Mariska Hargitay Reveals the Surprising Cameo 'All the Famous People' Want onLaw & Order: SVU: 'So Weird'

Mar. 15, 2025

Mariska Hargitay on TODAY on October 01, 2024.Photo:Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

After 26 years as Olivia Benson, there isn’t much that surprisesMariska Hargitay— except for the celebrities who ask her for the strangest roles onLaw & Order.Hargitay, 60, revealed that one of the most frequent requests she gets from fellow stars is to play a “dead body” on her hit procedural.“All the famous people, you know what they want? To be a dead body,” she said onLate Night with Seth Meyerson Oct. 2. “It’s so weird.“Seth Meyersthen added to Hargitay’s growing list as he admitted he, too, has wanted to play a dead body on the show for years.“I wanted to be a dead body. During the 2007-2008 writers strike, I met all theseLaw & Orderwriters, and I was like, ‘I wanna do a cameo, but I just wanna be a dead body,'” he recalled. “And they were like, ‘Oh my God, we’d love to have you on the show.’ But I was like, ‘Okay, but I’m a dead person.'“He was eventually offered a role, but turned it down, because “I was like, ‘I don’t want lines, I just wanna be a dead person in the park.'"(L-R) Mariska Hargitay during an interview with host Seth Meyers on October 02, 2024.Lloyd Bishop/NBC via GettyHargitay then teased that a “big supermodel” who she didn’t name — but called “one of the greats” — recently made the same hilarious request she often gets.“I found out that she loved my show. So I said, ‘Oh my gosh,’ I went to the writers, I said, ‘Can she be on the show?’ And she said she wanted to be a dead body, but then I said, ‘No, no, we have this great part for you,'” she said. “I call her back, I said, ‘Listen we got it. We’re gonna get you on the show.’ She goes, ‘Oh no, I wanna be a dead body.'“Hargitay was jokingly exasperated as she told Meyers, 50, “It happens all the time. Why do all these famous people not want lines?“Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.Virginia Sherwood/NBCHargitay returns to her iconic role on Oct. 3 as the 26th season ofSVUpremieres. InPEOPLE’s exclusive first look trailer for bothSVUandLaw & Order, the actress said of the role, “I’ve had the privilege of connecting on such a personal level. Having fans come up and say thank you for telling their story.““I think this show has shed a beautiful light because these crimes thrive in darkness,” she continued. “It’s the light that heals it.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Law & Order: SVUseason 26premieres Thursday, Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

After 26 years as Olivia Benson, there isn’t much that surprisesMariska Hargitay— except for the celebrities who ask her for the strangest roles onLaw & Order.

Hargitay, 60, revealed that one of the most frequent requests she gets from fellow stars is to play a “dead body” on her hit procedural.

“All the famous people, you know what they want? To be a dead body,” she said onLate Night with Seth Meyerson Oct. 2. “It’s so weird.”

Seth Meyersthen added to Hargitay’s growing list as he admitted he, too, has wanted to play a dead body on the show for years.

“I wanted to be a dead body. During the 2007-2008 writers strike, I met all theseLaw & Orderwriters, and I was like, ‘I wanna do a cameo, but I just wanna be a dead body,'” he recalled. “And they were like, ‘Oh my God, we’d love to have you on the show.’ But I was like, ‘Okay, but I’m a dead person.'”

He was eventually offered a role, but turned it down, because “I was like, ‘I don’t want lines, I just wanna be a dead person in the park.'”

(L-R) Mariska Hargitay during an interview with host Seth Meyers on October 02, 2024.Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty

Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty

Hargitay then teased that a “big supermodel” who she didn’t name — but called “one of the greats” — recently made the same hilarious request she often gets.

“I found out that she loved my show. So I said, ‘Oh my gosh,’ I went to the writers, I said, ‘Can she be on the show?’ And she said she wanted to be a dead body, but then I said, ‘No, no, we have this great part for you,'” she said. “I call her back, I said, ‘Listen we got it. We’re gonna get you on the show.’ She goes, ‘Oh no, I wanna be a dead body.'”

Hargitay was jokingly exasperated as she told Meyers, 50, “It happens all the time. Why do all these famous people not want lines?”

Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.Virginia Sherwood/NBC

Virginia Sherwood/NBC

Hargitay returns to her iconic role on Oct. 3 as the 26th season ofSVUpremieres. InPEOPLE’s exclusive first look trailer for bothSVUandLaw & Order, the actress said of the role, “I’ve had the privilege of connecting on such a personal level. Having fans come up and say thank you for telling their story.”

“I think this show has shed a beautiful light because these crimes thrive in darkness,” she continued. “It’s the light that heals it.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Law & Order: SVUseason 26premieres Thursday, Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

source: people.com