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…
Yul Vazquez
Daniel Hardy (Season 11, Episode 15, "Confidential")
“The first SVU I did was with Lena Olin. I was already friends with Chris Meloni because I had done RUNAWAY BRIDE with [him]. So I already knew Chris Meloni...so that was nice to see my friend. I loved working with Lena Olin. I love doing that part. It was a guy who was falsely accused of something. I remember I had a good time, actually, and I haven't seen it in a thousand years.
But the next one I did was with Danny [Pino, in season 14's 'Poisoned Motive']…and that's where Danny and I met. We sort of were in the same circles, and we knew the same people. And people kept saying, 'Do you know Danny Pino?' I go, 'No, ma'am, but everybody that I know knows him. I'm dying to meet this guy; I know his work, and I love his work.' And then there we are on this LAW & ORDER thing, and we've been friends ever since; we become friends.
It was very easy to play his brother [on HOTEL COCAINE] because I feel like Danny's like my brother in real life. And we have so many mutual friends."
(Photo credit: Screengrab/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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