Taylor Swift’s surprise appearance in a sketch tied to Sunday’s Emmy Awards was kept so quiet that even her scene partners from “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” didn’t know she was involved until they showed up to film it.
Ice-T, who has played Detective Fin Tutuola on the NBC drama since 2000, told Page Six that producers asked the cast to shoot a segment for the Mariska Hargitay-hosted broadcast but gave almost no details beforehand, calling the project “top secret.”
“I had no idea what it was,” Ice-T, 68, said. “And then when we got there, Taylor Swift was there.”
He said the cast was told not to reveal Swift’s involvement to anyone, since a leak would have spoiled the surprise for the television audience.
According to Ice-T, Swift, 36, handled her lines like a seasoned pro. After filming wrapped, she also handed out homemade treats to the cast.
“I got some cookies. I didn’t eat them yet. They’re in my dressing room. I don’t even know, should I eat them? Should I save them? Should I keep them as a memento?”
Ice-T said Swift spent time talking with the entire cast on set, and that the two connected over their shared background in music.
“I could tell after meeting her, she’s a very focused and professional person. Like anything she’s going to do, she’s going to do it to the fullest, and she handled it like a champ.”
What Happened in the Sketch
The skit cast the “SVU” team as devoted Taylor Swift fans, with Hargitay’s character, Olivia Benson, leading a discussion about whether Swift would attend Monday night’s Emmys after her “Eras Tour” special was recognized earlier in the month at the Creative Emmys.
Swift then appeared alongside her cat, which is named after Hargitay’s character, and poked fun at herself, joking, “She’s probably going to be at home playing with those cats she’s named after TV characters.”
When Benson concluded that Swift was more likely to be at Arrowhead Stadium watching her husband Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs play the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, Ice-T’s character deadpanned, “Well if she’s not there, I’m not watching.”
The prediction held up — Swift attended the game, watching from a VIP suite next to Tom Cruise, 64, as the Chiefs beat the Broncos 31-10.
A Longtime Friendship
Swift’s connection to the “SVU” cast traces back to a friendship with Hargitay, 62, that began at the Met Gala and grew after Swift gave the actor a ride home from an Ingrid Michaelson concert. Hargitay attended Swift’s wedding to Kelce at Madison Square Garden on July 3.
Swift, a longtime fan of the show, previously asked Hargitay to appear in her “Bad Blood” music video.
Ice-T, who released his album “Criminal Migraine” in August, said Swift would “absolutely” be welcome back on set in the future.
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