Saman ShafiqUSA TODAY
Updated Aug. 20, 2026, 3:08 p.m. ET
Mariska Hargitay is not stepping away from the “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” anytime soon.
The actor, 62, in a recent interview with Variety, said she’s not hanging up her detective hat, despite feeling she wasn’t serving other interests and people around her telling her to expand her mediums and explore other genres.
“Do I want to quit now? No. Why? I made a movie while shooting; I did a play for six weeks on hiatus. I’m hosting the Emmys,” Hargitay said. “Next summer, if I don’t make another movie, I’ll probably do another play. And I love it!”
Hargitay said she realized she didn’t need to give up the show that gives her purpose to diversify herself and try new things. The actor earned eight Emmy nominations for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for her portrayal of Detective Olied in 1999, and won a statuette in 2006
She added that after she made her film, “it was unleashed. Something got unleashed, or broken open, or freed.”
“The comedy thing was painful to me, because I felt like I was only exercising one part of myself,” Hargitay told the publication. “People would say, ‘You need to get off that show and do comedy. You need to get off that show and have a talk show.’”
That said, Hargitay revealed she did consider leaving her role around the Season 25 mark and discussed it with fellow actor Julianna Margulies, who had previously attempted to redefine her career by leaving “ER” in 2000 at its peak.
“I said, ‘I’ve got to leave the show too. I don’t want people to think I’m a one-trick pony.’ And she goes, ‘Sweetheart, that ship’s sailed,’” Hargitay said.
Hargitay said when she first discussed leaving “SVU” with Margulies, she wasn’t exactly “ready to leave, because I loved it. And then I got to do all this other stuff, and that’s why I don’t think about leaving right now.”
Mariska Hargitay to host this year’s Emmys
NBC has tapped Hargitay to serve as emcee during TV’s biggest night this year.
“It’s my great honor to host the 78th Emmy Awards – in the 100th birthday year of my beloved NBC – and celebrate this extraordinary community of storytellers,” the “SVU” star said in the announcement. “Whether it’s an actor or a director, a costumer or a sound designer, we are all so privileged to take part in creating television that unites us. Regardless of how, where or when we watch, we are together in our laughter, our tears, our love of stories – and our delighted anticipation to see what happens next.”
Hargitay is also nominated at the awards for directing and producing “My Mom Jayne,” the HBO documentary about the complicated legacy of Hargitay’s late mother, actress Jayne Mansfield. Hargitay began shooting her film in 2023 while “SVU” was in production. “I don’t even know how I did it,” she said.
Contributing: Erin Jensen, USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
