Kathy Griffin Drops The Jokes For Dramatic “Law & Order” Role

Kathy Griffin is giving a rare dramatic performance for television. The comedienne is dropping her usual schtick of jokes and sarcasm for an upcoming role on Law & Order: SVU. She shared a bit about the pressure of it all:

“With [the cast and the crew] watching you, and the pressure is on, when you mess up a line, you don’t want to do it again,” Griffin told The News. “My mind is programmed to go for the joke. My whole life is looking for the joke, but this was no joke. I didn’t want to disappoint them.”

She said she needed help running her lines and nearly mistook Mariska Hargitay’s kindness for sarcasm:

“By the third day, I worked up the courage to ask Mariska if she could run lines with me. She said, ‘I want to be there for you,’” Griffin said. “At first, I thought she was kidding … she and Chris were so helpful.”

In the episode, Kathy plays a gay activist who is helping them solve the murder of a woman from a lesbian community. Kathy and Mariska’s characters share a kiss – Kathy’s first same-sex kiss.

“I was so nervous about getting my character right that the last thing I gave a s- about was kissing a girl,” said Griffin. “When it came to the actual kiss, I kind of don’t remember it. I’d love to sit here and say her lips are soft, but you’d have to ask Babs.”

Are you an SVU fan? How do you think Kathy will do without her sarcasm? Have you read her latest book? I hear it’s good!

The episode is scheduled to air March 3rd.

Photos by WENN