Mariska Hargitay has been playing Law & Order: Special Victims Unit‘s Olivia Benson for so long that stepping into her heroic shoes is second nature.
While filming season 25 of the hit NBC series last Wednesday, Hargitay, 60, took a break when she was approached by a little girl who seemingly mistook her for a real police officer. The case of mistaken identity is understandable considering that Hargitay wears a police badge as part of Benson’s outfit.
An eyewitness tells ET that Hargitay quickly paused filming after she was approached by the lost, crying little girl while filming a scene on April 10.
“Mariska was filming a scene with Ice-T and was interrupted by a little girl walking into the scene. She walked straight to Mariska, and I guess then the conversation about her not finding her mom,” the eyewitness says. “Mariska carried the child all over the park asking anyone — and other parents — to see if anyone knew the kid or mom. Her mom was on the other side of the park with another younger child.”
The eyewitness adds: “Mariska was very concerned and stopped production and took care of the kid until she was reunited with her mother.”
Hargitay’s tenure as Benson has set the record for the longest-running portrayal of a character in a drama show, and she’s spoken before about how proud she is that her character and performance have helped people who have dealt with trauma find hope and closure.
When the actress spoke with ET at the special 25th anniversary celebration of Special Victims Unit in January, she opened up about the legacy she hopes to leave behind for her beloved police detective — a character she’s played since the show’s premiere in 1999.
“I hope that her legacy is that she helped a lot of people heal,” Hargitay shared as she began tearing up. “It’s too early to cry, people! It’s way too early.”
“There’s a lot of love in the people that created this show and a lot of intimacy and an incredible amount of respect and trust and honor,” Hargitay says. “So I think that we all honor and respect each other.”
“It’s been a privilege for me to work with them and to have such an incredibly intimate relationship with all of them,” she added. “So this feels like family tonight.”
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit airs Thursdays at 9 p.m.
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