LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT: Donna Lynne Champlin Previews the Emotional ‘Tour de Force’ of Portraying Megan in ‘The Grid Plan’

February 25, 2025 by Marisa Roffman

Donna Lynne Champlin headshot by Benjo Arwas.

On the Thursday, February 27 episode of LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, guest star Donna Lynne Champlin takes center stage.

In the hour, “The Grid Plan,” the squad is called in when Megan (Champlin), a tourist, is attacked in Times Square. But things get complicated when it becomes clear Megan isn’t exactly content to just sit on the sidelines and wait for answers.

And while the actress has an impressive résumé, co-starring in shows like THE PERFECT COUPLE, CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND, and ANOTHER PERIOD, as well as guest spots in THE GOOD FIGHT, THE BLACKLIST, THE GOOD DOCTOR, and THE GOOD WIFE, Champlin admits she’s not actually sure how she ended up on SVU.

“You know, I am still trying to figure that out,” she tells Give Me My Remote with a laugh. “It was a straight offer and it kind of came out of nowhere. My team is still trying to figure out, like, ‘Who gets the fruit basket?’”

Champlin had previously done guest spots during LAW & ORDER’s initial run—one of which got cut out in the final edit, but “it totally worked out because I was able to get recycled pretty quickly back in because nobody ever saw me”—but this marked her first job with SVU and first time back with the franchise in nearly 15 years.

Things came together so fast that she accepted the job without knowing anything about the part. “I’ll have a tendency, even if it’s not the part of my dreams, [if it’s shooting in New York] I just take a subway ride to work,” Champlin says. “Anything that shoots around here is good and convenient…I just assumed it would be two or three days, like I’m a lawyer or something.”

When she got the script, she was astonished to discover her character was the central focus of the hour and included in “every single page.”

“And it’s like a tour de force,” she raves. “The part is a barn burner. And I called my agent because I was like, ‘What’s the name of my character? Because I don’t think it’s Megan.’ And they were like, ‘No, you’re Megan.’ And I was like, ‘What?’”

“It was just like this gift from the gods,” Champlin continues with a laugh. “It just appeared out of nowhere. It started really quickly. I think they called the end of the day on a Friday, and I was in a fitting on Monday. It was a pure joy from beginning to end, even though the subject matter is disturbing. The actual job and the SVU crew, man…wow. [Series star] Mariska Hargitay, just phenomenal.”

LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “The Grid Plan” Episode 26014 — Pictured: (l-r) Ice T as Sgt. Odafin “Fin” Tutuola, Kevin Kane as Det. Terry Bruno, Donna Lynne Champlin as Megan, Juliana Aidén Martinez as Det. Kate Silva — (Photo by: Peter Kramer/NBC)

In the hour, prior to the assault, the Broadway-loving Megan came to New York to see as many shows as possible. Though she has her own complications in her life that pre-date the attack, “Megan is just a regular middle-aged, middle class, middle of the country [woman],” Champlin previews. “She’s middle. What I think is important about this episode is that I’m a normal looking actor, right? I look like everyone’s mom or sister, aunt, or whatever. I feel like that’s a demographic that does not get accurately represented on TV and film. I feel like women who look like me are relegated to one dimension, maybe two. And this was a nice three-dimensional Olympic event, run[ning] the gamut of emotions. And I mean, honestly, I was just really proud to represent.”

“There’s also a line in this script where the rapist basically says, ‘I don’t need to rape anybody. I mean, look at me and look at her,’” she continues. “And I think it’s also important because that just sort of reinforces that sexual assault isn’t about attraction, it’s about power. I feel like a lot of times, women who look like me, it’s confusing [for some when they’re assaulted]. And I love that there’s a character that looks like me, that looks like everybody’s best friend, or whatever, where that’s reinforced it can happen to anybody. It can happen to anybody at any age, from anywhere. And I feel like that’s important, too. And I would hope that if someone who was watching it, who had, heaven forbid, been sexually assaulted and didn’t look like a f—ing model, that they’ll take some comfort from seeing themselves reflected back to them. So I was really thrilled.”

