If the box office returns of his last few movies are any indication, I'm not sure anyone is begging to see more of Robin Williams. He's what I like to call a "horseradish actor," because a little bit of him goes a long way. Despite my opinion, somebody out there must be begging for a glimpse of the manic comedian, because it was recently announced that he'll be making a rare television appearance on the 200th episode of
Law & Order: SVU, airing April 29. Since the show isn't exactly a laugh riot, Williams will be tackling a dramatic role, playing an engineer whose life has gone terribly awry. Also showing up in April will be film actor Bill Pullman, who will play the love interest of
Mariska Hargitay's character, Olivia Benson.
I've always enjoyed seeing Williams take on more dramatic roles, such as his Oscar-winning turn in
Good Will Hunting, or his creepy spin in
One Hour Photo. On
Law & Order: SVU he'll be playing a law-abiding working man who becomes a believer in challenging authority after his life takes a tragic turn. His purpose in the world then becomes making people aware that there are risks posed by leading unquestioning lives. The role should be a nice change of pace for the actor after his last few comedic film roles.
After casting Williams,
SVU executive producer Neal Baer said, "We are thrilled that one of the most talented and versatile actors around will be starring in this powerful and complex special 200th episode. We can't imagine anyone else doing this role."
As for Bill Pullman, his character, Kurt Moss, is the editor of a fictional New York City newspaper. The
Independence Day actor will first appear in the April 22 episode, which is
Law & Order: SVU's second post-strike outing. It's also the show's 199th episode, but that doesn't hold quite the distinction that the big 200 does.
One person who will definitely be happy about Pullman's casting is actress Mariska Hargitay. She recently told TV Guide, "I've been begging Neal for five years to give me a boyfriend!" It looks like it was well worth the wait.
Which actor are you more excited to see?
- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source:
TV Guide
(Image courtesy of the CW)