Mariska Hargitay has been the lead of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for the past twenty-five years. Playing the series’ lead Olivia Benson, Hargitay has embodied the character to the extent that fans have reportedly shared their own traumas on s*xual crimes with her, leading her to be a fierce advocate against the crimes.

The show was created by Dick Wolf, who reportedly mentored Hargitay for the past two-and-a-half decades. Despite some clashes between the duo, Hargitay credited Wolf with teaching her everything about show business and even mentioned that his tough-love style of mentoring worked well for her.

Mariska Hargitay Appreciated Law & Order Creator Dick Wolf

Mariska Hargitay in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Credits: NBC

Mariska Hargitay has been the face of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since its inception. The character of Olivia Benson has been a pop cultural staple and after twenty-five years of helping out victims of s*xual crimes on screen, the iconic character seems to have rubbed off on the actress herself.

Hargitay’s time on the show has also influenced her other ventures, including her charity organization called Joyful Heart Foundation, which reportedly helps victims of s*xual abuse. Hargitay herself is reportedly a certified r*pe counselor (via People). The actress attributes a lot of the learnings she had in her career to Law & Order: SVU creator Dick Wolf.

Dick Wolf | Credits: YouTube/ST Media

Wolf created both the flagship show Law & Order as well as the SVU spinoff. Though Hargitay’s character was reportedly considered ‘too dark’ by her agents, the actress took the plunge and has been in the series ever since. She mentioned that Wolf had a huge part in defining her character.

She also mentioned that Dick Wolf had tough-loved her into becoming the person she is now (via Variety). She said,

We’re extremely close, like family. He and I have had some gnarly negotiations. And I don’t think he’s had that with anyone else. He’s said things to me that are almost paternal over the years, but tough. When I say tough love, I mean, tough love. There’s no coddling.

Dick Wolf had reportedly threatened to fire her after she came on set with a haircut. However, Mariska Hargitay mentioned that she learned how to navigate through Wolf’s strictness and choose her battles.

After Twenty-Five Years On The Show, Mariska Hargitay Has Learned To Be A Warrior

A still from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Credits: NBC

Mariska Hargitay has played Olivia Benson in over 550 episodes. The actress celebrated the show’s 25th anniversary recently and while talking to Variety, reminisced about the journey she has had since being an up-and-comer when the series started. From initial apprehension to being an important advocate against s*xual crimes, Hargitay has come a long way.

The one thing that the actress mentioned that she has learned over the years is how to stand up for herself. Attributing this quality to both her father and mentor Dick Wolf, Hargitay said that she has learned to do hard things over the years without faking it. She said,

I can do hard things now. I don’t know that I was always like that. I think in the beginning of the show, I had to fake a lot of it. I was still learning it. Now I fit into these shoes. It’s been a magnificent journey. I have learned to advocate for myself, ironically, from Dick.

She also mentioned that being hardened did not necessarily mean she would not be vulnerable and said that vulnerability was her superpower.