Mariska Hargitay Almost Starred on ‘Friends’ Before a Psychic Gave Her a Surprising Career Warning

Mariska Hargitay revealed a surprising chapter from her early acting career during an appearance on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast.

Before she became iconic as Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Hargitay spent years auditioning for comedy roles, including multiple screen tests for Friends.

“I did a lot of comedy auditions,” Hargitay told Poehler, according to The Daily Beast. “I did ‘Seinfeld’ and I did ‘Single Guy,’ and I tested for ‘Friends’ so many times. I think for Monica. I always thought I would end up on a sitcom or doing comedy.”

Even when drama roles came her way, she said she wanted them to have a comedic edge. “I was like, I want to do drama but it has to be funny because that’s what I felt like my gifts were… [I would tell people], ‘I’m going to be a comedian because I’m funny and I’m pretty.’”

Hargitay has now played Olivia Benson for more than 25 years, making her the longest-running character in live-action primetime TV history. But before landing that role, her career path took an unexpected turn after a visit to a psychic.

“I’m in L.A., [a] struggling actor [wondering] what am I going to do?” she recalled. “I came to New York, which I did three times a year to see theater. And then I met with this psychic. Everyone said to me, ‘Oh my gosh, Mariska, you have to meet with this psychic. He’s amazing.’ … I drove out somewhere on Long Island to this man and I went there and he started saying all this amazing stuff to me.”

The psychic gave her a prediction that changed her perspective. “I was listening to him really intently like this. He said to me… ‘You see that face you’re doing right now? You see that face?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He goes, ‘You’re going to be famous for that face. You’re moving to New York and you’re gonna be famous for that face,’”

Hargitay said. At the time, she still hoped to land a sitcom in Los Angeles. “I said, ‘Uh, no.’ I live in L.A. and I’m going to be a comedian. Six months later, swear to God… I got ‘SVU.’”

This story gives fans a peek behind the scenes at how Hargitay’s career might have gone in a very different direction. It shows how persistence, timing, and even a little unexpected advice helped her land the role that would define her career.

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