‘Law & Order: SVU’: Aimé Donna Kelly Explains Why Curry Is Suspicious of Chief Tynan

“There’s gotta be” another shoe when it comes to Chief Tynan, says Law & Order: SVU star Aimé Donna Kelly (Captain Renee Curry).

After all, Noma Dumezweni‘s character has, thus far, introduced herself to Captain Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) at a wake (Cragen’s), placed someone she knows (Corey Cott‘s Detective Jake Griffin) on the squad, brought back Sergeant Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish), and tried to get Benson to take on a deputy chief position that would oversee all of special victims. Of course Curry’s suspicious! It’s like with everything, there’s a “yes, but…” when it comes to Tynan, and Kelly agrees.

Below, Aimé Donna Kelly takes a look at the state of the squad thus far in Season 27, talks the “awesome trifecta” of Benson, Curry, and Rollins, and much more.

How is Curry feeling about the squad this season? There have been quite some changes already.

Aimé Donna Kelly: I think Curry is in a place where she’s found her home. She was so — at least in my backstory of her — isolated in IAB, and we’re going to find out a lot more backstory about Curry this season. So that’s really exciting. I don’t want to give away all the things, but being with SVU, it just feels more like a family. It feels more like everyone has each other’s back. It’s so great having Rollins back. It feels like this awesome trifecta with the three women who are really strong and huge leaders, but also very different in terms of how they tackle a case. Curry is never going to let go of that analytical, very precise, fact-based detective work, right? She’s always going to lead with the facts first. But it feels great both as an actor and as the character to be surrounded with people who are really gung-ho and kind of push her to be a little bit more outside of herself and take those risks. So, I got to say, this season feels really, really special, and I can’t believe how lucky I am to be a part of this amazing show.

Peter Kramer/NBC

You brought up that we’re going to get some backstory. What can you preview about that?

You’re going to find out some stuff about who she was before she joined SVU and before she was even at IAB. You might get some family tidbits. Not going to say more than that. But yeah, it’s going to be really, really exciting, and I think you’re going to see more of that from a lot of the folks in the squad, which is great.

Who is she going to be talking to when it comes to that? Because she and Benson are obviously close, but then I love what we’re getting with her and Rollins.

Yes, yes. Yeah, I think you’re going to see Curry and Rollins’ relationship is going to deepen. Obviously, Benson, Rollins, and Curry, it’s like the three of us are close in the squad room, and I think we’re also close outside of the squad room. So you’re going to see just more of their personalities and more humanity, which is awesome.

How much does this backstory line up with what you kind of had in mind before you knew about it? Is it similar?

It’s beautiful the way the writers work. They want to know what we’ve created and how we’ve moved with these characters from season to season. So, it’s a little bit of both, right? They’re brilliant, and their ideas are so fantastic that when we hear them as actors, we’re like, oh, yeah. And we take that in, and we soak it up, and we build around that. It’s always lovely when a writer comes up to you and they’re like, so what were you thinking about this moment in her life, or this moment even in where she lives? And I’m like, oh, yeah, that’s a good question. And so then we kind of move together in finding out just a little bit of the specifics. But I trust them completely. I let them take the reins and whatever they come up with, I absorb it like a sponge, and I just work around it. It’s really awesome.

What’s Curry’s take on Griffin so far? Because there’s something suspicious about him. We had that scene of him going to Tynan’s apartment, but the squad doesn’t know that yet.

Well, I know what it feels like to be the new guy in the room. Curry, last season and maybe even the season before, was the new girl. She was the one that was still learning, trying to understand these dynamics. So I think there’s a lot of sympathy there for Griffin. And also that idea of knowing that if you’re new to a space, you need a mentor, you need someone to kind of show you the ropes. So, in my own way, I think I try to educate Griffin as much as I can. I try to let him know where to step and how to maneuver through these cases, because being an SVU detective is like nothing else coming from narcotics or any other division. You’re not dealing with personal cases like this on this level where people are being dehumanized and torn apart in ways that we can’t fathom — especially for a man. I think Griffin is a character that he needs a little bit of guidance, and he’s not one to shut that guidance down. So I think Curry has room for him, has space for him, but also definitely is a little concerned about his connection to the big boss. And again, being fact-based, she wants to check and see everything that he’s doing before she completely signs off on him.

But because of that, might she be one of the people to become suspicious of him the quickest because she might be picking up on things? With her background…

Sure. I guess I’m seeing it from the side that he’s doing good work. When it comes to the cases, he is actually making some strong points, and you can see that he’s passionate about helping people and about solving the case. I think Curry understands that, and she sees that in him. And I think at least where we are right now, Curry wants Griffin to succeed.

Virginia Sherwood/NBC

I have to say, I like the exchange that Curry and Rollins had after the officer’s comments about Curry last week. It was so simple. It was quick. But it was needed, right?

