Mariska Hargitay Reveals Her Emmy Hosting Plan – And It May Involve a Knick
Long before she found fame as Detective Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Mariska Hargitay envisioned a career in comedy. She’d successfully parlayed her early training at The Groundlings into guest spots on Seinfeld, Ellen and The Single Guy. She even tested for the role of Monica on Friends. But Hargitay’s path shifted considerably in 1999, when she booked SVU, on which she’s continued starring for 28 seasons and counting. Now, the current Emmy nominee for her celebrated documentary My Mom Jayne will dust off those comedy chops as Emmy host, the first female to do so in 15 years. Hargitay took a break from prepping to field our questions.
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Around season 17, you told Julianna Margulies that you would need to leave SVU, as she had ER, so people don’t think that you’re a one-trick pony, to which she replied: “Sweetheart, that ship’s sailed.” Since then, you’ve made a critically lauded doc, you’ve done Broadway, and now you’re hosting the Emmys. Sheer coincidence or something more?
She made me laugh so hard with that comment. Who knew the pony would get to do all those tricks!
As you’ve acknowledged, hosting a major awards show today can be a thankless gig. What got you to yes?
The swag bags are nuts.
How much of this moment is about showing your funny side, and what doors do you hope it opens?
I don’t think about it that way. I don’t think it’s about showing something or opening doors. The night is about celebrating this incredible thing that we’re all so fortunate to be able to do: Tell stories that move people, entertain people, make people laugh and cry and everything in between. Humor and laughter are deep, vital, indispensable parts of who I am, and I feel very lucky that I have this opportunity to bring all of myself to the party.
Who have you turned to for advice thus far, and what has been the most surprising or wise feedback?
Who haven’t I turned to for advice! Anyone vaguely wise-looking is fair game. A lot of old ladies and dudes with white beards from my trip to Europe this summer are still wondering who the crazy American lady is asking them about “… crushing the awards show? Que cosa?”
Unlike a lot of hosts, you don’t have a stable of comedy writers already working with you. How did you go about assembling a room?
I was supposed to assemble a writers room?
Talk to me about the preparation process: Have you watched past monologues? And where are you with your show-watching homework?
I have not only watched past monologues, I’ve built mine out of everything that killed in the past 78 years. It’s been focus-grouped, and it works. Word-for-word, no updates. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
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Outside of the writers room, who are you seeking counsel from? And will you hit the comedy club circuit to test material preshow?
Is there a reason you haven’t come to my comedy shows? Because you’re too busy? ‘Cause I’m busy too, and if I can bust out a tight five after busting perps all day, the least you could do is come have a listen.
Last year’s host, Nate Bargatze, tried unsuccessfully to make comedy of the need to keep the speeches short. I can’t imagine you’ll take the same approach, but presumably keeping them tight is still very much a goal. How will you look to do that?
There will be no speeches. I’m bringing back thank-you notes. I announce who won, then they get to work on writing their thank-you notes from their seat, the way they were raised to do. It’s time everyone learned some manners again. And handwritten. “Thx” in a text doesn’t count.
You’re tasked with being the face of TV at a time when the industry is in a precarious state. What concerns you most?
I think about it more in terms of what endures, in spite of the cycles the industry goes through. It’s beautiful to me that people still gather around stories, that creators still bring the height of their talents to tell them and audiences come to them hoping to be transported in some way.
You’ve taken on a lot of high-profile projects in the past few years, and I’m not even referring to your role as a Knicks fan. What else is on your bucket list?
To go back to an earlier question, I do actually think the night will open a door — to whatever’s next. It’s exciting not to know what that is yet. That’s the way my bucket list works. It’s not a list of things to check off, it’s a way of going deeper into life.
Finally, I need to know: Will Jalen Brunson be at the Emmys?
Not sure, but maybe OG will come flying in with 1.2 seconds left.
This story appeared in the Sept. 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
