Cover Girl: Mariska
Hargitay on Gotham
Magazine
Hargitay on Gotham
Magazine
post 3/24/07 Actress Mariska Hargitay is gracing the cover
of the March issue of Gotham magazine. Mariska is known
for many things ... her role on NBC's Law and Order: SVU,
being mom to one-year-old son August, her famous
parents (mom was Jayne Maynesfield and dad was Mickey
Hargitay). She sat down with the magazine to dish on
what's going on in her life.
GOTHAM: You just signed on to do two more years of Law
& Order: SVU. Your fans were elated at the news. How did
you feel about it?
Mariska Hargitay: Well, you know, I went back and forth. It
was really nerve-wracking. I had my son at the beginning
of our hiatus, but after three months I was ready to go
back. I realized I wasn’t done, and that I loved the
character so much.
G: You grew up in California, but does New York now feel
like home?
MH: It does! We shoot at all of these fantastic locations, so
I’ve gotten to know the city. Now every street I go on, I’m
like, “We shot here.” And my husband is a walker, so when
we dated, we walked everywhere—and I mean, 50 blocks.
That was a big deal for me, coming from California, where
we don’t walk anywhere. It was our courtship. For me, it
was so romantic.
G: You were 42 when you got married. Why didn’t you
marry in your 20s or 30s?
MH: I just wanted to be married once, and I wanted to be
really ready. I had a shrink who told me, “You have to find
out where you’re going, and then find somebody to go with
you.” In my 20s I was changing so much. And maybe
because I lost my mother at such a young age and have
always suffered so much emotionally from that, being a
mother was huge to me and I didn’t want to mess it up. I
think I was just so scared of being a mom that I waited until
I was ready. Now I think, Thank God. The day I met Peter, I
was like, That’s my husband. I’ve always been a late
bloomer, but it’s always worked out for me.
G: Are you anxious about balancing motherhood and a
career?
MH: August comes to work with me every day. And I feel
like I’m married to the greatest guy in the world—he’s just
so supportive, he’s made it work. Peter comes to me on
set on Friday night at six o’clock and we start our
weekend, even if I’m at work until 3 A.M.
G: You had two celebrity parents—what insight did that
give you regarding raising healthy kids in a star
environment?
MH: I think the most important thing is to understand that
everyone is the same. Everyone deserves to be treated
respectfully. Sometimes celebrities are treated as though
they’re special, but I think it’s important for kids to
understand that it’s temporary, that you should never,
ever, ever, ever take it for granted, and that you should
give back as much as you get.
When I was growing up we traveled a lot, and one of the
greatest things my parents did for me was take me to live
with my Hungarian family. My parents showed us that the
rest of the world doesn’t live like we do in America. That
really stamped me as a kid. I was like, Why are we so
lucky? Why do people let the water run when other people
don’t have water? Children who see that at an early age
have a different understanding of humanity. I’m going to
do everything I can to show August that the way some of
us live in this country is not the way the rest of the world
lives.
G: We were sorry to learn that your father died in
September. Has grieving been different than you
anticipated?
MH: A little bit. My father was sick, he had cancer, so I did
a lot of my grieving before he passed away. Without a
doubt, it’s the most devastating thing that’s ever happened
to me, but I will say [she pauses and begins to cry, then
starts speaking again in a soft, high voice]… the one thing
that’s different is that I know my dad is with me all the time,
and that he did everything he set out to do, so I’m OK. If I
can do half the job with August that he did with me, I’ll feel
like such a good parent.
G: On your website, Mariska.com, you get your fans
involved with nonprofit organizations supporting women,
the environment, and the world’s poor. How did you
manage to use your celebrity so constructively?
MH: People like cutters, bulimics, and motherless kids
started writing to me, and I just thought, Thank God the
kids who are the most difficult to reach trust me, that they
think I’m cool enough to talk to. And so I wondered how I
could help them have their own safe place, because that’s
what I want for everyone—to feel safe. I see my celebrity
as an opportunity to educate and bring people together...
and I’m not done with that yet.
Photos from Gotham magazine.
of the March issue of Gotham magazine. Mariska is known
for many things ... her role on NBC's Law and Order: SVU,
being mom to one-year-old son August, her famous
parents (mom was Jayne Maynesfield and dad was Mickey
Hargitay). She sat down with the magazine to dish on
what's going on in her life.
