Bradley Whitford on "Law & Order: SVU," Mariska Hargitay and What's Next

The "Handmaid's Tale" star reveals how his mother influenced his role as a murder suspect.

Bradley Whitford is no stranger to the Peacock network. His portrayal of fictional White House Chief of Staff Joshua Lyman in The West Wing earned him a Primetime Emmy in 2001. Whitford took home another statuette for his role as Commander Joseph Lawrence in The Handmaid's Tale. So, it's safe to see Whitford is no stranger to heavy content, either.

Whitford needed both for his appearance on Law & Order: SVU. In the episode "King of the Moon," directed by Mariska Hargitay, Whitford plays a man with dementia who admits to killing his wife. But Captain Olivia Benson (Hargitay) and assistant district attorney Dominick Carisi (Peter Scanavino) have doubts about his guilt.

At times, the 24-year-old procedural takes you inside the mind of a person with early onset dementia, including during an emotional final scene. Whitford, who previously played a TV producer accused of molesting his daughter in the Season 14 episode "Reasonable Doubt," discussed preparing for the role, working with Hargitay and where you'll catch him next.

Related: Everything We Know About the Final Season of The Handmaid's Tale

How did you get approached about guest starring on Law & Order: SVU?

My manager called me. I knew that Mariska was directing and that she had something to do with asking me. Mariska is one of those fountains of light who is tremendously kind and supportive. I knew this episode meant a lot to her. I feel very strongly about supporting talented actors, especially talented women actors. In my experience, I think that actors can be some of the best directors you ever get to work with. It was a no-brainer.

Related: How Will The Handmaid's Tale End?

Do you know why it was important to her?

I know that she has known some people who have struggled with this. Some of the writers have experienced [this] in their lives. You could sense…the personal conviction in writing when you get it. But, I think, creatively, it’s going a little bit out on a limb. When you are doing a guest spot on SVU, you generally don’t find yourself in a cape flying through the air. It made me really happy.

Related: Mariska Hargitay's Heartbreaking Tribute to Richard Belzer

How much did you know about the show?

I’m a really bad television watcher. I have seen a number of SVUs, and I was actually in one nine years ago. I’ve been there before. I’ve seen this kind of atmosphere. It’s amazing, all the incredible actors that have been on that show.

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And you can typically find a marathon of it somewhere.

What’s interesting when you get cast on this show is that there are all these people who are completely obsessed with it.

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What experiences did you draw on to play a character with dementia?

It’s funny you ask this, because today is the day that my mother would be 107 years old, I believe. She lived a very long life. At the end of her life, she was a little cognitively gone. There was a way that I saw her thinking that I tried to use in this. You can’t see this kind of dementia. I was very conscious of not wanting to overplay it. Part of what is so tragic about it is that so much of the person remains while this cognitive function disappears. It can come in and out. That’s what makes it so confusing to deal with. I was really thinking about what I had seen with my mother.

Related: Inside Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann's Real-Life Love Story

What was Mariska like as a director?

She agrees with me. I firmly believe that no matter what the material is, the best preparation is to screw around as much as possible. It doesn’t mean you don’t care. It actually puts you in a place where you can access anything, whether it’s comedy or deep, emotional stuff.

I find acting really elusive and difficult in a lot of ways. You want to do justice to the story. What is great about her is that there is a real lightness. The first thing you want to feel when you are acting is a real sense that the director is watching you. She’s taking the work very seriously but not herself seriously. That’s all you need to make me fall in love with you.

Related: Mariska Hargitay Talks About Getting Thanked by Sexual Assault Victims and Why #MeToo Is a 'Celebration'

What's next for you?

I’m doing a theatre workshop in New York, some writing, and we have another season of The Handmaid’s Tale. It's the finale, Season 6.

Next, check out the best Law & Order: SVU episodes of all time.