Mariska Hargitay says a haircut almost cost her the role that not only she's best known for, but through which she made television history. Fans of the Law & Order universe have seen the My Mom Jayne director evolve through the years as she has played Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU, who she has starred as for over 500 episodes, and who now officially stands as the longest-running character in a primetime drama in television history. But about three years in the role, a bad combination of scissors and wine got her in some serious trouble.
Speaking with Allure about how the pixie cut she had around 2002 and 2003 came to be, she confessed: "My hairstylist had a glass of wine and I really should have known better," adding: "Maybe he'd thought I'd be aerodynamic when I was chasing perps. I have no idea."
© Getty"We went real short — shorter than anticipated," she went on, before revealing: "I almost got fired." Scroll below for photos of the now iconic pixie cut, and more photos of Mariska's different hair looks throughout the years.
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© Getty ImagesOlivia Benson 1.0
Mariska on the very first season of Law & Order: SVU, which premiered in 1999.
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© WireImageThe pixie cut
Mariska with her spiky pixie cut at the "42nd & Vine, Hollywood Hits Broadway" fund-raiser for the Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health and National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City in November 12, 2002
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© Getty ImagesStyling the pixie
A different look for the pixie at amfAR's 4th Annual Seasons Of Hope Gala in New York City.
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© GettyFrom pixie to bob
Just over ten years after the pixie cut, appearing on the Today Show in 2014 with a bob.
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© GettyOlivia 2.0
Olivia's signature look in the 2010s and 2020s has become a long bob styled in soft waves.
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© Getty ImagesThe pixie opposite
Mariska tried out a longer hair look while attending the Die My Love premiere at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals on May 17, 2025 in Cannes, France
