'Law & Order: SVU'
It's sordid, it's scandalous, and it's front-page news. That’s exactly why the current Catholic Church sex controversy is an irresistible topic for one TV cop show.
Friday's episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" is a show that specializes in topical story lines. In the season finale, the SVU detectives probe child sex abuse in the church. Richard Belzer says, “Reality is so interesting, you don't have to make anything up, especially when it comes to crime, and sex crimes."
In this episode, Eric Stoltz plays a priest suspected of being a child molester. Stoltz says this show was more than just another acting job. He says, “I wanted to be a part of it because I happen to personally have known some people when I was kid who were abused and it's an awful thing. It stays with you your whole life."
Co-stars Mariska Hargitay and B.D. Wong told “Extra” that they realize clerical abuse is a very delicate subject. B.D. says, “This is as ‘ripped from the headlines’ as you can get."
Mariska adds, “It's so sick, it's so sad. This show is brutal, it gives me a stomach ache."
But Hargitay, who plays detective Olivia Benson, insists the episode is anything but exploitive. She says, “I love that our show is addressing what's going on, putting the spotlight on it, because people need to know what's going on."
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