One Law & Order: SVU fan-favorite actor—Kelli Giddish—happens to play one of the show’s most disliked characters.
Giddish’s Amanda Rollins joined the cast in Season 13. And from the start, fans had mixed opinions about the character.
Unlike the other staples Olivia Benson and Fin Tutuola, Rollins isn’t a steadfast law-abiding detective. She’s a compulsive gambler who makes terrible in-the-moment decisions. And she’s always getting herself into toxic relationships.
And though she continues to grow, people can’t always find a lot of redeeming qualities in her personality.
However, every series needs a flawed character like Detective Rollins. So, she’s definitely earned a place in the story—even if she isn’t totally likable. And one thing that Law & Order: SVU fans do agree on is that no one could play her better than Kellie Giddish.
In fact, a Reddit thread recently popped up just to sing the actress’s praises.
In a post titled Rollins Was A Great Casting Call, u/TheStunt-Twitch_YT wrote that Giddish has managed to develop a character who has outlasted all but two other actors on the series.
And almost every user who responded agreed that the actress was a pro.
“Rollins can be a very polarizing character. But unlike some of the more recent characters where I think their polarization is more due to bad writing, Rollins was clearly intentionally written as a very dimensional and layered character,” responded hannahsflora. “Kelli Giddish also sells the hell out of the material she’s given – I couldn’t imagine anyone else doing better.”
“Kelli is a fantastic actress and her ability to have chemistry with pretty much anyone is a testament to her great acting abilities,” TropangTexter mused. “Definitely a great casting call, regardless of what you may feel about Rollins.”
‘Law & Order: SVU’ Fans Think Kellie Giddish Could Be the New Mariska Hargitay
Law & Order: SVU fans are so in love with Kellie Giddish’s acting chops that they think she could be the face of the series one day.
Because Giddish is so solid, many people speculate that she will take over when OG leading lady Mariska Mariska Hargitay decides to make an exit, which hopefully isn’t for a long time. But if she does walk, the series has no chance of making it without a strong replacement—just like Giddish.
“Definitely don’t see the show going any longer if Mariska decides she’s done,” ButterscotchPast4812 wrote. “I could however see Rollins as Benson’s successor as captain.”
And another user noted that the writers could make the transition happen by pushing the series “into the future” and showing “Amanda as the heads of SVU after Benson.”
“Oh wow, I never even considered that!” THATchick84 cheered. “I definitely think Kelli could carry the show. I think she would make an awesome Captain.”
