one audition to change their life forever — whether that be in a good or bad way.

Meanwhile, Meloni shared another audition story with Backstage. He said that he went in for an audition at a time when he was desperate for an acting gig.

“Once, I got a call from an agent or his assistant — he wanted to meet with me,” Meloni explained. “He keeps me waiting for an hour. As desperate as I had been, I’m now pissed off. I walk into his office and he says, ‘Why are you here?’ and I say, ‘You called me, man!’”

What would you do in the same situation? Many people might have walked out, but again, the Law & Order: Organized Crime star was desperate at the time.

“He asks if I’d prepared anything. I hadn’t, so I did my go-to monologue — it was about baseball. It’s horrible. And I sit down and he says, ‘How do you think that went?’ He let me know my grade before I left the room.’”