Shooting One Law & Order: SVU Episode Was Nearly More Than Mariska Hargitay Could Handle

This article contains discussions of sexual assault, abduction, torture, and suicide. 

"Law & Order: SVU" is potentially the most emotionally harrowing of the "Law & Order" spinoffs because of the focus on sex crimes, but there's one episode that was especially difficult for its star, Mariska Hargitay, to film. In Season 15, Episode 1, titled "Surrender Benson," Hargitay's Olivia Benson was abducted by William Lewis, a murderer/serial rapist, who put her through terrifying physical and emotional abuse. Understandably, filming the scenes didn't come easy for Hargitay.

"It was hard and it was painful and it was scary," Hargitay told E! News in 2013. "It's one of those scenes where you really don't know what's going to happen until you do it." She continued, "After each day I sort of went, 'Wow, I gave everything I have physically and emotionally and I don't know if I can climb that mountain.' I was so scared every morning, like, can I do it again?"  

Despite having to act out such terrifying scenes, the "SVU" star still piled praise onto her scene partner, Pablo Schreiber, star of the now-canceled "Halo" TV series, who played the sadistic Lewis. "Pablo did the most beautiful work," she said, adding, "He was frightening and scary and the irony of all of it is that I really trusted him to be safe. I don't think I could have went as far as I went without knowing I was safe ... He challenged me."

Unfortunately, William Lewis was an antagonist of Olivia Benson across several episodes and seasons, and her abduction storyline actually started during Season 14, Episode 24, titled "Her Negotiation," after William held her at gunpoint in her home. Even after being rescued, Olivia continued to face him several more times over the season until his eventual suicide.

In 2018, Mariska Hargitay reiterated that the storyline was difficult for her to rewatch. "The scenes were painful to shoot — scary, uncharted territory, and so raw ... " she told Marie Claire. "I know a lot of people can't watch those episodes, and even for me, every time I go back, I'm like, Wow. Because you have to shut off a part of yourself to tell these stories," she continued.

In September 2013, Hargitay told HuffPost (then The Huffington Post) that filming the Season 15 premiere "was the hardest thing I've ever done, without a doubt." She continued, "Hardest thing I've ever done." And yet, she understood the importance of honoring the real-life victims who'd gone through their own trauma. "I want to honor that and I want to honor courage and being brave and the costs to be brave and courageous," she added.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).