GOTHAM: You just signed on to do two more years of Law
& Order: SVU. Your fans were elated at the news. How did
you feel about it?
Mariska Hargitay: Well, you know, I went back and forth. It
was really nerve-wracking. I had my son at the beginning
of our hiatus, but after three months I was ready to go
back. I realized I wasn’t done, and that I loved the
character so much.
G: You grew up in California, but does New York now feel
like home?
MH: It does! We shoot at all of these fantastic locations, so
I’ve gotten to know the city. Now every street I go on, I’m
like, “We shot here.” And my husband is a walker, so when
we dated, we walked everywhere—and I mean, 50 blocks.
That was a big deal for me, coming from California, where
we don’t walk anywhere. It was our courtship. For me, it
was so romantic.
G: You were 42 when you got married. Why didn’t you
marry in your 20s or 30s?
MH: I just wanted to be married once, and I wanted to be
really ready. I had a shrink who told me, “You have to find
out where you’re going, and then find somebody to go with
you.” In my 20s I was changing so much. And maybe
because I lost my mother at such a young age and have
always suffered so much emotionally from that, being a
mother was huge to me and I didn’t want to mess it up. I
think I was just so scared of being a mom that I waited until
I was ready. Now I think, Thank God. The day I met Peter, I
was like, That’s my husband. I’ve always been a late
bloomer, but it’s always worked out for me.
G: Are you anxious about balancing motherhood and a
career?
MH: August comes to work with me every day. And I feel
like I’m married to the greatest guy in the world—he’s just
so supportive, he’s made it work. Peter comes to me on
set on Friday night at six o’clock and we start our
weekend, even if I’m at work until 3 A.M.
G: You had two celebrity parents—what insight did that
give you regarding raising healthy kids in a star
environment?
MH: I think the most important thing is to understand that
everyone is the same. Everyone deserves to be treated
respectfully. Sometimes celebrities are treated as though
they’re special, but I think it’s important for kids to
understand that it’s temporary, that you should never,
ever, ever, ever take it for granted, and that you should
give back as much as you get.
When I was growing up we traveled a lot, and one of the
greatest things my parents did for me was take me to live
with my Hungarian family. My parents showed us that the
rest of the world doesn’t live like we do in America. That
really stamped me as a kid. I was like, Why are we so
lucky? Why do people let the water run when other people
don’t have water? Children who see that at an early age
have a different understanding of humanity. I’m going to
do everything I can to show August that the way some of
us live in this country is not the way the rest of the world
lives.
G: We were sorry to learn that your father died in
September. Has grieving been different than you
anticipated?
MH: A little bit. My father was sick, he had cancer, so I did
a lot of my grieving before he passed away. Without a
doubt, it’s the most devastating thing that’s ever happened
to me, but I will say [she pauses and begins to cry, then
starts speaking again in a soft, high voice]… the one thing
that’s different is that I know my dad is with me all the time,
and that he did everything he set out to do, so I’m OK. If I
can do half the job with August that he did with me, I’ll feel
like such a good parent.
G: On your website, Mariska.com, you get your fans
involved with nonprofit organizations supporting women,
the environment, and the world’s poor. How did you
manage to use your celebrity so constructively?
MH: People like cutters, bulimics, and motherless kids
started writing to me, and I just thought, Thank God the
kids who are the most difficult to reach trust me, that they
think I’m cool enough to talk to. And so I wondered how I
could help them have their own safe place, because that’s
what I want for everyone—to feel safe. I see my celebrity
as an opportunity to educate and bring people together...
and I’m not done with that yet.
Photos from Gotham magazine.
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| 6/11/08 The always gorgeous Mariska Hargitay works the blue carpet at the premiere of Paramount’s The Love Guru held at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Wednesday in Hollywood. The 44-year-old Law & Order: SVU star was accompanied by actor husband Peter Hermann. If you’re wondering why Mariska was at the premiere, it’s because Love Guru lead Mike Myers uses the name “Mariska Hargitay” as a blessing/greeting in the movie. Mariska makes a brief cameo in the film and her name is peppered throughout the film. To watch the video of Mike Myers explain it, watch here! |