Mariska Hargitay auditioned for ‘Friends’ and ‘Tested So Many Times’
Mariska Hargitay appeared on Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang” podcast and revealed that she spent a few years auditioning and screen testing for “Friends” before landing the role of Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Both shows are NBC staples.
“I’ve been doing a lot of comedy auditions,” Hargitay told Poehler (via The everyday beast). “I did ‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Single Guy,’ and I tested for ‘Friends’ so much. I think for Monica. I always thought I would eventually end up in a sitcom or comedy.”
Even as more dramatic roles came her way, Hargitay said, “I was like, I want to do drama, but it has to be funny, because I felt like my gifts… [I would tell people]’I’m going to be a comedian because I’m funny and beautiful.’”
Hargitay’s revelation may surprise some. The actor has played Olivia Benson on “SVU” for more than 25 years, making her the longest-running character in live-action primetime TV history. It wasn’t until Hargitay consulted a psychic that she was confronted with the possibility that comedy might not work.
“I’m in LA, [a] struggling actor [wondering] What am I going to do?” Hargitay said. “I came to New York, which I did three times a year, to see theater. And then I met this psychic. Everyone said to me, ‘Oh my God, Mariska, you have to meet this psychic. He’s great.’ … I drove up to this guy somewhere on Long Island and I went over there and he started saying all these great things to me.
“I listened to him very carefully. He said to me… ‘Do you see that face you are making now? Do you see that face?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He says, ‘You will be famous because of that face. You’re going to move to New York and you’re going to be famous for that face,” Hargitay continued, noting that she still wanted to star in a network sitcom at the time. “I said, ‘Um, no.’ I live in LA and I’m going to be a comedian. Six months later, swear to God… I got ‘SVU.’”
Watch Hargitay’s full interview on the “Good Hang” podcast in the video below.
