Was Sabrina Carpenter in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit? All about the singer and her role in the NBC police procedural 

Long before Sabrina Carpenter ruled the world with her tunes of Espresso, she made her quiet acting debut in NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2011.

For fans wondering if the popular singer appeared in Dick Wolf's police procedural, the answer is yes. The Juno singer appeared in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 12 Episode 12 titled Possessed, where she played the role of a young girl named Paula. While the episode marked her first acting job on the small screen, the young child actress has grown up to become a celebrated songwriter and singer.

Her global number-one singles, Espresso and Please Please Please, rule the summer playlists at every party. In 2024, Sabrina Carpenter's sixth album Short n' Sweet topped the US Billboard 200 and earned her two out of six Grammy Awards.

More about Carpenter's debut on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in our story.

Exploring Sabrina Carpenter's first acting role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

This is bound to shock Sabrina Carpenter fans, who know the actress from her hit summer song Espresso, but the pop singer actually had her first acting gig in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The young artist appeared as a teenager Paula in Season 12 Episode Possessed, who helped Detectives Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) and Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) uncover a child p*rn*graphy ring.

The abusers blackmailed their grown-up victims by showing them threatening letters from a criminal group called Coventry. The group was a fake but it worked like a charm on these young girls, who were told that 'Coventry' would hurt their parents if they cooperated with the police.

In the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode, Carpenter's Paula also received a similar threatening letter from 'Coventry', asking her not to talk to Stabler. However, the detective managed to earn Paula's trust and put the perpetrators behind bars.

Watching Sabrina Carpenter’s performance in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Season 12, it’s almost unbelievable that it marked her acting debut. From her trembling body language to her flawless expressions, Carpenter’s portrayal of Paula holds its own against television veteran Christopher Meloni, commanding every moment of their shared scene.

Sabrina Carpenter continued acting after Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Sabrina Carpenter is largely known as the Espresso girl in pop culture, but she continued her acting career after her debut in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Her most memorable role continues to be that of Maya Hart in Disney Channel's 2014 comedy series Girl Meets World. She also voiced Melissa Chase's character in Disney Channel's animated show Milo Murphy's Law.

Like Special Victims Unit, Carpenter has also made guest appearances in Netflix's Orange Is the New Black, Disney Channel's Phineas and Ferb and Austin & Ally.

The singer gained limelight after Netflix's romantic comedy movie Tall Girl and its sequel, where she played the character of Harper Kreyman. Additionally, her chemistry with actor Jordan Fisher was appreciated by her fans in Netflix's 2020 dance comedy film Work It.

Recently, Sabrina Carpenter appeared as a musical guest star on Saturday Night Live during the week that Jake Gyllenhaal hosted. She returned to Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special in the iconic Domingo: Vow Renewal sketch with actors Pedro Pascal and Bad Bunny. Her chemistry with Pascal was especially praised by her fans and their moment went viral on social media.

She also hosted Netflix's 2024 Christmas Special titled A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter, which included a special lineup of musical guests, including Chappell Roan, Tyla, Shania Twain and Kali Uchis.

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