Hargitay Auditioned for Friends Before SVU Role

On Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast, Mariska Hargitay said she auditioned and screen‑tested many times for Friends and believes she tested for the role of Monica before Courteney Cox was cast. She said she originally pursued comedy, performing with the Groundlings and booking comic TV roles including Seinfeld, The Single Guy and the sitcom Can’t Hurry Love. Hargitay recounted meeting a psychic who predicted she’d be famous for a certain 'face' and would move to New York, and about six months later she was cast as Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU. That casting shifted her career into drama; she has played Benson for more than 25 years and is now regarded as the longest‑running character in primetime live‑action television. Hargitay also serves as an executive producer and director on SVU.