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Mariska Hargitay has been the lead ofLaw & Order: Special Victims Unitfor the past twenty-five years. Playing the series’ lead Olivia Benson, Hargitay has embodied the character to the extent that fans have reportedly shared their own traumas on s*xual crimes with her, leading her to be a fierce advocate against the crimes.
The show was created by Dick Wolf, who reportedly mentored Hargitay for the past two-and-a-half decades. Despite some clashes between the duo, Hargitay credited Wolf with teaching her everything about show business and even mentioned that his tough-love style of mentoring worked well for her.
Mariska Hargitay AppreciatedLaw & OrderCreator Dick Wolf
Mariska Hargitay has been the face ofLaw & Order: Special Victims Unitsince its inception. The character of Olivia Benson has been a pop cultural staple and after twenty-five years of helping out victims of s*xual crimes on screen, the iconic character seems to have rubbed off on the actress herself.
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Hargitay’s time on the show has also influenced her other ventures, including her charity organization called Joyful Heart Foundation, which reportedly helps victims of sxual abuse. Hargitay herself is reportedly a certified rpe counselor (viaPeople). The actress attributes a lot of the learnings she had in her career toLaw & Order: SVUcreator Dick Wolf.
Wolf created both the flagship showLaw & Orderas well as theSVUspinoff. Though Hargitay’s character was reportedly considered ‘too dark’ by her agents, the actress took the plunge and has been in the series ever since. She mentioned that Wolf had a huge part in defining her character.
She also mentioned that Dick Wolf had tough-loved her into becoming the person she is now (viaVariety). She said,
We’re extremely close, like family. He and I have had some gnarly negotiations. And I don’t think he’s had that with anyone else. He’s said things to me that are almost paternal over the years, but tough. When I say tough love, I mean, tough love. There’s no coddling.
Dick Wolf had reportedly threatened to fire her after she came on set with a haircut. However, Mariska Hargitay mentioned that she learned how to navigate through Wolf’s strictness and choose her battles.
After Twenty-Five Years On The Show, Mariska Hargitay Has Learned To Be A Warrior
Mariska Hargitayhas played Olivia Benson in over 550 episodes. The actress celebrated the show’s 25th anniversary recently and while talking to Variety, reminisced about the journey she has had since being an up-and-comer when the series started. From initial apprehension to being an important advocate against s*xual crimes, Hargitay has come a long way.
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The one thing that the actress mentioned that she has learned over the years is how to stand up for herself. Attributing this quality to both her father and mentor Dick Wolf, Hargitay said that she has learned to do hard things over the years without faking it. She said,
I can do hard things now. I don’t know that I was always like that. I think in the beginning of the show, I had to fake a lot of it. I was still learning it. Now I fit into these shoes. It’s been a magnificent journey. I have learned to advocate for myself, ironically, from Dick.
She also mentioned that being hardened did not necessarily mean she would not be vulnerable and said that vulnerability was her superpower.
Law & Order: SVUis available to stream on Hulu.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2417
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
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Dick WolfLaw & OrderMariska Hargitay
