It’s hard to believe that Law & Order: SVU is still going strong in Season 26. The show has seen its fair share of guest stars over the years. One of the show’s stars, Mariska Hargitay, recently revealed something surprising about these guest star requests. It turns out that many celebrities have a unique and quite unusual request when it comes to appearing on the show.
During her appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Hargitay let viewers in on a secret. She said that many celebrities want to play dead bodies on the show. Isn’t that strange? It's not what you might expect from people trying to get a guest spot on SVU. But thinking about it, being a dead body might be pretty enjoyable. Not only is it unique, but it also saves actors the trouble of remembering lines and allows them to leave the set quickly if they have a busy schedule.
Even big names, including an unnamed supermodel, have asked for this specific role. Hargitay once approached the writers about getting the supermodel a part on the show. However, the supermodel insisted on playing a dead body instead of a speaking role. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. In fact, it happens quite often.
It’s easy to understand why celebrities might find this role appealing. It’s a chance to do something different and dramatic. And let’s face it, who wouldn't want to say they played a dead body on one of TV’s longest-running dramas? But the real question is, why don’t they want speaking lines?
Though it’s fun and interesting to know about these requests, it’s unlikely that many of them will become reality. Most guest stars will likely have spoken roles. Nevertheless, it’s always exciting to see familiar faces on SVU. You never know who might show up.
New episodes of Law & Order: SVU air on Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. Fans can also stream the series to see all the guest stars who have appeared over the years through a Peacock subscription.
