The Law & Order universe is living proof that even the biggest stars didn’t just appear out of thin air. They had to start somewhere, and more often than not, that “somewhere ” ended up being a courtroom or a crime scene. At the recent SAG Awards, Mariska Hargitay took a moment to acknowledge the franchise’s (or perhaps the universe is a more appropriate word) incredible legacy, paying tribute to all the now-household names who once got their start in the Law & Order world.
From Oscar winners to superhero leads, so many A-listers cut their teeth in this legendary crime series before skyrocketing to fame. Turns out, the real Hollywood Walk of Fame might just be the Law & Order guest star list!
SAG shines a spotlight on Law & Order A-lister alumni!
In a dedicated segment, at the 31st annual SAG Awards Mariska Hargitay took a moment to celebrate a special category of actors. Actors who guest-stared on Law & Order before making it big. She honored past franchise guest stars like Timothée Chalamet, Bradley Cooper, and Zoe Saldaña, reminding everyone that the show has been quietly building A-list careers for decades. She started by saying (via People),
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, These are their stories.
The montage that followed was a goldmine of “Wait! They were on Law & Order?!” moments featuring the likes of Viola Davis, David Harbour, Keke Palmer, and many many many more other than the above-mentioned names. All long before they were household names. She continued,
So many amazing actors were guest stars early in their careers in the Law & Order universe: Kerry Washington, Sebastian Stan, Leighton Meester, Adam Driver, Sam Rockwell, Elizabeth Banks, Zoe Saldaña, Pedro Pascal, Tony Hale, Abigail Breslin, Sabrina Carpenter…
And it doesn’t stop there, another interesting tidbit was if one looked closely, one would spot one-third of The Bear‘s cast (probably more if one squints hard enough). Liza Colón-Zayas even reflected on her time guest-starring, she said,
I played five different characters in six episodes, I discovered two bodies. It was so satisfying. It was a very big deal to be on Law & Order and it’s a right of passage
For those wondering other than her, Jeremy Allen White, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, were also seen on the tape with their baby faces! It was truly eye-opening to see just how hardworking these actors are and how many years they have spent honing their craft, making them as good as they are today.
Watch the whole segment here:
Mariska Hargitay presents the long list of guest stars that appeared in ‘LAW & ORDER’ before they became famous actors.
The list includes Pedro Pascal, Zoe Saldaña, Anthony Mackie, Adam Driver, Keke Palmer, Viola Davis, Idris Elba, Sabrina Carpenter and Sebastian Stan. pic.twitter.com/A4RoXJU3jL
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) February 24, 2025
The internet is losing its mind!
The internet has been losing its mind ever since, realizing just how many now-famous faces once spent their early days grinding it out on Law & Order. It is thus wild to think about just how long the show has been running, but also how beloved it still is, a rare feat in television. Longevity like this isn’t easy to achieve, in fact, it is nearly impossible. And yet, the Law & Order universe keeps thriving.
Law & Order: SVU has been on the air since 1999 and isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Before that, the original Law & Order had an impressive 20-season run on NBC from its debut on September 13, 1990, until May 2010. NBC then revived the series after an 11-year break. The show returned for its 21st season in February of 2022.
Here is what the people online are saying,
average Christopher Nolan movie cast
— Debayo 🌱🤖 (@debayo_xx) February 24, 2025
WAIT THATS BUCKY?!!!!! Bruh lol pic.twitter.com/PhVdPtzgYe
— Green Lantern DCU Updates (@LanternUpdates) February 24, 2025
Hayden Panettiere was a standout for me on that show too. She did really good with her role. pic.twitter.com/gmRwLDE3qB
— Southern Fried StoNerD (@southernstonerd) February 24, 2025
The whole room 🤣 pic.twitter.com/Q3SM564v4M
— Ren 🐻⬇️ (@rendawg90) February 24, 2025
even logan paul was on Law & order
— VIKTOR (@VIK19941) February 24, 2025
The fact that seemingly all of Hollywood, and Logan Paul, has appeared on Law & Order at some point is truly mind-blowing! To top it off, Keke Palmer had the entire hall playing a hilarious game, “What if we told everyone to take a drink if they’ve ever been an episode of Law & Order?” Safe to say, there were a lot of raised glasses! It was perfect!
All Law & Order shows are available to stream on Peacock.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
