“What’s the Crime Rate?”: Mariska Hargitay, by Selena Gomez

There are few certainties in life, but Olivia Benson busting sex crimes on Law & Order: SVU is one of them. For 25 record-breaking years, Mariska Hargitay has portrayed the people’s detective with a mix of toughness and compassion that has made the character so beloved that Taylor Swift named her cat after her. In real life, Hargitay has been so galvanized by the stories of sexual assault and domestic violence confronted on the show that she launched a foundation to help put a stop to it. That, as she tells big-time SVU fan Selena Gomez, is the real work. 

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THURSDAY 2 PM JUNE 11, 2024 NYC

SELENA GOMEZ: Hi!

MARISKA HARGITAY: Hey! So nice to see you.

GOMEZ: Good to see you too. How are you?

HARGITAY: I’m great. Thank you so much for doing this.

GOMEZ: Oh, are you kidding me? I was so excited.

HARGITAY: Are you here or there?

GOMEZ: I’m in L.A.

HARGITAY: Cool.

GOMEZ: Where are you?

HARGITAY: I’m in New York, shooting my promos for SVU.

GOMEZ: Cool.

HARGITAY: Yeah, I just got all dolled up and today’s my first official day back for season 26.

GOMEZ: Crazy. I watched it with my mom when I was younger; I watched it last night. I don’t even know how you do it. That’s why I’m going to ask you a bunch of things.

HARGITAY: I love that. Because the answer is, I don’t know how I do it either.

GOMEZ: [Laughs] I’m sure.

HARGITAY: Especially when I stop to think about it.

GOMEZ: Well first off, are you good? 

HARGITAY: I’m great. I am sitting here taking it all in, because where does the time go? We just had an amazing family trip to Japan.

GOMEZ: Oh, wow.

HARGITAY: Yeah, I’d never been, so we did two weeks with the kids. August turned 18 and Andrew turned 13 yesterday. So I now officially have three teenagers in the house, which is insane.

GOMEZ: That’s crazy. I’m honestly so stoked for you. Okay, I have a few random questions. They might not be in order because I’m not an interviewer, but I was trying my hardest. The first time you auditioned for this part, and then received the news that you got it, did you ever expect it to be something that would go on this long?

HARGITAY: Absolutely not. As an actor, you’re so excited to have the part, but you can’t be an actor in L.A. and not know about all the failed series or pilots that never go anywhere. I knew that Dick Wolf had this incredible track record, and I knew how smart he was and how respectful he was of his audience. But this has surpassed my wildest dreams in terms of a career, but also in terms of personal fulfillment—that I could marry my acting with my philanthropy or with a personal mission to have a part in people’s healing. I think about that often.

GOMEZ: It’s safe to say that people have learned a lot from Law & Order. I know that I have. The subject matter in each episode can be really heavy. Have you learned things that you didn’t know were happening in real life? It feels so real and scary sometimes.

HARGITAY: Yeah. I learned more about sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, than I ever had thought about. And quite frankly, before I started the show, I didn’t know a lot about it. When I read the script, I thought the show was so progressive, that they were willing to take on this subject matter. During the first year, Dick Wolf got an award from the [Mt. Sinai] Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Program, and it was actually that night that I learned the statistics of sexual assault. I learned that one in three women will be assaulted, and one in six men. That’s what started the foundation for me. That’s when I started going, “I have to do something,” because the show was obviously tackling the subject matter, but when I learned the statistics, I said, “Why isn’t everyone talking about this?” And if I didn’t know, I figured nobody knows what an epidemic violence against women is.

GOMEZ: That was what initiated the whole involvement in your philanthropy.

HARGITAY: And then on top of it, these stories were ripped from the headlines. I was so happy that we were, as sad as it is, holding up a mirror to society and saying, “This is part of us. These are some of the worst things that we do to each other.” And one of the most gratifying parts of this job is how much community has come from it. Women have learned so much about DNA and going to the hospital and reporting and what not to do and what to do after you’re assaulted. It has truly aided in so many people’s justice, not to mention their healing. So it’s been quite a journey.

