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Mariska Hargitay Tells Amy Poehler How a Psychic and ER Steered Her to SVU

Her Good Hang recollection explains how comedy ambitions yielded to drama after a pivotal ER stint.

Overview

  • On Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast released Oct. 21, Hargitay said she tested many times for Monica on Friends despite planning a sitcom path from the Groundlings.
  • She recalled a Long Island psychic telling her she would move to New York and be “famous for that face,” and she said she was cast on Law & Order: SVU about six months later.
  • Hargitay cited early roles on Seinfeld and The Single Guy as part of a comedy track before ER in 1997–98 convinced her to pursue drama.
  • She noted she was developing a DreamWorks hybrid dramedy concept in that period as she weighed her next steps.
  • She remembered being paired with Chris Meloni at the SVU callback and feeling confident in their chemistry, with SVU now airing its 27th season.