‘Law & Order: SVU’ Star Mariska Hargitay Speaks Out About ‘Law & Order’ Revival

Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay can’t say enough good things about the original flagship series and its upcoming revival.

“I think it is so awesome, so aspirational and I am so grateful to be in the universe,” Mariska Hargitay said of the original show. “I actually was talking to to Dick Wolf yesterday and he had shared with me that between all the three shows 35,000 actors have been employed. We talk about these shows as a universe, right? That he’s created where we all cross over.”

“It’s staggering I am dumbfounded,” she continued. “I think it is so right especially because the mothership was canceled at year 20, which felt so wrong. And the fact that we surpassed that, [Law & Order] SVU did. Now they’re back and he is unstoppable. The universe is unstoppable. I just have so much mad respect and excitement for me personally because I get to work with all these amazing actors.”

Mariska on ‘Law & Order’ Characters

Hargitay noted that she is friends with Camryn Manheim, who plays Lieutenant Kate Dixon. She added that she was thrilled to have original characters back and that she can’t wait to work with the new faces.

When asked what her favorite character is from the original Law & Order, she admitted that it was hard to choose just one.

“There’s so many that I like for so many different reasons,” she said. “I mean I loved Epatha [Merkerson who played Lieutenant Anita Van Buren]. “She’s such a badass. I love Benson and Stabler, obviously for so many reasons. And sentimental reasons because it was our beginning. But in terms of new characters, I have to say I love the Barbara character. I love that fast-talking kind of peacock of a character. I thought was so fun and fresh but I love them all for so many different reasons. Especially my own castmates and my own the characters on my show because I am in love with all of them for different reasons,” Hargitay concluded.

Watch the full interview with the cast of Law & Order: SVU, below.