Mariska Hargitay Says She Knew These 2 Law & Order: SVU Guest Stars Would Be Huge: “I Called It”
There have been many guest stars on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, but recently, in an interview, Mariska Hargitay admitted to recognizing star power in two stars before they gained fame. Mariska Hargitay, better known to the world as Detective Olivia Benson, has been on the TV series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since its first season in 1999 and has seen many actors come and go on set.
Over the course of 27 seasons, numerous actors made their acting debuts on Law & Order: SVU and went on to become household names. But Abigail Breslin and Meghann Fahy are the names Mariska Hargitay named-dropped as her famous predictions.
The Magical Talent Mariska Hargitay Spotted Early
Early this week, the Leaving Las Vegas actor sat down with Amy Pohler on her podcast, Good Hang, and talked about how guest stars can make or break an episode. And before Amy could get the question out, Mariska Hargitay blurted out Abigail Breslin as one of the stars who she knew would be famous at the beginning of her career.
Abigail Breslin appeared on the season 6 premiere of Law & Order: SVU in 2004 at the age of 7. The Law & Order actor recalls Breslin dancing and playing on set in between takes, but when the camera came on, she switched to her character. In the interview, Detective Benson shared her reaction to working with the Scream Queens actor:
“It was some funny little nursery rhyme schtick. I don’t know what it was, but I would just do it with her, and then they would say ‘Action!’ And I swear to God I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. She would turn one tear and start like lip quiver one tear. no acting. But like I said, I remember going, What the fuck are you like, Meryl Streep?”
At that moment, Mariska Hargitay knew it was something “magical” about her. Abigail Breslin has continued to maintain that magic in her career, sharing the screen with Hollywood’s top stars, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Meryl Streep, and Julia Roberts. If you are unfamiliar with her body of work, Abigail Breslin has starred in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, Zombieland, Scream Queens, My Sister’s Keeper, and August: Osage County, to name a few.
Mariska Hargitay Predicted Meghann Fahy’s Stardom
The second person on the Lake Placid actor named in her “I called it “moment is Meghann Fahy. Meghann Fahy was recently the lead role in the 2025 movie Drop. She was also a regular on the TV series The Bold Type and “The White Lotus”. “The Perfect Couple actor starred on Law & Order: SVU in the 2014 season 15 episode 19, titled “Downloaded Child.”
In Mariska Hargitay’s interview with Amy Poehler’s podcast, “Good Hang,” she revealed what she told Fahy about her future career. “Let me tell you something. I’m just going to tell you right now, you’re going to be a big movie star. You’re going to be a huge star.”
After appearing on Law & Order: SVU, Meghann Fahy went on to win a Screen Actors Guild Award and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for the show The White Lotus.
Law & Order: SVU’s Powerful Star-Making Legacy
Meghann Fahy and Abigail Breslin are Mariska Hargitay’s “I called it” guest stars, but there have been many actors who have guest-starred on Law & Order: SVU and have achieved a higher level of acting status. For example, Zoe Saldaña appeared on the TV series in the 2004 season 5, and she has starred in 4 of the highest-grossing films of all time.
Other stars that have graced the set, many of whom people might not know about, and have had great things in their careers, include Sabrina Carpenter, Norman Reedus, Amanda Seyfried, Ian Somerhalder, and Bradley Cooper.
