LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT 25th Anniversary: Stars and Guest Stars Recall Their First Days on Set
September 20, 2024 by Marisa Roffman
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT celebrates its 25th birthday on September 20, a remarkable feat that makes it not only the longest-running primetime drama, but also a place literally thousands of actors have worked. (The series has produced over 550 episodes so far.)
Here, a number of stars and guest stars—both past and present—share their memories with Give Me My Remote about their first days on the show’s set…
Virginia Madsen
Beth Anne Rollins (Season 17, Episode 6, "Maternal Instincts")
“Well, first, I was surprised that they wanted me to do it, being a fan of the show. I thought, ‘Oh, do I get to be a killer? Or maybe I’d be the DA and hassle Mariska.’ And they were like, ‘No, you’re sort of comedy relief.’ And I was like, ‘Aw.’ But it was really funny. She was a great character. I had hoped there would be room to bring me back, but it didn’t happen that way. But it was nice to walk onto a show that you’re actually a fan of. That was cool. They treated me like I was a member of the cast, a regular. There were kids running around—their kids. They just wanted to make sure I was welcomed. It was a good experience.” (Photo credit: NBC)
To jump straight to a certain actor, here’s the full list:
- Tamara Tunie
- Mark-Paul Gosselaar
- Daniel Sunjata
- Gloria Reuben
- Jason Ritter
- Rebecca Wisocky
- Ashley Williams
- Yul Vazquez
- Danny Pino
- Mehcad Brooks
- Peter Scanavino
- Virginia Madsen
- Will Sasso
- Aimé Donna Kelly
- Maurice Compte
(And a bonus of a couple of past guest stars talking about their experiences: Emily Deschanel, Cady McClain, and Lou Diamond Phillips.)
LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, Season Premiere, Thursday, October 3, 9/8c, NBC
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