LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT 25th Anniversary: Stars and Guest Stars Recall Their First Days on Set

Billy Baker (Season 4, Episode 20, "Dominance")
“I think my first day, I was driving out of a parking garage. I was very nervous about driving in New York, even though they blocked the streets off. [Laughs.] But I also remember filming late, because I had been going to school at the same time. It was surreal. I couldn’t believe that I was on a set, in New York, driving around.

And then the other things I really remember are Ice T giving me GRAND THEFT AUTO advice. I had no idea he’s a huge gamer, but his Twitter handle is FinalLevel—he’s a huge gamer. He gave me incredible tips, and I used them, and he was right! So that was very helpful for my game life. [Laughs.]

The other thing I really remember is I had auditioned for a part in another episode, to play a guy who was a sociopath, who is cold as ice, passes a lie detector test, after he’s thrown this woman out the window [in ‘Privilege’]. And they’re like, ‘You didn’t get this part, but you got this part of this guy who cries all the time.’ I was like, ‘Oh my God, I really messed [that audition] up.’ So I was very nervous about all of the emotional stuff. There’s little crystals they can blow [to help you cry], but the person who was supposed to do that was gone, and I was like, ‘I think I need it!’ And someone came up and [mimics blowing] and I felt chunks of these menthol crystals in my eyes. And then I heard them say, ‘Speed, rolling,’ and I was like, ‘Tears are coming, I cannot open my eyes.’ And so I ruined the first take. By the time I could open my eyes, they were so bloodshot, it looked like I had been crying for hours and it really helped me. And then I was sniffling because of the pain. None of that is acting, it’s just me surviving. And it worked in my favor.” (Photo credit: Screengrab/NBC)