Mariska Hargitay Is ‘Very Proud’ of ‘SVU’ Reaching 25 Years (Exclusive)

It was an early 60th birthday celebration for Mariska Hargitay at the “Law & Order: SVU” 25th anniversary event!

“Extra’s” Mona Kosar Abdi spoke with Mariska about how much the show has meant to her and how proud she is of what they have created.

Getting emotional, Mariska shared about the show, “I don’t really have the words to convey my gratitude and how proud I am to be standing here... It’s a singular moment that I’m still finding words for, but I’m very proud. I'm proud of what we've done, I'm proud of what we've created together after all these years and that we're still so invested and growing so much."

Mariska stressed, "I'm still challenged and love it and don't see myself going anywhere soon."

She reflected on how life has imitated art through her work with her Joyful Heart Foundation, sharing, "What has meant so much to me and what I'm so proud of is how meaningful this show is to people. It's so much more than a show... It changes people's lives."

Hargitay also opened up about why she recently decided to share her own experience with sexual assault, saying, “It was just right. It was easy and effortless and I think timing played a big part in it."

When Mona praised Mariska for sharing her story in a way that resonates with people, Mariska said, “That’s what I’ve heard from people that it made them sort of reframe their story, and that’s been beautiful.”

Mona also spoke with Kelli Giddish, who called Mariska a “badass”!

Kelli commented, “She’s such a role model… She’s got three kids in real life… Seeing her navigate her way through being number two on the show with Chris [Meloni] and then being number one and going through different showrunners… [and] seeing her navigate and stay true to this character and stay true to the story and make sure that everyone is putting out a good product… making sure that everyone on set feels good about coming to work.”