Dec. 13: Mariska Hargitay

 Mariska Hargitay has become something of a constant visitor in our house. That is because Ash has developed an addiction to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, of which Mariska Hargitay has been a mainstay since 1999. She has spent a quarter of a century playing her character, Officer Olivia Benson, and she even trained to be a rape counsellor to help her prepare for the role.

When you invest yourself in a fictional world - literature, theatre, film, television, video games - it sometimes blurs the fabric between fantasy and reality. I can't help but wonder if, in real life, Mariska Hargitay winds up listening to the real life stories of sexual assault victims. I bet she's a good listener.

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Mariska Hargitay is the daughter of the late American actress and former Playboy playmate, Jayne Mansfield, who died in a car accident when Mariska was about three years old. Apparently, Mariska was asleep in the back seat when it happened. How's that for a traumatizing childhood?

Later, she competed in beauty pageants and was crowned Miss Beverly Hills USA. Her dad was once a Mr. Universe, so I guess being really good looking runs in her family (I can relate.)*

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Despite her longevity on Law & Order: SVU, Mariska Hargitay is not my favourite Law & Order universe actress. That honour goes to Edmonton actress Jill Hennessy, who is a Sagittarius (like David Mamet.) Jill Hennessy played ADA Claire Kincaid for seasons four through six of Law & Order: No Subtitle Needed. She died in a car crash at the end of that season. That affected me almost as much as the death of Tracy (Diana Rigg) at the end of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which is the best movie of all time.**

Mariska Hargitay is probably my second favourite Law & Order actress. No maybe she's third. I might like Angie Harmon more. And Carey Lowell because she remains the only Law & Order actress who was nice enough to also be a Bond girl. 

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It is interesting watching Mariska Hargitay age as you watch her progression on the series. She started out being young enough to be my daughter and is now old enough to be my big sister. Her Olivia Benson is a beloved character. I think it's because she can play sympathetic and she can also be tough as nails. She probably likes raspberry yogurt and her purse is filled with empty chewing gum wrappers.

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Mariska Hargitay has been on the cover of People Magazine and she does a lot of work with something called the Joyful Heart Foundation, which envisions a world free of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse. So good for her. I am her fan.


 

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* Ash will call me a butthead for this paragraph.

** It is way better than Die Hard and is better than all the Star Wars movies combined. It's also better than My Dinner With Andre and Howard Stern's Private Parts.

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