It turns out a Long Island psychic predicted Mariska Hargitay’s career trajectory and her penchant for taking on serious roles like Olivia Benson in “Law and Order: SVU.”
While appearing on this week’s “Call Her Daddy” podcast promoting her new documentary chronicling her mother Jayne Mansfield, as well as her long career on “Law and Order: SVU,” Hargitay explained that initially she thought she would have a career in comedy and live in L.A. It was not until she was told to visit a Long Island psychic that someone suggested something different.
“I used to go to New York twice a year and just see theater,” Hargitay told host Alex Cooper. “I was 34, and I come to New York, and a friend of mine said, ‘You have to go to this psychic on Long Island.’ I didn’t even know where Long Island was.”
She continued: “So I drive out to this guy’s house on Long Island, and he gives me a psychic reading. And because my mom was famous, I was like, you are just probably going to Google me, you know, Jayne Mansfield’s daughter, and then come up with some bulls–t. So I sit down with this guy and he says, ‘You see that face?’ I have this on recording. ‘You see that face right now?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He goes, ‘You’re going be famous for that face, that serious face.’”
Hargitay assured the psychic that her future was in comedy and nothing serious. The Long Islander did not balk.
“This is my favorite thing I think anyone’s ever said to me,” Hargitay remembered. “He goes like this: ‘I don’t give a rat’s ass what you think. You’re going to be famous for that face.’ And then he says to me, ‘And you’re moving to New York.’”
She ended by saying six months after that visit she landed the role of Olivia Benson on “SVU” and the rest is history. Hargitay has played the detective for 26 seasons and there is little end in sight.
You can watch the full “Call Her Daddy” interview in the video above.