The role also puts Champlin opposite Hargitay’s Olivia Benson, who is by Megan’s side as she navigates her increasingly complex life post-attack.

“I love Mariska Hargitay, and I don’t even say that lightly,” Champlin gushes. “I truly, truly, deeply love her…She’s just a phenomenal actress, leading lady, person.”

Things are a bit more complex between Megan and Olivia, as Megan decides she’ll try to take justice into her own hands. “I’m like a wild stallion, and she is constantly trying to be like, ‘No, this is bad. This is bad for you,’” Champlin teases. “[Olivia has to tell her], ‘You are messing up your own case. You’re not thinking, you are messing it up for yourself. Stop it. Also? Illegal. Don’t.’”

Olivia tries to connect with Megan by sharing a piece of her own history with her, but “displacement is another theme in this episode,” Champlin previews. “What happens when your victim doesn’t react like a victim? What if they don’t scream, what if they don’t call 911, what if they don’t have abrasions? What if they don’t act like every other victim does? What do you do? And in a scene where [Olivia tells Megan], ‘You’re displacing,’ [she shares a detail about her own life and says,] ‘I know a little bit about displacing.’”

Champlin’s initial take on the scene was to react to Hargitay’s acting. “I remember the first time we shot that, as an actor, I reacted like, ‘Oh, wow, that’s a big share,’” she recalls with a laugh. “And I got a note—and rightly so; I totally agree with it—where they were like, ‘That’s a great reaction for someone who’s healthy…You’re just not in a place to have that much compassion, you’ve got to be a little bit more up your own ass.’ So I was like, ‘Oh, yes, of course, right, I understand.’”

“It was so hard because she’s such a great actress,” she continues. “She’s so good, and I love her so much…I had to do that scene and not be as compassionate or empathetic as I wanted to be, because Megan was just like, ‘I don’t give a s— about your problems. Okay, catch this guy. That’s what we’re doing. We’re catching the guy. And if you’re not going to do it, I’m going to do it.’”

LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT — “The Grid Plan” Episode 26014 — Pictured: (l-r) Donna Lynne Champlin as Megan, Juliana Aidén Martinez as Det. Kate Silva, Kevin Kane as Det. Terry Bruno, Joe Lanza as Richard — (Photo by: Peter Kramer/NBC)

Though the women are very different on paper, “Mariska described [Olivia and Megan] as alpha females at one point,” Champlin shares. “And I was like, ‘Really, you see Megan as an alpha?’ And she’s like, ‘Yeah, one hundred percent in her state.’ Which may not be her normal resting place—normally, she’s a mom, and she does everything for everybody, and she’s the last on her list. But she’s in this hyped-up state, she is alpha. So it’s fun, too, to see two alpha females who clearly like each other butt heads. I just can’t say enough good things about [Hargitay], though. She’s just phenomenal.”

Champlin also got to experience a bit of the show’s popularity while filming SVU on location with Hargitay—which included fans and paparazzi watching takes and photographing the production process. “First of all, obviously, they’re all yelling for Mariska, which they should, and I’m glad they do,” Champlin points out. “And she’s so gracious. You can just see that it happens all the time…and it is amazing because she will be like, ‘Hey!’ and she’s so smart because she gives them that sort of recognition [and] they were amazing during our takes. They would stand there behind whatever barricade that [production had] set up; you’ve got PAs being like, ‘Sorry, you can’t walk. You gotta wait five minutes.’”

“And, man, New Yorkers, they see Mariska, and they’re like, ‘Whatever she wants, we’ll do, she is the queen,’” she continues. “I don’t know if that’s what it’s like when she’s not around. I was just really lucky that most of my stuff on location outside was with her. It’s different when she’s not there. But it was fine. And then after we do a take, they’d be [applauding us]. It was great. But they were really respectful, which I was like, ‘All right, New York, come through.’”

Check back on Thursday after the episode for more from Champlin.

LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, Thursdays, 9/8c, NBC

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LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT: Donna Lynne Champlin Previews the Emotional ‘Tour de Force’ of Portraying Megan in ‘The Grid Plan’

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