Mariska Hargitay has become synonomus for her dramatic role on Law & Order: SVU, but she really started out in comedy!
The 61-year-old Emmy award-winning actress was in the sketch and improv comedy troupe, the Groundlings in her 20s, and even had roles on comedies like Seinfeld and The Single Guy.
In a new interview on Amy Poehler‘s Good Hang podcast, Mariska opened up about auditioning for another big show – Friends!
Keep reading to find out more…
“I did a lot of [comedy auditions],” she told Amy. “I did Seinfeld and I did Single Guy, and I tested for Friends so many times. I think for Monica. I always thought I would end up being on a sitcom or doing comedy.”
However, she then went to tell a story about going to see a psychic, who told her that doing comedy may not work out.
“I was listening to him really intently like this. He said to me… ‘You see that face you’re doing right now? You see that face?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He goes, ‘You’re going to be famous for that face. You’re moving to New York and you’re gonna be famous for that face,’” Mariska shared, adding that she lives in LA and was going to be a comedian. “I said, ‘Uh, no.’ I live in LA, and I’m going to be a comedian.”
Then it all changed a few months later.
“Six months later, swear to God on my children, I got SVU,” she said.
Now, the procedural drama is currently in it’s 27th season, and she’s the star of one of the longest-running American primetime TV shows, where she also now serves as an executive producer, and has directed several times.
Find out which stars have returned and who has exited Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for season 27!