Law & Order: SVU fans have loved seeing friendship blossom over the years between stars Mariska Hargitay and Ice T, and now the 59-year-old actress, who stars as Detective Olivia Benson, has made a rare comment on their first introduction 22 years ago.
Ice T was, at the time, a trailblazing artist who was known for his work as a rapper, songwriter, and actor, and his first meeting with Mariska was "intimidating" until she realized he was "someone deeply true to his principles, kind, wise and just ridiculously generous".
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"I can’t say this about a lot of people — not even myself! — but in the 24 years we’ve been working together, he’s never come to the set in a bad mood, and he’s never complained," she told Variety ahead of the 65-year-old's Walk of Fame ceremony in Hollywood on February 17.
"And he’s got some stiff competition, but he might just lead the pack in gratitude for the incredible gift of being able to do this show for all these years."
Ice T, who is married to Coco Austin, joined the Dick Wolf show in season two as Odafin “Fin” Tutuola, and what was meant to be a four episode arc turned into 20 seasons and over two decades of work.
SVU is one of the longest-running TV shows and has received numerous Emmys Awards; Mariska won in 2006 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, as well as a Golden Globe for her work on the show.
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The pair are now close friends
There are no plans to end the series anytime soon, but in a 2018 interview with E! News, Mariska - who is the daughter of iconic fifties star Jayne Mansfield - revealed she already knew the ideal exit for her character, although was coy about sharing it.
Of the impact the show has had on fans, she told NerdsOfColor in 2022: "For me, if I walked away tomorrow, I would be happy because it's just been beautiful to teach people how to deal with survivors, teach people about the neurobiology of trauma, teach people things that they didn't understand, and also play a part in a victim's healing, you know?"
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