Mariska Hargitay Is 'So Excited' to Turn 60: 'I'm Stronger Than I've Ever Been'
Jan. 16 2024, Published 8:05 a.m. ET
While some celebrities may shy away from aging, Mariska Hargitay doesn't feel that way.
Mariska Hargitay plays Olivia Benson 'Law & Order: SVU.'
“I’m so excited. I announce it constantly,” the star, who turns 60 on January 23, told People. “I’m proud of it. I’m stronger than I’ve ever been.”
“The age thing was never something I was scared of,” the actress, who is married to Peter Hermann, added. “I didn’t get cast [on SVU] until I was 35 and then the show kept going as I aged. At 45, we’d been on for ten years and I just met my husband [when Hermann had a guest role on the show.] The man of my dreams. I got married at 40. I had August [her eldest son] at 42. So it was like defying all the odds."
The actress is thankful for her career.
Though Hargitay, who plays Olivia Benson, the longest-running character on a primetime drama, has been in the industry for a while, she is still thankful for her career.
"I won an Emmy [in 2006] and all these major things kept happening. I didn’t take anything for granted. My beautiful children [she and Hermann adopted Amaya, 12, and Andrew, 12, in 2011.] And then in my 50’s, my foundation is on fire, and I’m on a show that matters, and I’m counting my lucky stars. How did I get here? And why does nobody care how old I am?” she shared.
The star calls Olivia Benson 'strong and fearless.'
“We’ve been on a parallel journey,” she continued of the show. “There’s a thing WWOBD, what would Olivia Benson do? The fans would always talk about it, and one day it hit me. I also have those moments where I’ve sort of slipped into her. If there’s a crisis, I just take over and lead like that. Being strong and fearless. It’s sort of this perfect feminist story.”
Mariska Hargitay can't believe the show has been on for 25 years.
The director reflected on playing Olivia, a role that means so much to her.
“I have two diametrically opposed answers. One is I can’t believe it’s been 25 years, a quarter of a century! And the other is, I can’t see it any other way. I can’t imagine the show ending, and can’t imagine not going on this journey with my cast, my crew. I have so much to look forward to. And I’m still growing. I like that you can be so many things at one time. It’s learning to give yourself permission to be all of yourself," she gushed.