Olivia Benson will have a new ally in the upcoming twenty-eighth season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. J. Smith-Cameron, an actress nominated for two Emmys for her portrayal of Gerri Kellman in Succession, will appear in the upcoming episodes of the procedural as Gwen Sharpe, a jury consultant making her debut in the October 8 premiere.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 28, who is Gwen Sharpe?
TVLine reveals that Gwen Sharpe was originally conceived as a character who would simply cross paths with Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) during jury selection, offering her some guidance. However, the showrunner of the series, Michele Fazekas, soon saw an opportunity to give Olivia something she has rarely had in all these years: a peer.
“The problem with Benson is that she’s the boss, so at a certain point you can’t go to your subordinates, the people who work for you, and talk about your division,” Fazekas explained to the site. “That’s not a good example of leadership.” Gwen, instead, will serve as “a kind of shoulder to lean on, someone to talk to,” bringing different experience and a new perspective. “At this point, no one will be able to teach Benson much anymore,” the showrunner added. “Benson has been doing this job for a long time, but it’s necessary to have someone with a different point of view.”
Smith-Cameron will appear “at least three times, if not more” throughout season 28, Fazekas revealed regarding the actress’s involvement. This role comes shortly after her work on another award-winning HBO series, Hacks. The network had also cast her for True Blood and Divorce. The role on SVU will be different from the four guest-starring appearances between 1992 and 2009 in the flagship series Law & Order – the original Law & Order series, titled in full as Law & Order.
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