Overview
- Hargitay said mispronunciations persist even after decades on Law & Order: SVU, noting recent slipups by colleagues and a cousin.
- She explained that she writes her name as M-A-R-I-S-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-K-A on production call sheets so staff catch the "sh" sound.
- The actress clarified that her first name is pronounced Ma-rish-ka during a recent conversation on Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast.
- She added that co-star Christopher Meloni sometimes jokingly calls her "Maritza" on set.
- Hargitay, who has led SVU since 1999, also reiterated that Mariska is a Hungarian diminutive of Maria meaning "little Maria."