Punk high priestess Patti Smith made her TV acting debut on an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent in the USA last night. She was solicited to appear on the show by heartthrob star Vincent D’Onofrio, who plays Detective Robert Goren, who gave her a few acting tips according to Smith. She says “I’ve never really acted, but I highly respect the craft. … I knew that it wasn’t going to be simple, but it was a little more daunting than I expected.” She said D’Onofrio was a fantastic teacher, giving her tips that “that will last a lifetime. He’s been taught by the greatest, and he taught me, so I feel like if I had to do it again, I’d be really good,” she said. “He’s such a great actor, such a great director and becoming such a good friend”.
Like many episodes of the long running series, the plot is taken directly from events reported in the media – this time the much maligned U2 written musical, Spiderman – Turn Off The Dark, which has been blighted by delays, cost overruns, performers being seriously injured and being savaged by critics. ‘ Smith’s character is Columbia University mythology professor Cleo Alexander, who is an old friend of Goren’s, and is called upon to help he and partner Detective Alexandra Eames figure out the meaning behind the term ‘Icarus,’ when an actor in the cast of a Broadway production of the same name is killed while performing a stunt.
