Law & Order Forgot One Of Their Actors In A Body Bag
A fan-favorite actress appeared on a talk show recently, where she talked about the harrowing time in which she was left in a body bag on the set of Law & Order.
This article is more than 2 years old
Like most aspiring Hollywood stars, Betty Gilpin made her acting debut on an episode of Law & Order. Although she did well in the role, the gig had one questionable moment which still haunts the actress. After filming wrapped on a very somber scene, she was accidentally left in a body bag! The 35-year-old recalled the harrowing moment during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Speaking about the struggle of pursuing an acting career, Gilpin said she only managed to get small theater roles and bit parts in Law & Order at first. She played a pedophile with vocal fry on Law & Oder: Special Victims Unit, and a lesbian with a bad skin condition on the crime drama’s flagship series. She also got a few roles on Criminal Intent. The actress explained how she played a dead boy and a live person in the same season. And when she asked about the continuity, she was told that no one would remember her as she was completely unknown.
In the body bag episode of Law & Order, Gilpin played Fran Drescher’s daughter, who was found dead in an oil drum by Detective Robert Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio). “This was my first job ever and I remember them zipping up the body bag, she told Jimmy Fallon. “Vincent D’Onofrio had like a grumbly scene over my body bag, and I just had to sort of be in there.” The scene was just before lunch and after the director called “cut” she could hear people walking away. You can see the video below:
“They were like, ‘That’s lunch, guys! Great day!’ And I hear like footsteps on gravel getting farther and farther away. Van doors closing,” Gilpin said about the Law & Order episode. Fortunately, the GLOW star wasn’t left in the bag for too long before being rescued. “Like 10 seconds go by, I hear one far-away PA being like, ‘Oh my God,’” the actress said. “Footsteps coming towards me, [body bag] unzips, sunlight in my face! ‘Let’s get you out of there!’”
Gilpin told Tonight Show viewers that she didn’t call out for help because the small role was one of her first jobs, and she didn’t want to be seen as high maintenance. Gilpin has come a long way since her Law & Order days. These days, she is best known for her role as Debbie Eagan on Netflix’s comedy series GLOW. She was even nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her efforts. She also starred as Dr. Carrie Roman in the Showtime comedy-drama series Nurse Jackie, which ran from 2013 to 2015.
On the big screen, Gilpin has appeared in movies like 2015’s mystery thriller True Story, sci-fi romantic comedy Future ’38 in 2017, and 2019’s A Dog’s Journey. In 2020, the Law & Order alum landed roles in films that were a little more mainstream like The Grudge and the satirical action-thriller The Hunt. The role landed her a Critics’ Choice Super Award for Best Actress in an Action Movie. Most recently, Gilpin can be seen in Starz’s political thriller, Gaslit.
The show is based on the first season of Leon Neyfakh’s Slow Burn podcast. The series focuses on the Watergate scandal and several untold stories from Richard Nixon’s subordinates, deranged zealots, and the whistleblowers that eventually brought the entire enterprise crashing down. Joining the Law & Order actress are Julia Roberts, Sean Penn, Dan Stevens, Shea Whigham, Darby Camp, and Aleksandar Filimonović.
