
Elisabeth Röhm, who performed A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn for 3 and a half seasons, stated she felt her altruistic, at instances somewhat naïve (however nonetheless sharp) character mirrored her personal values. “In my coronary heart there’s this perception that persons are good, not that individuals who do unhealthy issues aren’t unhealthy, however that the spirit of human beings basically—that there is hope for us,” the actress informed the Lengthy Island Weekly in Might. “I believe that Serena had that idealism and I do too.”
The idealism, no less than, might have been her undoing, Department disagreeing with Southerlyn’s strategy to a case and firing her. To which her memorable reply, out of nowhere, was “Is that this as a result of I am a lesbian?” The reply was no, however it was a head-scratcher as a result of Serena’s private life had by no means come up. (It ranked twenty fifth on TV Land’s Prime 100 Most Sudden Moments in TV Historical past.)
Let’s simply say, Röhm’s time on set (“my colleagues had been Jerry Orbach and Sam Waterston, I imply, these are actual actors”) sounds extra pleasurable than Southerlyn’s time within the DA’s Workplace.
“On my final day of labor, Sam Waterston wrote a speech,” recalled Röhm, whose current work consists of Jane the Virgin and Bombshell. “He stated, I got here into Regulation & Order with a ‘blow torch of happiness,’ and I’ve a child-like enthusiasm for all times. I wish to have enjoyable. I wish to deal with folks kindly. I need to make an affect. I need to make a distinction.”
She continued, “And I believe that I do have that child-like enthusiasm and idealism, and perception in humanity. I am by no means shocked when persons are variety as a result of I do know within us is all this hope and want to evolve and to be blissful. That does not imply that there aren’t legal minds, degradation, despair, poverty and violence.”