Law & Order SVU has millions of fans that tune into the show every week. So it’s common for stars like Mariska Hargitay to be noticed by those who watch the show. However, there was one fan encounter she wasn’t sure how to respond to. Mariska Hargitay once revealed one of her most bizarre fan encounters Given that Hargitay lives and films SVU in
New York, fans could notice her anytime and anywhere. But Hargitay once confided she was even spotted outside of her hometown. According to her interview with
Chelsea Lately (via E News ), she and her husband Peter Hermann once went to the Caribbean to enjoy a vacation. While at the fancy restaurant Nobu, her husband would excuse himself to the restroom. Seeing Hargitay alone, a curious fan would seize the opportunity and approach the star. “‘You look exactly like the woman on Law & Order— but you’re much younger and prettier,'” Hargitay recalled the fan telling her. The remark took Hargitay completely off guard, so much so that she wasn’t sure how to react. “I’m trying to suss out if she’s pulling my leg, or even doing shtick with me or if she’s serious,” Hargitay said. “So I said, ‘Really?’ and she said, ‘Yes,’ and she goes, ‘ much younger!'” Hargitay wondered if she should’ve been offended during the entire interaction. “And I’m sitting there going, ‘Wow, you said that out loud,’ and that’s a little risky! It was so great,” she said. Mariska Hargitay once revealed the sentence she hears most from fans Over the years, fans may have gotten extremely close to SVU and Hargitay’s character. But their love for the show seemed to go beyond just entertainment. In an interview with
NBC , Hargitay confided how the content of her fan letters changed over the years. “When I started SVU , very quickly I started to receive a different kind of fan letter. Instead of, you know, ‘I love your show; you’re a great
Actress,’ it was
Women and men disclosing stories of abuse,” she said. “People started sharing and saying, ‘Your show changed my life,’ and ‘I’ve never told anyone [about my abuse].'” Those statements were what the Golden Globe winner enjoyed reading the most from fans. “I knew very early that this wasn’t a regular TV show,” Hargitay said of the show’s influence. “I understood very quickly the power of healing this television show had.” Mariska Hargitay started the joyful heart foundation because of her fans SVU fans had a similar impact on Hargitay to what she had on them. Their emotional fan letters and comments inspired the
Actor to become a real-life activist. In 2004, Hargitay started the joyful heart foundation, which was designed to help victims of domestic violence,
Sexual Assault, and child abuse. She was also inspired to start the organization after seeing how much of her show was based on real life . “I’ve always had an affinity for children, and when I started preparing for the role of Detective Benson on Law & Order , the statistics just floored me,” she said in an interview with Health magazine. “Every two minutes in the
United States a woman is sexually assaulted. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women. And nearly four children die in this country every day as a result of abuse and neglect.” Hargitay wanted to do more for those who reached out to her other than just being an actor. “Wait a minute, everyone, I’m an actor on TV! And Joyful Heart was my answer and my way of giving back,” she said. “I wanted to shine light on this darkness because sexual assault, in particular, is something people don’t talk about. I’ll tell you, I have three passions in life: work, motherhood—I’ve wanted to be a mother since I was 2 feet tall—and Joyful Heart. People say, ‘Oh, it’s so great, you’re helping all these people.’ And I say, ‘You know what? I’m starting to think Joyful Heart is the most self-serving thing I’ve ever done.'”