D’Onofrio: Happy to share ‘L&O’ duties with Noth
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) √≥ Vincent D’Onofrio, who was hospitalized briefly last year for exhaustion, says he now has “the cushiest job on television.”
D’Onofrio will be splitting the workload on NBC’s Law & Order: Criminal Intent with Chris Noth, who left the original Law & Order series 10 years ago. Each actor will appear in 11 episodes.
“I wouldn’t be doing a fifth season if it wasn’t for Dick Wolf stepping in and coming up with a better idea,” D’Onofrio told reporters recently, according to AP Radio.
Wolf is the creator and executive producer of the Law & Order crime drama franchise, which also includes Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Kathryn Erbe co-stars with D’Onofrio on Criminal Intent.
The 46-year-old actor fainted on the set of the New York-based crime drama in November and was hospitalized. Several days later, he fainted at home. Medical tests revealed exhaustion.
“It was just too much. Kate and I, we work our butts off,” he said. “It’s not digging ditches but …”
With Noth signing on, “Now I have the cushiest job on television. I do,” D’Onofrio said. “Eleven episodes a season. I mean, you can’t beat that.”
D’Onofrio said exhaustion “crept up” on him and put him down “like a rabid dog.”
“I was worried. My family was worried. My kids worried. And my exes were worried. Everybody was worried. And the doctors were worried. There were four neurologists and heart guys, specialists at NYU, New York University, that’s where I was, at the hospital there.”
Noth will again play Detective Mike Logan, his character from Law & Order. His partner will be played by Annabella Sciorra.
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