Law & Order: SVU frequently draws inspiration from real-life situations, and Mariska Hargitay once hoped the show could reflect her personal experiences as a mother.
The Storyline Mariska Hargitay Pitched
Hargitay has been candid about her journey with motherhood. She gave birth to a son, August, with her husband Peter Hermann and later expanded their family through the adoption of two more children.
“August wanted siblings, and Peter and I both envisioned this big family because we both come from that. Plus, we just had so much love to give,” she shared with Good Housekeeping. “I was really letting the chips fall as they might, because I do think so much is up to God.”
Hargitay once pitched an idea to Law & Order: SVU showrunners for her character, Olivia Benson, to mirror her own adoption journey.
“I thought it would make it so much more resonant and beautiful,” Hargitay told Entertainment Weekly. “With knowing our real-life story, what’s out there in the zeitgeist and in the culture, I think it sort of makes us even go deeper, knowing that that also happened in real life.”
Initially, the show’s creators were hesitant to pursue this storyline.
“I think that Dick [Wolf] and the powers that be were concerned, obviously, for me being a mother because they didn’t want anything to detract from my job,” she explained. “And yet, this is life. People do both, and we have to figure it out. I believe there was an earlier story [in season 9] where I wanted to adopt but was turned down for that reason — it’s understandable that the job would be too dangerous.”
Eventually, under the guidance of showrunner Warren Leight, Benson did become a mother. The delay, according to Hargitay, made the story even more rewarding.
“So, it was such a big payoff. I was so interested in making the character more complex in that beautiful way that women multitask and do so many jobs. It was important to show that — what women do — and the real work. Because being a parent, I think, is the most important thing that we do in our lives,” she said.
Inspired by Her Own Childhood
Hargitay’s decision to adopt was deeply rooted in her childhood experiences. After her mother, Jayne Mansfield, tragically died in a car accident when Hargitay was just three years old, she was raised by her father and stepmother, who embraced her as her own.
“I called her Mom. She really claimed us. She never had biological kids of her own, and to this day we are her kids. So we were blessed that she really embraced us and loved us so quickly. And I was very fortunate to have a maternal figure in my life after such a horrific accident,” Hargitay reflected.
Her travels with her parents also played a significant role in her desire to adopt.
“I remember being in Thailand and India when I was 9 or 10 and seeing kids alone in the street and thinking, ‘Where are their moms?’ They were so amazingly resourceful and soulful and smart. And somewhere inside of me — even so young — I had that maternal instinct,” she said. “I remember thinking, I want to take them all home!”
Mariska Hargitay’s personal journey has not only enriched her character on Law & Order: SVU but has also highlighted the deep connection between her real-life experiences and the powerful stories she portrays on screen.
