ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How did you come to this role?
Are you a bigLaw & Orderfan?ARIEL WINTER:Its my favorite show ever.
Ive been saying its my favorite show ever for years and maybe hoping that someone would hear it.
Barbara Nitke/NBC
Like, Saturdays and Sundays, if I wasnt doing anything, Id be watching all day.
And Ive seen every episode, probably, multiple times.
And then I got an email that I had been offered a role in the show.
Id never imagined getting that email, so it was the best thing ever.
So you had no apprehensions about the material?Yeah.
Ive seen every episode and I know what they create, and everything they create is amazing.
So for me, it was just like, I already know the roles going to be great.
I would never turn down that opportunity that I honestly was so grateful and surprised to get.
But when I started reading the [SVU] script, I was obviously incredibly nervous.
So it was definitely difficult for me because I wanted to do the best job I could.
And it really was an incredible experience because I had that guidance.
Everybody has a hard time letting go of control, and those feelings and all of that.
The episode features a lot of one-on-one scenes between you and Mariska.
She is one of my favorite people in the world.
Obviously, an incredible actress, but just as a person, she is just so incredible.
Its hard to find people like that.
Its hard to find actors or anybody in this industry that is like her.
She made me feel heard and welcome, and cares.
She cares so much about the show, she cares so much about the stories of the characters.
She cares so much about people in general.
She gives incredible advice because its honest.
She really wants you to grow.
And one thing [Mariska] said to me is that I needed to let go.
Thats something that really hit me because, you know, were actors.
Its what were supposed to do.
And that was something that really stuck with me, and sticks with me now after I left.
Thats something that was really fantastic to be pushed on.
There are so many victims that have backstories, because we all have backstories.
Were all different, weve all grown, weve all changed.
And Raegan is very realistic in that way, because shes not perfect.
She goes out, she drinks, shes tried drugs, she can embellish the truth sometimes.
But shes not malicious, shes just a human being.
Situations are not always how they appear.
It doesnt matter what your circumstance is.
None of that means that you deserve to be assaulted in any way.
WithModern Familywrapping up, whats next for you?
Are you interested in tackling more diverse and complex roles like this one?Yes.
That is really what Im looking to do.
I want to do something completely different from what Ive always done.
And I think this was an amazing experience for me to start that.
And that is what I want to do next.
I want to do drama.
I want to do more complex roles.
I want to challenge myself.
I want to grow.
I want to do something different, I want to tell more stories.
So Im definitely looking forward to what I can do once the shows over.
