Vincent D’Onofrio: Our Hero’s Back

“Law & Order: Criminal Intent” returns to USA Network on Sunday, May 1st, and fans of Major Case Squad Detective Bobby Goren are thrilled with the return of Vincent D’Onofrio, after that 18-month absence that was supposed to be permanent. When last seen, Bobby Goren was getting fired and the person elected to give him that bad news was his long-time partner, Detective Alexandra Eames (portrayed by Kathryn Erbe) who is also coming back.

Up until Season 9’s “Loyalty – Part 2,” (Somali terrorists and illegals arm deals), Goren and Eames were with us through 8 seasons. For many fans, D’Onofrio was the show. Much like when a favorite American Idol contestant gets voted off the show, scores of angry fans vowed to never watch “Law & Order: CI” again, even though it was the actor’s own decision to leave the series.

In a recent candid interview with Irene Lacher for the “Los Angeles Times,” D’Onofrio opens up about his reasons for leaving, how overwhelming starring in a TV series can be and his character’s appeal.

Spending time with his wife, Carin van der Donk and their two boys, 11-year-old Elias and 3-year-old Luca, was a major factor in D’Onofrio’s decision to leave the series. The “Full Metal Jacket” actor also spent some time filming a slasher movie called “Don’t Go into the Woods.” Not “just” a slasher movie — it’s also a musical. D’Onofrio says he and his friends cast the movie right off “the streets of New York with all unknown actors” and shot it in 12 days on a budget of $100,000.

On how filming the series took its toll on both him and his co-star, Erbe:

“Both of us had kids, and we were working 10 months out of the year with maybe a couple of days off here and a couple of days off there … it was a brutal, brutal time. And I will never ever, no matter what kind of money they offer me, ever do that again.” And that is why they are now only doing eight episodes.

“On his character’s appeal (or lack thereof):

“It’s always been like that … especially the way I play him is not to everybody’s taste. … to have a guy who’s as clever as Goren,’ D’Onofrio mused, “It’s a battle for people to like that show …. On the other hand, the people who do take the leap love it. I say that not out of arrogance. Believe me, every time I go to the corner to get milk for the kids, I hear it.”

Fans love Goren’s passion, his “bull in a china shop” power, his brains and, oh, that little boy vulnerability. He’s our hero — and our hero also ventured these might not really be the “last eight.”

“I know the television business pretty well now. I’ve been in it for 10 years … from an actor’s point of view … I would say that “Criminal Intent” will be back in some form after these eight at some point.

So that has got to mean if they ask him to stay on, he’ll do it — as long as the schedule is reasonable.