img#mv-trellis-img-1::before{padding-top:100%; }img#mv-trellis-img-1{display:block;}Reading Time: 3 minutes
Mariska Hargitay is reportedly earning nearly $850,000 per episode of Law & Order: SVU, according to salary details that surfaced this week.
The figure covers season 28 of the long-running NBC drama, E! News reports, and it comes as the series celebrates a massive milestone: 600 episodes.
Mariska has played Olivia Benson since SVU premiered in 1999, and the character has worked her way up from detective to captain of the Special Victims Unit over the years.
She isn’t just the face of the show, either. Mariska has also served as an executive producer on SVU since season 15.
SVU seasons usually run between 20 and 25 episodes, so that reported per-episode rate means the Emmy winner is taking home millions every single season. Over a full season, the math lands her in eight-figure territory.
Not a bad gig.
The paycheck news broke just as Mariska was marking the 600-episode milestone at a celebration dinner, where she admitted the achievement still hasn’t fully sunk in.
“It really doesn’t feel totally real, which in a way is exactly how it should feel, because it’s as if we all get to live in this dream of what you thought might be possible someday,” she said at the event.
“You’ve shown that it’s not only possible, but it’s so much better than anyone could have imagined,” she added.
Mariska also offered a preview of what viewers can expect from the landmark episode, which she said centers on a woman reclaiming her voice.
“It’s about a woman having her voice and being submissive or subservient in a way, or giving up our power or our instinct, and that’s an important story to tell,” she explained. “Because so many women identify with that.”
Longtime fans also have a familiar face to look forward to. Christopher Meloni, who played Elliot Stabler opposite Mariska for years before leaving the show in 2011, is set to return.
Christopher has popped up on SVU a handful of times since his exit. His own spinoff, Law & Order: Organized Crime, was canceled by NBC in April after five seasons.
Mariska’s work on the subject of sexual assault extends well beyond her TV role. She founded the nonprofit Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004, and she has never been shy about speaking out on real-life cases.
Back in September, Mariska Hargitay called out the alleged Cornell rapists on Instagram, reposting a graphic that argued the men accused in the case should face consequences.
As for how long she’ll keep playing Benson, Mariska has admitted that walking away from the show has crossed her mind.
“I have thought about that,” she told the outlet in October. “Not yet. Just thought about it for way later. But I’m open.”
Whenever she does hang up the badge, Mariska seems confident she’ll land on her feet.
“I’m a very active person with a lot of irons in the fire,” she said. “I am somebody who follows the signs. I trust that the future will be right and that I will be where I’m supposed to be.”
For now, though, she sounds perfectly happy where she is.
“I’m very engaged and fulfilled at SVU right now,” Mariska said, “and there’s definitely things that I want to do and achieve and challenge myself with.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: thehollywoodgossip.com
