Mariska Hargitay Says Broadway Is a “Challenge” Compared to ‘SVU’

• Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay is making her Broadway debut in the hit play Every Brilliant Thing.
• The actress is taking over for Daniel Radcliffe, who is up for a 2026 Tony Award for his time in the show.
• Mariska got candid with People about why the show is a “challenge” compared to Law & Order: SVU.

Mariska Hargitay is trying something new, and it’s nothing like what she’s used to after almost 30 years on television.

For the last three decades, fans have come to know the actress for her portrayal of Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU. But in April 2026, Mariska announced she was making her Broadway debut in the hit one-man show Every Brilliant Thing. The actress is taking over for Daniel Radcliffe, who is up for a 2026 Tony Award for his time in the show.

Mariska’s run goes from May 26 to July 5, 2026, at the Hudson Theatre in New York City. Ahead of her debut, Mariska spoke to People about one of the biggest challenges of performing on stage versus on camera.

“It definitely feels like you’re going out without a net, but that’s also the thrill of it,” she shared with the outlet. “Even though I’m still challenged at SVU, I know the drill. I’m a boss lady. I can say, ‘Cut. Sorry guys, let’s go again. Can we take it from the top?’ But that’s the challenge. Bring it on, baby, let’s do this.”

Mariska relates to her character, who is looking for joy amid a parent’s life crisis. She documented something similar in her 2025 film My Mom Jayne.

“I identified with the character in so many ways,” she told People. “It’s a play about healing, the stories that I love to tell.”

“The only way to heal is to be in a community and in the present and not live in the past. It gave me a lot of internal space back,” she added. I think it changed my nervous system, and I did feel so relieved and so free, and so it felt like a natural progression.”