NEWSMariska Hargitay Nearly Walked Away From 'Law & Order: SVU' After 25 Years: 'I Don't Want People to Think I'm a One-Trick Pony'
Mariska Hargitay revealed why she once considered leaving 'Law & Order: SVU' after 25 years.
Aug. 25 2026, Updated 2:19 p.m. ET
Mariska Hargitay once considered quitting Law & Order: Special Victims Unit after more than two decades as Olivia Benson.
"I’ve got to leave the show too. I don’t want people to think I’m a one-trick pony," Hargitay recalled during her interview with Variety, where she told this to ER costar Julianna Margulies.
The actress revealed she began questioning her future on the long-running NBC drama around its 25th season, fearing the role could define her career. Margulies, who left ER after six seasons, gave Hargitay a blunt reality check.
"Sweetheart, that ship’s sailed," Hargitay said Margulies told her.
Mariska Hargitay Felt Limited By Her 'SVU' Role
Mariska Hargitay recalled telling Julianna Margulies she feared becoming a 'one-trick pony.'
While Hargitay continued to embrace her role as Olivia, she also wanted to explore other sides of her career.
"The comedy thing was painful to me because I felt like I was only exercising one part of myself," she said.
Hargitay also recalled hearing advice and suggestions from others about expanding her career beyond SVU.
"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,'" she added.
Mariska Hargitay Found New Creative Opportunities
Mariska Hargitay opened up about wanting to explore comedy beyond her role as Olivia Benson.
Despite those outside suggestions, Hargitay wasn't ready to give up the character she had played since 1999.
"I wasn’t ready to leave, because I loved it," she said.
Hargitay added, "And then I got to do all this other stuff, and that’s why I don’t think about leaving right now. Do I want to quit now? No. Why? I made a movie while shooting; I did a play for six weeks on hiatus. I’m hosting the Emmys."
The Emmy winner has continued balancing her work on SVU with projects beyond the police procedural.
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Mariska Hargitay Praised 'Law & Order' Creator D--- Wolf
Mariska Hargitay credited the producer for making 'Law & Order: SVU' meaningful to viewers.
Hargitay previously praised and credited franchise creator and producer D--- Wolf for his approach to the series.
"D--- Wolf is truly a visionary," she said in a 2023 interview with Fox News Digital.
"And I think that's a very singular thing to be a true visionary who understands our culture in a very deep way, but also understands it's sort of ironic that a crime show would be actually calming in a way to our nervous system, knowing that somebody is out there taking care of it," she added.
Mariska Hargitay Explained Why 'SVU' Could Be Calming to Viewers
Mariska Hargitay continued her long-running role as Olivia Benson on 'Law & Order: SVU.'
Hargitay also pointed to another aspect of the series that stood out to her.
"That our voices are heard and there are people that are on it. So that is it," Hargitay said.
She further explained how the show could affect viewers differently than expected.
"It's a very sort of interesting dichotomy," Hargitay said.
"Because you think about a crime show, which normally should sort of upset your nervous system, actually can settle it down because of that," she concluded.
