Mariska Hargitay Teases ‘Knock out’ Guest Star for ‘Law & Order: SVU’

Ahead of its highly anticipated milestone season set to air this fall, Law & Order: SVU star, Mariska Hargitay took to social media Wednesday to tease a “knock out” guest star joining the cast for an upcoming episode.

Hargitay, 54, posted a selfie with legendary actor Carl Weathers, best known as Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies, and teased how he would make his way into the show as State Attorney, Mark Jeffries — a character previously seen on Chicago Justice.

“A [Knock Out] guest star with the [Eye of the Tiger] who [Goes the Distance],” Hargitay wrote her caption in a collection of hashtags. “[Welcome Carl Weathers] [State Attorney Jeffries Meets the Lieutenant]. It was a pleasure and a joy to work with you. PS: you have the most gorgeous voice.”

Hargitay concluded her post with the hashtag “summer weather,” alluding to the breeze evidently blowing her hair back in one of the snapshots as the two smile for the camera.

While it’s unclear how Weathers’ character Mark will exactly fit into the SVU universe, plot-wise, it won’t be too hard considering ADA Rafael Barba’s replacement is Peter Stone played by actor Phillip Winchester who was the lead on the short-lived Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. spinoff with Weathers.

Hargitay, who has played series lead Lt. Olivia Benson since the first season, has taken to Twitter since mid-July to share with her nearly 1 million followers filming progress in the record-breaking 20th season.

The show currently has no end in sight as NBC chairman Robert Greenblatt recently confirmed SVU has no planned ending and will continue as long as Hargitay wants to keep at it.

“I’m still processing it because it’s a lifetime of processing,” Hargitay previously told E! News about the historical 20th season. “I’m just so full of gratitude and so excited that I get to do what I love to do every day.”

“When you’re just in it, it’s hard to fully take it in,” the actress added. “So I’m just grateful for this role, for this part, for [Dick Wolf’s] vision and that I’ve gotten to mine a character for so long that is still deeply challenging to me and inspiring to me and necessary and timely, and I think truly changing the culture.”

Law & Order: SVU moves to Thursday nights, with the two-hour premiere airing Sept. 27 at 9 p.m. ET; then moving to the 10 p.m. ET slot the following week, Oct. 4.

Photo credit: Scott Gries/NBC | 2018 NBCUniversal Media, LLC