EXCLUSIVE: Mariska Hargitay Reveals Why She Nearly Quit 'SVU' for Good
Mariska Hargitay reveals why she nearly quit 'SVU' for good after years playing Olivia Benson.
Sept. 11 2026, Published 6:00 a.m. ET
Mariska Hargitay struggled with handing in her badge on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit but revealed her love for TV and the show's fans keep her on duty.
RadarOnline.com can reveal despite that, the 62-year-old actress confesses she's felt trapped playing a one-note role as NYPD sex crime investigator Olivia Benson.
Hargitay Considered Walking Away From 'SVU'
Julianna Margulies discussed typecasting with Mariska Hargitay as she considered leaving 'Law & Order: SVU.'
Hearing that, Hargitay admitted she seriously considered packing it in.
She discussed her fear of being typecast with actress Julianna Margulies, who tried to redefine her career by leaving ER in 2000 while it was still a smash hit.
"I said, 'I've got to leave the show, too. I don't want people to think I'm a one-trick pony,'" Hargitay recalled. "And she goes, 'Sweetheart, that ship's sailed.'"
That's when Hargitay realized she loved Olivia Benson – who's climbed the ranks from detective to sergeant to captain of the NYPD's sex crime unit – and fans did, too.
"I felt like I was only exercising part of myself," recalled Hargitay, who's starred on the popular show since its 1999 debut. "People would say, 'You need to get off that show and do comedy. You need to get off that show and have a talk show.'"
Hargitay Credits 'SVU' With Changing Culture
Hargitay credits 'Law & Order: SVU' with helping people talk about sexual assault.
"I thought about why I love television. Television, in my opinion, is extraordinarily healing," she said.
That realization stems from Law & Order: SVU's subject matter and the way fans respond to it, she said.
"Our show made people talk about sexual assault. Our show changed the culture," Hargitay said. "And that is the power of television – it creates community, which creates healing. Which is what I've wanted to do my whole life."
Hargitay Has No Plans to Leave 'SVU'
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Hargitay earned an Emmy nomination for directing and producing the documentary 'My Mom Jayne.'
After years in the role, the mother of three has finally spread her showbiz wings. She recently made her Broadway debut, was chosen to host the Emmys, and is an Emmy nominee for directing and producing the documentary My Mom Jayne about her late mother, Hollywood bombshell Jayne Mansfield.
With all that on her résumé, Hargitay is sticking with Olivia Benson.
"I wasn't ready to leave because I loved it," she said. "And then I got to do all this other stuff and that's why I don't think about leaving right now."
