Forget the Rom-Com Queen for a second. In 1999, Julia Roberts played Katrina Ludlow on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She was a cold, calculating defense attorney. And she was terrifying.
This wasn’t her big comeback. It was a single, powerful guest spot. The episode is called “Empire.” It aired in Season 1, Episode 3. Yes, season one. The show was brand new.
Roberts and her then-husband, Lyle Lovett, were huge fans of the show. They called the producers. They begged to be on it. Can you imagine? The biggest movie star in the world calling you about a cable crime show.
