Mariska Hargitay Opens Up About Her Odd Encounter With A ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Fan

Mariska Hargitay recently had a very odd encounter with someone who loves watching the series Law & Order: SVU.

The actress opened up about the situation during Tuesday’s episode of Chelsea Lately. According to the actress, she was having dinner with her husband in Nobu when she was unexpectedly approached by a very opinionated woman.

“[The fan] leaned over, and she goes, ‘You look exactly like the woman on Law & Order­—but you’re much younger and prettier.’ I’m trying to suss out if she’s pulling my leg, or even doing shtick with me or if she’s serious,” Mariska Hargitay explained.

She continued, “So I said, ‘Really?’ and she said, ‘Yes,’ and she goes, ‘much younger!’ Wow, should I be offended?”

The woman added that the character on Law & Order: SVU is a little “long in the tooth.” Not surprisingly, Mariska Hargitay wasn’t sure how to process this information.

The actress said:

“And I’m sitting there going, ‘Wow, you said that out loud and that’s a little risky! It was so great. We ended up talking for a while, and I never told her [who I was]. And in the end, we picked up her tab, and I said to the waiter, ‘Tell her Detective Benson just paid her bill!”

Hargitay told the Today show last month that she was very impressed by how strong Law & Order: SVU remains after 15 years on television. However, the actress admitted that the show definitely feels a little different than it did during the early years.

“I think it’s been a journey. I think the writing changes now that we have new showrunners. It feels to me like a different show now, which I think is a great thing. After 15 years the show feels so unbelievably fresh, and that’s a gift,” she explained.

One person who thoroughly enjoys Mariska Hargitay’s work on SVU is Chicago P.D. star Sophia Bush. The actresses recently teamed up for a crossover episode that’s presently set to air later this month.

The actress said:

“We have a case that we need a little bit of help with that began in New York City. And we’re now finding the M.O. in Chicago. SVU was investigating it when he was up there and now it’s on our hands. To have Ice-T and Kelli Giddish come down to work with us, and to be going to work with Mariska Hargitay, I mean I feel like it’s my birthday.”

Are you a fan of Mariska Hargitay? Are you impressed with the way the Law & Order: SVU star handled the opinionated woman?