Law & Order: SVU’s Peter Scanavino Reveals Which Cast Member Cracks the Most Jokes on Set (Exclusive)

Even after 27 seasons of Law & Order: SVU, there’s rarely a dull moment on set.

At the Law & Order 25th Anniversary Celebration earlier this month, PEOPLE spoke with cast members about being a part of the massively successful franchise. When asked who is the biggest jokester behind the scenes, Peter Scanavino, who has portrayed Dominick “Sonny” Carisi Jr. on SVU since 2014, admits it’s a close call between himself and lead Mariska Hargitay.

“I might give it to Mariska,” he says of the actress, 61, whose character Captain Benson is the “longest-running primetime drama character in television history,” per NBC. “But yeah, we keep it light when we can and serious when we have to.”

The actor, 45, also shares what he thinks keeps both viewers and the cast passionate about the NBC series — which follows the Special Victims Unit of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) as they investigate some of the city’s most sensitive and complex crimes, often involving sexual assault, child abuse and domestic violence.

“When it’s cold outside and it’s raining and it’s snowing, it gets old,” he laughs. “But when it’s warm and with your friends, no, no it doesn’t. It’s a show that keeps reinventing itself and we keep reinventing ourselves and they give us the space to grow as characters.”

“It’s a really interesting job in that, I’ve been on the show for a long time, but it doesn’t feel like it’s the same thing every day at all,” Scanavino continues. “So I’m very lucky for that.”

Along with Scanavino and Hargitay, SVU currently stars Ice-T as Fin Tutuola, Kelli Giddish as Amanda Rollins and Kevin Kane as Detective Terry Bruno, among others.

“Mariska’s a very playful person. She’s totally collaborative, open to whatever, and that’s really impressive,” he explained. “But then that also carries on to what she’s like as a parent and a friend, open. And that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have her strong opinions and her viewpoints and all that, but she’s completely willing to be open to other points of view and understand and sit there and listen and talk and joke and all that.”

“She’s a really inquisitive, strong person that’s open to all kinds of different things, and I think that’s just invaluable as a friend, as a parent, as an actor,” he added, noting: “I have a few role models in my life as a parent, and she’s definitely one of them.”

Law & Order: SVU airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC and is available to stream on Peacock the next day. All 26 previous seasons of the drama are also available on the streaming platform.