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Stephanie March makes her way home to Dallas -- and to 'Law & Order: SVU'

There seem to be two constants in actress Stephanie March's life: her hometown of Dallas and Law & Order: SVU.

So it only makes sense that the two subjects would dominate any conversation during a recent visit to Dallas.

The actress steps back into the heels of Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot on Wednesday, April 18.  She joined SVU in the second season of the show that's now in its 19th season. Her character has been through trials -- and not just in the courtroom. Cabot was presumed dead, went into Witness Protection and then came out in Season 6 to testify.

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And now, she's back on your televisions  -- and at home last month for the Dallas Annual Planned Parenthood Awards luncheon. March serves on the organization's global advisory board and her grandmother, Ruby Webster March, opened a founding clinic in West Texas in 1938.

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She chatted with us about her love for Dallas and Texas, why the drivers' license office could be on her agenda, and what they laugh about on the set of Law & Order: SVU, "the gift that keeps giving."

She's so Texas.

"I'm so happy to be home. It's funny, I've lived in New York for a long time and my husband is like, "When are you gonna call it home?" I think probably never.

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"I have never stopped being homesick and I enjoy every opportunity to come back to Texas to see where I came from and see the people I love and to appreciate that. I regularly come back to see my dad and friends."

So Texas.

"I have had my Texas driver's license since I lived in Texas. I fly back, I use my parent's address and I renew the license doing that."

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You can find her, easy

"S&D Oyster Company ... is the first restaurant I ever went to growing up and our dear family friend owned it, he [Herb Story] still does. And when my sister and I are in town, we have the B.A.'s Spicy shrimp dip and that's always our first stop.

Let's go way back: 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith'?

"That movie was so crazy. We worked on it for so long and then they cut and they cut it. I worked on it for six months and then they stopped shooting, based on scheduling, for I don't know how long and then they went back and shot for so many months. So it was me, Kerry Washington (Scandal) and, Perrey Reeves (Famous in Love), a bunch of us. We hung out in our camper on location, all around California, reading and talking and drinking coffee, wondering what was going on with the movie. We worked on it for forever and then when we saw it, we were like, "Hey, did we do that? Did we work on that?" It was fun and I got to work with some really great people.

"It was a really nice group of people. I've been lucky enough to work with really talented ladies."

And surprise! Adult Swim's 'Neon Joe, Werewolf Hunter'?

Oh my God, I had so much fun. Jon Glaser and Scott Adsit are two of my absolute favorite people and I really mean that. As Scott said, 'Nobody plays a fatuous [expletive] better than Jon Glaser. And there's probably not a nicer person on the planet." He is so wonderful to work with. He is so generous, he is so gentle and he's so kind. And he is [sings] funny. And I got to wake up and I got to wear clogs instead of heels every day.

But there's always 'SVU'

"I started in 2001 and  ... that was a while ago ...  I was very lucky to get a role where I could play an independent, strong, professional woman. You know, I didn't have the job of being somebody's girlfriend. That wasn't the show and that wasn't the role. And so to be identified with a character like that for so long is such a privilege. I'm really proud of that. And I feel honored to be a part of that.

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"Like any job, when you first get it, it's hard because it's new and steep learning curve and I'm just out of school and then you get used to it and you start to enjoy it and then you're young and you get itchy and you wanna try other things. Now that I'm older and my life is so much different, going back. Not only was it joyful but it was really like a homecoming. I have good friends from the show. A bunch of the crew was still there. And it has the same passion and energy, people are not phoning it in. It's so nurturing and alive and Mariska's a really good friend. Being paid to work with a good friend every day, it's a gift that keeps giving and I feel so blessed to be a part of it.

Stephanie March stepped out of her shoes at the Highland Park High School homecoming dance.
Stephanie March stepped out of her shoes at the Highland Park High School homecoming dance.(DMN File Photo)

... and makeup

"Another thing that I work on and it's not here in Dallas yet, but we are very excited about it. I have a business partner named Rebecca Perkins who happens to be the head of the makeup department on Law & Order: SVU, that's where we met. And we opened two stores in New York called Rouge. It's like Drybar, but for faces. It's a makeup salon. And we're going to be coming out with all sorts of fun custom makeup where you can make your own makeup in the store.

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"It has been a significant part of the last four years of my life. I never thought I'd be a business owner. ... We're coming, Texas. Nobody knows makeup better than Texas. And my mother didn't go to the grocery store without lipstick and I'm the same way."

Highland Park High School

"Angie Harmon [ADA Abbie Carmichael on Law & Order], yes. You know Jayne Mansfield? She's Mariska's [L&O star Hargitay] mom. She went to Highland Park High School as well. Isn't that crazy. What's in the water? They're growing Law & Order people over there. Isn't that funny? Mariska and I laugh about that all the time."

For more TV news, views and reviews, follow @DawnBurkes on Twitter.