Playboy's 20Q Mariska Hargitay

Being the daughter of Jayne Mansfield carries with it more baggage than Ivana Trump takes on vacation. But actress Mariska Hargitay, 37, has outdistanced critics' expectations and found distinction on her own terms. The star of NBC's critically acclaimed hit drama Law and Order: Special Victims Unit fills the TV screen with a unique energy.

Hargitay grew up in Beverly Hills, the daughter of the quintessential Fifties sexpot Mansfield and bodybuilder and former Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay. Three years after her parents divorced, Mariska, just three, was in the backseat of the automobile during the accident that claimed Mansfield's life. Her father remarried. Mariska and her three brothers spent summers in Italy, where her father acted in spaghetti Westerns, and in Hungary, where Mariska and her brothers attended camp and learned the language. Back in Los Angeles, Hargitay attended a private Catholic grade school, then enrolled at Marymount High, a highly honored all-girls school. She became a jock, excelling in swimming and track. On a lark, she tried out for a school play, Salad Days, and won a part. Hargitay went on to study theater arts at UCLA, securing an agent and work before she graduated. A bit part in Bob Fosse's Star 80, an LA stage appearance in Women's Work and regular roles on the television series Falcon Crest, Can't Hurry Love and Prince Street followed. Hargitay was successfully forging her own identity as an actress. She made notable guest appearances on Seinfeld, Ellen, thirtysomething and Wise-guy, bringing her to the attention of ER's producers. In 1997 Hargitay joined NBC's top-rated series in the recurring role of Cynthia Hooper, Anthony Edwards' love interest. Producer Dick Wolf took notice and invited her to co-star as Detective Olivia Benson on his Law and Order spin-off, Special Victims Unit.

On the big screen, Hargitay has appeared as a hooker opposite Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas, in David Lynch's Hotel Room and in David E. Kelley's Lake Placid, co-starring Bridget Fonda.

Robert Crane caught up with Hargitay at Mercer Kitchen in New York. He reports: "Mariska is every bit as passionate, strong and sexy as her detective character on SVU. Her mother, of course, appeared in Playboy many times, and, in her honor, Hargitay wore a light black shirt with the Rabbit. Head logo embossed in white. People stared. I lost interest in the menu."

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[Q] Playboy: What ingredients go into a good goulash?

[A] Hargitay: This is where I'm going to be untrue to my roots, because I haven't the faintest idea. Not a clue. I think it's stew with a little paprika. That's all I know. I'm more into Italian cuisine.

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[Q] Playboy: You're well traveled. Americans don't know about middle European history after World War I. What are they missing out on?

[A] Hargitay: American children are so safe and fearless because they've never known war, they've never known tragedy or what it's like to be bombed, or to live in fear of being attacked at any minute. When you're a kid and you see that, your perspective of the world changes. I remember being in Hungary when I was little and being held by immigration or by the Hungarian police. They were messing with me because they said I didn't have the right papers, and I was a kid by myself going in and out of Hungary. They told me I was going to jail and that I'd never be able to go home. And they were laughing. They were older teenage boys. And I sat there crying, thinking I was never getting home, and then they gave me the OK and got me on the plane. You learn to survive. I was very fortunate when I was a kid. My parents sent me to private schools where kids for the most part were well-to-do and privileged. But they were missing something so beautiful--a connection that people have when there is trauma and disaster. They didn't understand how frail and precious life is.

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[Q] Playboy: Why has the former Austro-Hungarian Empire produced so many bodybuilders?

[A] Hargitay: I don't know, but I'm thrilled about it. I think the real answer is oppression and wanting to get over that. There are some amazingly strong human beings--these human spirits--who say, "I'm bigger than what happened to me, and no one will ever be bigger than me again." I met Arnold Schwarzenegger when I was 13 years old, with full braces--that weird age when you're just not cute. It was the time when 10 was out with Bo Derek and being called a "10" was the compliment of the minute. Arnold looked at me and said, "Ten--you're an 11!" And I was like, "Yes!" I was an awkward, gawky 13-year-old, and he made my teens--not just one year! It was really great.

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[Q] Playboy: Do you have a favorite picture of your mother?

[A] Hargitay: Absolutely. It's at home, the one picture in my house--a very dear picture of her. She's caught in thought. She didn't know that she was going to be photographed. And it's a window to her soul. There are certain photographs that capture something, that you can't stop staring at, and those are my favorites.

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[Q] Playboy: The most famous one is the Hollywood shot with Sophia Loren checking out your mother's cleavage.

[A] Hargitay: That picture has haunted me my whole life. I love it and I hate it. I hated it when I was little, but now I see it differently because my mother was such a celebrator of life, and she transcended fear and judgment. That's something to aspire to. So I love it now. It's so human. You could make a movie off that picture. There's part of me that looks at it like, Wow! That's awesome! That's so great! But there's another part of me that's like, That's my mom.

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[Q] Playboy: What is the proper shape for a pool?

[A] Hargitay: Olympic is the proper shape for a pool. I was on a swim team when I was a kid, and I was obsessed with the Olympics. I swam for four years on the varsity team, and I was always frustrated that the pool wasn't long enough. I wanted to keep going without turning. My second choice would be heart shaped. But you couldn't swim laps, and I'm a bit of a fish, so that would be frustrating.

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[Q] Playboy: What did Louis L'Amour tell you about riding a horse?

[A] Hargitay: He wrote one of my book reports when I was in fifth grade. He taught me so much about writing and riding. He taught me to stay steady and hold on tight. Louis L'Amour was like a second father to me. And I have to tell you this story because his daughter, Angelique, was my very best friend, from the first day of kindergarten. I used to spend a lot of my weekends with her family. And so it was one of those Sunday nights. You know, at 7:30 you look at your homework and you're like, "Oh, I forgot this part. I forgot to read this book." I hadn't read the book and I was so scared. Louis and I wrote the whole report, based on questions he asked me about the book. And it was so genius. The teacher was like, "Oh my gosh." And I remember saying, "Thank you." And the next time I saw him I told him I got an A! It was really cool.

