Hargitay stars in 'Every Brilliant Thing' at the Hudson Theatre through July 5
Credit: Emilio Madrid/Vivacity Media Group
NEED TO KNOW
- Mariska Hargitay described her Broadway debut in Every Brilliant Thing as both terrifying and thrilling
- She found inspiration from athletes like Billie Jean King and Lindsey Vonn to overcome challenges and build confidence
- Hargitay stars in Every Brilliant Thing at the Hudson Theatre through July 5
Even Mariska Hargitay gets scared sometimes.
The Law & Order: SVU star, 62, candidly revealed how making her Broadway debut in Every Brilliant Thing was "terrifying… cripplingly so terrifying" during an appearance on the Making Space with Hoda Kotb podcast.
"It really came and grabbed me, and I had no idea what was happening," said Hargitay during the episode, which premiered on Wednesday, June 24.
Hargitay said the opportunity took her by surprise, as "it was one of the most beautiful and emotional and poignant and hilarious and meaningful and life-affirming plays ever that I loved, and I just couldn't believe my good fortune to go in after Daniel Radcliffe."
Credit: Rob Kim/Getty
Noting that it was an "immediate yes," Hargitay soon discovered that everything about Broadway was so "difficult" because it was "new" to her.
The mom of three chose to follow one of the lessons she tries to instill in her kids — "We can do hard things."
"Being brave and being courageous and to feel those feelings again and not know what's gonna happen was so incredibly exciting. Terrifying, yet exciting," she said.
Hargitay revealed that she didn't sleep for three days before previews and even tried taking an Ambien, a prescription sedative used to treat insomnia, because of the "terror that was running through my veins."
Credit: Rob Kim/Getty
"Then previews came, and it was extraordinary and thrilling," she said. "And, again, everything about it was new."
To get that extra boost of confidence before each performance, Hargitay hung pictures of four celebrities in her dressing room — Billie Jean King, Lindsey Vonn, Jalen Brunson, and the cast of Hamilton — to remember what she's learned from them.
"Billie Jean wrote 'one ball at a time.' And you think about tennis, it's one ball at a time, and it's one moment at a time on stage. And if something doesn't go right or you don't, you know, you just go, and we keep going. I think about Jalen. It's the same thing. I think about all the Knicks."
When asked what she learned from Vonn, Hargitay said, "So much: tenacity, strength, the power of getting up again, resilience. She's my hero. The way she does it. Her attitude. The clarity Jalen and Lindsey have."
Hargitay added that much of her inspiration comes from athletes, who are her "heroes."
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“I think that many athletes are my heroes. My dad was an athlete. That mentality of 'We just work harder,' ” she added.
Earlier this month, Hargitay spoke to PEOPLE about the difference between SVU and Every Brilliant Thing.
"The idea that the longest take I've ever done is a few minutes, five minutes even, that's a long take, but the idea of doing an hour and 21 minutes without a break in front of 1000 people, it's like, wow," she said.
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The actress also touched on how the show's improv components are different than what she's done before.
"People, do, they react very differently, and so you're out on the ice every night not knowing how it's going to go, but that's also the fun of it, is that you figure it out, and you make it work, and it's real. So, that's extraordinary as well," she said.
Hargitay stars in Every Brilliant Thing at the Hudson Theatre through July 5.
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