Mariska Hargitay Reflects on Iconic ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Audition

Mariska Hargitay, the Emmy Award-winning star of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” recently opened up about her unforgettable audition for the role of Olivia Benson in an upcoming interview with Sunday TODAY host Willie Geist. The actor, who has portrayed the iconic character since the show’s inception in the late ’90s, shared a candid moment of anxiety during her first meeting with series creator Dick Wolf.

Hargitay, fresh off her recurring role on “ER,” recalled walking into the audition with a mix of humor and nervousness. “I walked in there and because after ‘ER’ I said, ‘What am I — what am I going to do? This is the greatest show ever. There’s no other show. Oh, except for “Law & Order,”‘ I said to myself,” she told Geist. Wolf gave her a few notes after her initial read, but it was a second meeting that truly tested her confidence.

“I panicked,” Hargitay admitted, describing a moment when she saw a “stunning girl” in the waiting room. “I walked in, I go, ‘Listen, I don’t know what you’re doing, but you’re a little confused: This is my role. This is my part. I am Olivia Benson.'” Her bold declaration paid off, and she eventually landed the role that would define her career.

Hargitay also reflected on the chemistry she shared with Christopher Meloni, who played her on-screen partner, Detective Elliot Stabler. “In the room, when he walked in, I sort of sized him up and I said, ‘That’s the guy,'” she recalled. “It was so obvious to me that that was the guy. And apparently, he felt the same way.” The duo’s partnership became a cornerstone of the show, with Meloni starring alongside Hargitay for the first 12 seasons of “SVU.”

Meloni has since reprised his role in the spinoff “Law & Order: Organized Crime” and made guest appearances on “SVU.” Hargitay’s full interview with Geist will air on Sunday TODAY on NBC on Jan. 12, with the podcast version available the same day.