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Character study

With his steely blue eyes, sculpted Italian features and brawny physique, let鈥檚 just say actor聽Christopher Meloni聽(Hist鈥�83) doesn鈥檛 have much to worry about in the looks department.

No, it鈥檚 no surprise that People magazine named the long-time star of television鈥檚 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit聽one of its Sexiest Men Alive in 2006. Whether he鈥檚 playing quarterbacks or psychopaths, cops or vampires, 鈥渉ot鈥� seems to be a common denominator 鈥� though there was this one time when his agent called鈥�Aco

鈥淗e said, 鈥業鈥檝e got an offer for you. It鈥檚 four days of work and it will take you four hours of prosthetic makeup.鈥� That really intrigued me,鈥� Meloni says by phone from Hollywood. 鈥淭hen he said the character鈥檚 name was Freakshow and I was like, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 absolutely perfect, I don鈥檛 even need to read the script.鈥欌��

And so a Hollywood sex symbol came to play one of the most hideous film characters in recent memory, the dermatologically challenged, frazzle-haired, backwoods denizen in two over-the-top Harold and Kumar听肠辞尘别诲颈别蝉.

Of course, nobody could tell it was Meloni under all that latex, and Freakshow is just one small 鈥� disgusting 鈥� data point in a career that includes not just success on network TV, but also on the big screen and in some of cable鈥檚 hottest series, including 鈥淥z,鈥� 鈥淭rue Blood鈥� and 鈥淰eep.鈥�

The actor, 53, grew up in Washington, D.C., and came to CU-Boulder hoping to 鈥渆xperience America from a different perspective.鈥� He says he began learning his craft both through acting classes and by keeping his eyes open.

鈥淐U was definitely the first place where I got a chance to really study people, how they interact and react,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here was a lot of quality people watching.鈥�

After graduation he studied with legendary acting coach Sanford Meisner in New York while supporting himself working in construction and as a bouncer and fitness coach. He began to pick up commercial work and in 1984 was cast as an ex-con quarterback in HBO鈥檚 first sitcom, 1st and Ten.

Meloni came to prominence with his visceral portrayal of bisexual psychopath Chris Keller in the 1998-2003 HBO prison drama 鈥淥z.鈥� It made him an icon in the gay community.

In his best-known role, he played the complex, not-quite-by-the-book Det. Elliot Stabler alongside Mariska Hargitay in Law & Order.聽He left the show in 2011.

鈥淒oing 12 years of something that great on national TV was rewarding,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think it was also pretty important to be on a show that resonated with sexual crime. 鈥� In certain ways it opened up dialogue for people to confront or discuss that sort of thing.鈥�

Meloni鈥檚 recent work includes starring with Shailene Woodley in 2014鈥檚 White Bird in a Blizzard, the FOX network comedy Surviving Jack,聽and his recurring role in the popular supernatural cable series True Blood.

As for what鈥檚 next, the actor says you never know when the next Detective Stabler (or Freakshow) will come along.

鈥淵ou can do all the planning and wishing you want, but at the end of the day you read what鈥檚 on the page,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f you are lucky enough to have your imagination sparked, you know exactly how to fit into that world.鈥�

Photography courtesy Christopher Meloni