Aimé Donna Kelly’s Career Before SVU Has Always Been Part of Her “Artistry”
Before stepping into the world of high-stakes investigations and landing a dream role of Captain Renee Curry on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, actress Aimé Donna Kelly had a career as a teacher, guiding young performers toward landing dream roles of their own.
Kelly began as a recurring character on SVU, introduced as an adversary of Benson’s as the Captain of the Internal Affairs Bureau in Season 22 of the NBC nail-biter. Since then, Captain Renee Curry has gradually assumed a larger role, moving from the IAB to Benson’s squad in Season 25 of SVU, joining Benson’s crusade against injustice both on the streets and within the court system.
Now that Kelly’s fearless Captain has joined the squad as a member of the regular cast, she looked back on the start of it all during an interview with TODAY. Kelly recalled landing those first few episodes and letting her students at Marymount Manhattan College know she would be gone for a short time, only to learn SVU writers had big plans for Captain Curry.
“I get the script, I read it, and I actually went back to my agents, and I was like, ‘Um, I don’t know if this is going to be a one-episode deal. It kind of looks like Curry is sticking around,’” Kelly recalled, adding that she had previously based her career around teaching during the days and performing at nights.
“Teaching has always been a part of my artistry, like, ever since I’ve gotten into this business,” Kelly explained. But after SVU wanted Kelly for an increasing number of episodes, Kelly chose to extend her leave of absence from Marymount. “It was just very clear that Curry fit so well with the squad. It just felt so natural.”
Mariska Hargitay says she and Aimé Donna Kelly “learn from each other”
Kelly couldn’t be happier to hop aboard such a mythic series, especially for the honor of working alongside television titan Hargitay and soaking up any tips from the seasoned star, just like Curry has learned from Benson in the squad room. Kelly told that she’d “never seen someone take such joyful command of a space” until working with Hargitay.
“As an actor, speaking personally, getting to work with Mariska and learn from her, I think you’re seeing kind of a reflection of that in these two characters. Like, Curry learned so much from Benson, and me, Aimé, I’m learning so much from Mariska. So, it just translates really well on screen, I think,” Kelly said. “Her energy really does trickle down to everyone on set. It’s amazing to be around that, and I think I’ve really taken that. I’ve learned that.
Hargitay echoed Kelly’s excitement in an interview with Access when the two SVU stars celebrated Kelly’s promotion to series regular in Season 27. Hargitay looked back on filming her first scene with Kelly in Season 22, and knowing early on that they’d found a certified scene-stealer.
“I just remember I was in the presence of such an incredible actress and somebody so powerful who has this natural gravitas,” Hargitay gushed. “And I remember being so excited … I was so inspired and excited and just thought you were amazing. And then to now have her here in the [Season 27] fold, and we learn from each other.”
Hargitay added, “Aimé is also, besides being an amazing actor, she’s an acting teacher, and it’s just so fun because she’s a badass on screen, but off, it’s a different story! She’s a little buttercup.”
“I think I’m the biggest nerd on set,” Kelly laughed.
Aimé Donna Kelly still hears from her former acting students: “It just feels so great”
During a September 2025 appearance on NBC New York, Kelly chatted about what fans can expect this season from Curry and the squad on SVU.
“You’re going to get a lot more of Curry. You’re gonna understand where she came from and why she is the way that she is,” Kelly revealed. “And I think you’re gonna get that with a lot of the cast members.”
Kelly continued by saying that Curry will come more into her power this season after garnering cherished knowledge from Benson in the past few seasons.
“When you first meet Curry, she’s very buttoned up, right? Coming from IAB, all about the rules,” Kelly explained. “And then she meets Benson, and then she realizes that there’s another way to do this work. And she learns to be a little bit more open with her heart. She learns that it’s OK to be empathetic and to be a little softer and calmer and not have the right answer right away.”
As Captain Curry continues to evolve on SVU, Kelly was delighted to reveal that she still hears from her former acting students.
“They love it. They message me, they DM, they e-mail, they text,” Kelly smiled. “And it just feels so great, they get to see an example, right? And the person that was teaching them how to do this is now doing it. So yeah, very cool.”