Mariska Hargitay Reveals How Most ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Fans React to Her in Public

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay does not get to go out in public very often without people recognizing her. She has now played Capt. Olivia Benson for over two decades, and has become an advocate for real-life victims of sexual assault. In a recent interview, Hargitay said fans often come up to her to share how SVU has changed their lives.

“When I started SVU, very quickly I started to receive a different kind of fan letter. Instead of, you know, ‘I love your show; you’re a great actress,’ it was women and men disclosing stories of abuse,” Hargitay told Access earlier this week. “People started sharing and saying, ‘Your show changed my life,’ and ‘I’ve never told anyone [about my abuse].’ That is the sentence I heard most: ‘I’ve never told anyone.’”

The way sexual violence is discussed has changed significantly over the years, and Hargitay hopes people continue speaking out. “There’s nothing about this to keep secret,” the Emmy-winner, who established her Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004, said. “This is something we should all be talking about.”

SVU has also taught Hargitay the power a television show can have in changing people’s lives. “I knew very early that this wasn’t a regular TV show,” she told Access. “I understood very quickly the power of healing this television show had.”

SVU kicked off its 24th season in September, and it continues to hold the record as the longest-running scripted primetime drama in U.S. television history. Hargitay is the last remaining star from Season 1, as Ice-T did not join the show until Season 2. Season 22 also saw the return of Christopher Meloni as Det. Elliot Stabler, who is now leading Law & Order: Organized Crime. Hargitay and Meloni starred together for the first 12 seasons of SVU and remain close friends.

Meloni and Hargitay appeared at the Emmys last month to present Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and performed a bit where they almost kissed. It was a nod to the fans who have dreamed of Stabler and Benson getting together romantically. Hargitay told PEOPLE the bit was “effortless” because they are friends. “It was so much fun to just create together with shorthand,” Hargitay said, adding that the Emmys “felt like a party with a bunch of people I hadn’t seen in a long time, but they’re all sort of my favorites.”

NBC’s Law & Order night starts at 8 p.m. ET on Thursdays with the mothership series. SVU follows at 9 p.m. ET, with Organized Crime at 10 p.m. ET. All three shows are available to stream on Peacock.