GOMEZ: Absolutely. It definitely has had moments for me, watching it, where it’s been, not necessarily a situation I’ve been in, but—there’s many types of abuse, and it is such an eye-opener for a lot of people. It has been for me. Is it hard, though, to tackle these issues when you’re shooting, and then go home and continue? I wonder how easy it is to turn that off, dealing with hard subjects and then going home and just being with your family?

HARGITAY: That’s been a process. When I started the show, I wasn’t aware of how deeply it would go into me. My husband Peter is always like, anytime I go anywhere, my first question is, “What’s the crime rate here?” So it’s on the brain. There’s been times when I didn’t know how to protect myself, and I think I was definitely a victim of secondary trauma from being inundated with these stories and knowing that they were true. Those were the parts that I didn’t know how to metabolize, just because of the sheer volume of it. That’s also why I started Joyful Heart [Foundation], so I would feel like, well, at least I’m doing something about it. 

GOMEZ: I love that. To make it a little bit lighter for a second, 25 years is so cool. 

HARGITAY: It’s a quarter of a century. 

GOMEZ: Does it feel crazy sometimes?

HARGITAY: It totally feels crazy. I’m in denial about it. During, I call it the school year, there’s so much to do and so many problems to fix and so many scenes to shape. And when there’s so much to do, you just do it. There’s not a lot of time in terms of sitting around thinking about it. I feel a little bit like I woke up one day and it was 25 years later. 

GOMEZ: You created Olivia Benson and you’ve evolved her over the years. We’ve seen her at many different points in her life. Do you feel like you’re still learning new things about her?

HARGITAY: Yeah, I really do. That’s been the gift of the character—she has evolved so much, going from detective to sergeant to lieutenant, and here I am now as captain, which is a completely new skill set from being a detective. And I’ve actually grown up in front of the country, became a parent, gone from being equals to, “Oh, now I’m your boss and have seniority.” It’s a very interesting thing that we do, because it’s hard to be the boss. It’s hard to be in charge when you don’t want things to change. Because it’s like, “We have such a cozy, intimate thing, but we both know that I’m the boss.” I’m sure you deal with it all day long, and it takes some getting used to.

GOMEZ: Don’t you feel that you’ve earned that right? When you first started, to where you are now, it was probably a different time. I feel like as a woman, you deserve the right to be like, “Hey, this is how I’d like it to feel. This is what I would love to see.” In the beginning, was it much different? 

HARGITAY: So different. I was not the boss and I had no power. I was also overwhelmed and scared and kind of looked up to everybody. It was more of a patriarchal society 25 years ago. They set the rules in their universe and we just showed up in it. But as I grew and evolved, both as Mariska and as Olivia Benson, I think my favorite part is that as I evolved, I didn’t give away pieces of myself.

GOMEZ: I love that.

HARGITAY: If anything, I took them back. So I’m in this very unique place of being a total badass, I know my worth, I know my power, I know what I have to offer, and I’m totally comfortable with my vulnerability, with all the ways I still feel like a little girl. That’s a really peaceful place to be. 

GOMEZ: This reminds me of the dinner that we got to have together, because you say things that truly settle with me. And I think it is safe to say that you are one of the most beloved characters, but it stems from you and your heart and what you care about.

HARGITAY: Oh, thank you.

GOMEZ: Do you feel like you have the right, I’m sure you do, to say, “Hey, this doesn’t feel right in this scene, maybe we should try it this way”?

HARGITAY: Yes. Maybe in the past I would not have brought it up, but I definitely bring it up now. The good news is, we’re a pretty collaborative group over here, and the best idea wins. We’re very democratic that way.

GOMEZ: Of course.

