Law & Order has seen the beginning of thousands of careers, including some of today’s most famous stars. At the 2025 SAG Awards on Sunday, February 23, Mariska Hargitay, who has been starring as Law & Order: SVU’s Olivia Benson since 1999, honored some of the most memorable guest stars of the Law & Order universe.
“In the Law & Order universe, the dedicated actors who bring these stories to life are members of an elite squad known as the guest stars,” Hargitay said in a pre-taped video. She added the memorable line, “These are their stories.”
Movie stars like Bradley Cooper and musicians like Sabrina Carpenter have appeared in the iconic crime drama early in their careers.
Hargitay named some of the biggest stars to appear in the series.“So many amazing actors were guest stars early in their careers in the Law & Order universe,” Hargitay said. “Kerry Washington, Sebastian Stan, Leighton Meester, Adam Driver, Sam Rockwell, Elizabeth Banks, Zoe Saldaña, Pedro Pascal, Tony Hale, Abigail Breslin, Sabrina Carpenter.”
She continued, “Elle Fanning, Idris Elba, Liza Colón-Zayas, J.K. Simmons, Meghann Fahy, Timothée Chalamet, Jeremy Allen White… the list goes on and on and on.”
Stars share their experience guest-starring on ‘Law & Order’
Liza Colón-Zayas, currently best known for her role in The Bear shared what she recalls of her own experience in the Law & Order universe in the pre-taped video.
“I played five different characters in six episodes,” Colón-Zayas said. “I discovered two bodies. It was so satisfying. It was a very big deal to be on Law & Order and it’s a rite of passage.”
Tony Hale, who you may remember from hit shows like Arrested Development (2003-2019) and Veep (2012-2019), shared the little bit he remembered from that time.
“I don’t know if I’m an authority on the shows because I only did one episode,” Hale said. But he was soon reminded that wasn’t the case. “I did two?” he asked, stunned. And when asked how he got his role on the show his hilarious response was, “I don’t know, I give really good trauma face?”
Hale went on to share his parents’ love for Law & Order, jokingly explaining it’s the only thing they are proud of.
“To this day, Law & Order is the only show my parents understood, Hale shared. He went on to imitate his conversation telling his parents he’d won an Emmy and a SAG Award and his parents’ response. “That’s so great son. When are you gonna be on Law & Order again?”
‘Law & Order’ guest stars played a fun game at the awards
Two of the show’s guest stars, Keke Palmer and Colman Domingo, took the stage to present the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role. But before they did, Palmer introduced a fun game.
“I came up with a game,” Palmer said. “You know what? What if we told everyone to take a drink if they’ve ever been on an episode of Law & Order?” The camera then cut to Chalamet, Zoe Saldaña and Jeremy Allen White taking a sip from their glasses.