Yes. That’s another example of Curry [being] used to not being liked, right? To being isolated, to people having the wrong idea about what her intentions are, which is another — not to go back to Griffin, but it’s another reason why I think she’s sussing him out, she’s not writing him off just yet. And so in that position of always being the last one picked for the team and the one that’s always isolated, when you find your people, when someone sticks up for you like Rollins does in that moment, it means so much more than even Rollins realizes. When I see that someone has my back the way Benson did by telling everyone, yeah, Curry is here, deal with it. And the way Rollins kind of responds to that cop that calls me a rat, it means so much. It just solidifies this bond that it makes me as an actor and as Curry, I say, you know what? I got your back through anything. I’ll take a bullet for you. I’ll ride or die with you while we try to figure out these cases. So, it’s really special. And I think that moment, it was so smart that the writers put that in there because it really does amplify how Curry thinks and moves through the world. When I see that you got my back, then there’s no questions asked.

Tynan wants Benson to take on this new deputy chief position at 1PP, consolidating special victims across all five boroughs. What does Curry think about a change like that in general and what it would mean for the squad? Because like she said, she likes how things are there.

It’s interesting because Curry still sees Benson in a lot of ways as a mentor. She’s been doing this for so long. So, I think if that happens, it would be a big shift. And I think I, Curry, would feel a little saddened by it. But I also know that Benson isn’t going to do what Benson doesn’t ultimately want to do. So, if she takes that position, it means she wants to take that position, and she wants to have that shift, and she wants to take on the responsibility of shepherding all of SVU in New York City. So I mean, it would be a little bittersweet. You want to see your friends succeed and do the things that they want to do, but you also don’t want to lose them because there’s comfort there. I am curious to see how that storyline plays out and how that changes the dynamics in the room.

What’s Curry’s take on Tynan? Because it seems like she’s trying to come across as being helpful. But then at the same time, there is something about her…

I think if I’m suspicious about anyone, it’s her, right? I think for sure, I’m like, okay, what’s the angle here? What’s the play? Because she’s doing such a beautiful job, and Noma is such an amazing actor. I mean, I’ve seen her in so many things. I saw her as Hermione on Broadway and I’m jaw on ground every time she opens her mouth. So, it’s so fantastic to be in a room with her, and she plays it so well, that mischievousness just right behind the eyes, but she’s able to be so professional and lovely and beautiful, and it’s like, what is going on? You can’t figure her out. So, I think if I’m suspicious of anyone, it’s her. And I just want to know what the endgame is. So far, we’re getting everything we want. We’re getting Rollins. You’re leaving us alone. We’re able to operate the way that we want to. You got your guy in here. But nothing else has really rocked the boat so far. So I think for me, I am again watching, looking for all the facts, and I am ready to find out what the other shoe is going to be. What’s the shoe that’s going to drop? You know there is one. There’s gotta be.

Is there anything coming up between Curry and Tynan?

Can’t say. Can’t say, but I think everyone in the squad room is going to have something to say or something to do with Tynan, because obviously she affects all of us. If you affect one of us, you affect all of us. So you will see the moment where we all meet her, and that’s going to be interesting.

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It’s interesting for Curry to see the different paths you can take with how long you stay on this squad with characters like Benson and Fin (Ice-T).

Absolutely. And I think that weighs on her and the decisions that she makes. She decided, she’s like, yeah, I want this. I want this role. I want this job. I want to be here because this is where I see real change happening in the small communities. It’s just so important, and it’s really beautiful.

I like that it’s so clear that this is what she wants because she’s a captain.

Yes, yes.

She doesn’t need to be like, OK, I’ll report to Benson.

That’s right. That’s right. And I think that’s the part that hasn’t been said, but it’s clear. It’s like, I’m a captain. I don’t have to be here. I choose to be here. I want to be here. I want to learn from Benson. I want to learn from Fin. I want to understand how to effect change in this way. It’s why she chooses to stay with SVU. It’s not something she has to do. She chooses to do it, and she’s doing it for a reason.

Are there any crossovers with Law & Order coming up? Are we going to see Stabler (Christopher Meloni) again? Any more past SVU characters?

Definitely going to have some crossovers. I don’t know the details of the crossover just yet, but I do know that they are in the works, so that’s exciting, too. I’ve not done a crossover yet with what we call the mothership, Law & Order, the original. So, I’m super excited to meet those folks and to work with Tony Goldwyn. I mean, I’ve been such a fan of his, especially since the Scandal days, and I have not met him yet. So, the minute I get in the room, I’m probably going to say, “Hello, Mr. President,” which, whatever. It happens. [Laughs] So, I’m super excited about that. I cannot wait to work with him and meet him. That’s the one person that I’m like, I’m in the universe. I’m ready to meet you. Yeah, I’m hoping that happens.

Law & Order: SVU, Thursdays, 9/8c, NBC