HARGITAY: And thank god I’ve worked with a bunch of amazing actors that I trust. Chris [Meloni] and I really established that back in the day, where we’d say to each other, “You need to go again. Let’s try this or that.” That sort of safe camaraderie where we’re all in it together.

GOMEZ: I wanted to ask a personal question, as someone who desires to be a mother: How does balancing things—because I remember I went to go pick up your kids from school one day, and I loved that. That felt so normal and real. How do you balance that? Because one day I hope to do that.

HARGITAY: And you will. For all working moms, it’s hard. There’s been so many times where I’m torn or frustrated because in our jobs, you can’t say, “Guys, I’m not coming in today.” But I’ve integrated them here. My kids come to work with me. Are there things I miss? Yeah. The flip side is that my kids are really proud of me. I talk to them a lot about, what kind of life do you want, and who do you want to be, and how do you want to spend your time? And what do you want to give back and who do you want to affect and what do you want to create? And so I look at it now and think, yes, I missed stuff. There were days where the nanny did a little extra, and that was hard. But I brought August to work with me every day for the first year. And you can, too. It’s doable. I am happier and living a fuller life, and they feel that and see that. And when I’m with them, I’m with them.

GOMEZ: I love that. I’ll do a little lightning round because I thought we should add some fun little questions. They’re silly, so bear with me. What is your favorite cocktail?

HARGITAY: I love prosecco, but my favorite cocktail is a Hugo spritz.

GOMEZ: [Laughs] I don’t even know what it is, but I’m happy.

HARGITAY: It’s so good. It’s elderflower liqueur in Prosecco.

GOMEZ: Oh, I love that. I’ll try it. Best bagel in New York?

HARGITAY: Absolute [Bagels]. Peter loves them. 

GOMEZ: When you’re at home, do you like to watch comedies or do you like—

HARGITAY: I watch a lot of documentaries, and I watch a lot of true crime stuff.

GOMEZ: I do too.

HARGITAY: And Only Murders in the Building.

GOMEZ: [Laughs] Oh, you know.

HARGITAY: My kids are obsessed.

GOMEZ: When was the last time your kids thought you were cool?

HARGITAY: August and I were at a Knicks game, and after the game, Jalen Brunson beelined over to talk to me. The next time we went, we were going into the game and Jalen wanted to meet with me, and he gave me a jersey and signed it, and then he recently, I think in People, said that I was his favorite.

GOMEZ: Oh, that’s so cute. Okay, two more. What are you currently reading?

HARGITAY: I just finished two books that were both amazing. I just finished Griffin Dunne’s book called The Friday Afternoon Club.

GOMEZ: I’m writing it down.

HARGITAY: It’s probably my favorite book that I’ve read in a long time. And then the second book is George Stephanopoulos’ Situation Room. It’s about the history of the situation room in the White House, which was very illuminating, and I think everyone should read it.

GOMEZ: And then last but not least, what is your favorite thing to do at home when you’re relaxing with your fam?

HARGITAY: My son and I play ping-pong, but we also watch movies. I do different things with each kid. Just hanging out in my daughter’s room sometimes. We swim when we’re out in Long Island. Just good old normal stuff.

GOMEZ: Is there anything I didn’t ask you that you want me to?

HARGITAY: You’ve got to tell me your favorite episode.

GOMEZ: Oh, “911.”

HARGITAY: Really?

GOMEZ: The one that you were on the phone call with the little girl hands-down blew me away.

HARGITAY: Really?

GOMEZ: Yes.

HARGITAY: Thank you. 

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Hair: Chris McMillan at Chris McMillan Salon for Solo Artists.

Makeup: Georgi Sandev at Forward Artists.

Nails: Nori using Chanel Le Vernis at See Management.

Photography Assistant: Rebecca Steighner.

Fashion Assistants: Nicholson Baird and Isaiah Hayward.

Production Assistant: Jordan Santisteban.

Location: Downtown Luxury Condominium One Wall Street.