It’s not every day an actress gets to use her character in real life, but Mariska Hargitay is not any normal actress. After 24 years of being Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: Special Victims’ Unit,” she has risen through the ranks and now has become the Captain. While dressing in uniform and filming in New York City on April 10th, a missing child came up to her, thinking she was a real police officer and needed help.
Separated from her mother while playing at Anne Loftus Playground in NYC, she saw the uniform and recognized it as someone who could help her. Immediately stopping work on the set for 20 minutes, Hargitay stepped into Benson’s shoes for real and set out to help the tyke find her mom. Finding her in relatively short order, she took time away from filming to ensure both were settled and shared an emotional moment with them.
As the child was oblivious to the camera crew, extras, and other actors (like Ice-T) who were walking around on set, she honed right in on the person who stuck out to her in uniform. As initially reported by People, this was a heartwarming moment for those on set and shows how deeply someone’s character can become a part of them and vice versa.
Hargitay has a reputation for being a kind soul on set and one of the very few actresses who have not fallen face-first into liberalism. Instead, she has enjoyed her conservative-based character and embraced the depth it brings. With Jayne Mansfield as a mother, she had a fantastic example of grace and humility, and she is doing her proud!!
