Mariska Hargitay Helps Little Girl Reunite With Mom After She's Mistaken for Real-Life Cop

Mariska Hargitay is a member of an elite squad: real life heroes.

While filming Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in New York City April 10, the actress was approached by a little girl who mistook the 60-year-old for a real police officer based on her costume—which includes a very real-looking police badge.

The child went up to Mariska as she was shooting a scene with costar Ice-T, and according to multiple outlets interrupted filming to ask for Mariska's help in finding her mom, which she successfully did.

E! News has reached out to Mariska for comment.

The Emmy winner—who shares children sons August, 17, and Andrew, 12, and daughter Amaya, 12, with husband of 20 years Peter Hermann—has played the iconic role of Olivia Benson on the NBC procedural  since the show premiered in 1999.

And according to Mariska, playing a role like Olivia has offered important lessons that she has applied to her real life. 

"I would say learning to tolerate our feelings and knowing that we can get over anything, that they pass, and then we're stronger because of it," she told E! News in 2022. "It's just about accessing our strength. I think that Olivia is such a badass who's grown into her power. And that is our journey for all of us women." 

And while SVU shows no signs of slowing down, what would be her idea outcome for Olivia be in the end?

"I hope that she can get to a point where she feels like she's done enough service," she continued, "and it's time to rest and be and see the best that life has to offer. She's spent so much time in the darkest of what life has to offer."

Law & Order: SVU airs on Thursdays at 9/8c pm on NBC. To find out when more of your favorite shows are hitting the small screen this year, keep reading. 

(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

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