Law & Order: SVU ended its fourteenth season with quite the cliffhanger as its finale came to a close with Benson (Mariska Hargitay) being held at gunpoint by rapist and murderer William Lewis (Pablo Schreiber).

Due to the ordeal of her character, Hargitay feels as though she's been permanently altered for good as the actress spoke to Huffington Post on Sept. 16 about the nail-biting scene.

"It was the hardest thing I've ever done, without a doubt. Hardest thing I've ever done," she said.

The premiere of season 15 will be picking up right where the last installment left off, with Benson in a severely compromising position.

Showrunner and executive producer Warren Leight co-wrote the intense finale episode, and spoke about the biological ramifications such an ordeal could permanently have on the character.

"In my mind, after this, her character can never be the same. Studies show this, it changes your DNA. Watching her act it, it doesn't look like her, it doesn't sound like her at times. It changed [Mariska] just performing," he said.

Law & Order: SVU is set to to make its return on Wed., Sept. 25 at 9/8 p.m. Central Standard Time. Be sure to check back for more of the latest information on the popular program. A promo video for the upcoming premiere can be watched below.

Tags: Law And Order SVU television nbc