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[Q] Playboy: Tell us about getting comfy on a saddle.

[A] Hargitay: I love saddles. I started riding when I was five, so I feel so at home on a horse. It's all about trust, and totally letting go. And I'll just leave it at that. There's safety in letting go.

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[Q] Playboy: How do you tell who you're riding that you're the boss?

[A] Hargitay: Oh, they know. It's just like when you size people up--animals are better at it than we are. You let the horse know you want to play, and you're on the same team, but not to fuck with you.

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[Q] Playboy: Is Robert De Niro aware of your obsession with him?

[A] Hargitay: God, I hope so. I'm just waiting for him to come to me. I worship him. My favorite movie is We're No Angels. Sean Penn also rules. And Sean Penn doing Robert De Niro, as he did in Casualties of War, that's genius.

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[Q] Playboy: Name De Niro's best and worst roles.

[A] Hargitay: Taxi Driver and Raging Bull are what started it all for me and the rest of the world. I didn't like the one with Meryl Streep, Falling in Love. I just didn't care. Midnight Run with Charles Grodin--that's right up there. And that's what I'm saying: How do you go from Raging Bull to Midnight Run? How do you do that?

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[Q] Playboy: Can you characterize him in a sentence? What is it that clicks with you?

[A] Hargitay: He just has that thing that for decades people have been trying to put their finger on. The thing that makes you go, "Oh my God. I get you. I want that. I want to take that in. I want to be in it. I want to be around it. You touch me, you make me feel something different. Or you touch a place in me that I don't know how to access." He is so truthful and yet far out. Sometimes you think the truth would be more linear, and he goes another way. Even though you don't know where he's going to take you, you feel safe going. Wherever he goes, we trust him that it'll pay off. And that's the thing that's toughest about acting.

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[Q] Playboy: Do you consider yourself a De Niro stalker?

[A] Hargitay: No, I don't. I do hang out at Nobu [one of De Niro's restaurants in New York], but not for that reason. I mean, sure, I've had my moments--like stalking his apartment when people have pointed it out to me. I'm not going to lie to you. But if I saw him on the street, I'd probably look down, because I wouldn't know what to do.

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[Q] Playboy: Do you want to use this space for a message?

[A] Hargitay: I love you. Come and find me now! If you don't act with me in your next movie, you're missing something huge. I'm waiting, sweetheart! Sweetheart, why haven't you called? Time is a-ticking. I'm not going to wait forever. No. Yes, I will.

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[Q] Playboy: What's the best time to be in New York?

[A] Hargitay: Fall. One of my favorite things about being in New York is getting on a bike. There's such complete freedom. When I moved to New York, the first six months were so insane. Nothing in my life was constant. And then I met my boyfriend, who has a bike, and we started riding around on the bike, and my whole life changed. Last night we drove for an hour and a half to the north end of the city on the bike, and the smells were so palpable. They made my blood hot. They reminded me of when I was a kid in Italy. Burning leaves, different foods, trees and flowers that were so sensual and so healing. I felt like I was being tickled and sort of rubbed in the smells and in the weather and in the way the air felt on my skin. It's such a magical place in the fall. There is nowhere else like it. I am a person that any minute I have free I'm on a plane to Italy. That's where I go. It's my home away from home, my sanctuary. But in the fall, I want to be in New York. This hard city caresses you in the fall.

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[Q] Playboy: How effective is travel in getting rid of the taste of a bad boyfriend?

[A] Hargitay: Perfect. It's just what the doctor ordered.

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[Q] Playboy: What was your most grueling trip?

[A] Hargitay: I'm terrified of flying. I've held hands with strangers. I'll hold anyone's hand. I get really stressed and need to connect in fear, so I grab people. On my way to Africa recently, everyone was asleep--except for me, because I can't sleep on planes. This guy starts screaming and I thought the plane was going down. Everyone woke up screaming. Panic in first class on the way to Africa. The guy was having a nightmare and he freaked everyone out. You could feel the energy for 20 minutes and you couldn't calm down.

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[Q] Playboy: Would you rather have a cop or a doctor as a boyfriend?

[A] Hargitay: Doctor. I would never want to be with a cop. I don't mean to get teary on you, but I went to the Top Cops Awards--it's like the Academy Awards for cops. It was all these heroes telling their stories about the amazing things they'd done, and everyone in the audience was in tears. The number of cops who are killed in the line of duty is such an accepted thing. I have become very friendly with the New York City police departments in every borough. I know too many stories about killing and hate crimes. I know cops' wives, and it's like they give their husbands permission to leave them widowed. I'm not strong enough. I learned that at a young age--about losing somebody you love. I just couldn't function knowing my spouse was in jeopardy every day.

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[Q] Playboy: What are the rewards of doing a show about victims of sexual crimes?

[A] Hargitay: A woman came up to me on the subway. She was a violinist, and she told me that she had seen an episode about a piano teacher who was molesting his students. She told me she had been molested by her violin teacher, and she didn't know what to do. She told me our show was so resonant. When people tell you those kinds of stories, it reaffirms that you have a responsibility, because there are so many sexually abused people in this world. This is something people do not want to talk about, and they're so scared of it. Our show can be a forum for people who have been traumatized.

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[Q] Playboy: The truth: Do you know any girls like the ones who are portrayed on Sex and the City?

[A] Hargitay: I'm a big fan of Sarah Jessica Parker's, but I've never seen the show. So I can't comment.