Mariska Hargitay Regrets ‘Law and Order: SVU’ Pixie Haircut: ‘I Almost Got Fired’

Mariska Hargitay has a haircut confession.

The actress, 61, opened up about a beauty regret that she underwent for her character Olivia Benson on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, the show where she has spent nearly three decades of her 40-year acting career.

When speaking with Allure, Hargitay recalled several lessons she learned about self-image and confidence from her years on screen, pinpointing one specific example when filming Law and Order: SVU season 3 in 2002.

The lesson learned? Never allow a hairstylist to mix alcohol with scissors, as the beautician tasked to trim the SVU star’s locks at the time had done prior.

“My hairstylist had a glass of wine and I really should have known better,” the actress told Allure. “Maybe he’d thought I’d be aerodynamic when I was chasing perps. I have no idea.”

As a result, Hargitay was given a pixie haircut — one that nearly put her job in jeopardy.

“We went real short — shorter than anticipated,” she said, admitting, “I almost got fired.”

When looking at photos of her pixie-cut self today, Hargitay told the outlet how she could be viewed as “easy, cool, and cop-like.”

However, per Allure, the actress would “definitely” erase that era if she could go back in time.

Hargitay is no stranger to experimenting with different ‘dos, though. She rocked various colors and chops over the years, from her spiky short chop in the early 2000s to long, honey-brown hair today.

“I love to play around and try new looks, but I’ve definitely had some hair crises over the years,” the actress previously told Allure in a 2023 interview about her various hairstyles. “I had short hair for a while, and then I hated having to grow it out.”

“We didn’t have the styling right,” she explained at the time. “I was trying stuff out and didn’t have the experience with hair or the attention to detail that I have today. Now I know immediately what works and what doesn’t.”

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In June, Hargitay — who’s married to Peter Hermann — stepped out with her three kids for a rare red carpet appearance. Together, the couple shares August, 18, Amaya, 14, and Andrew, 13.

The family attended the premiere for a special film screening of her documentary My Mom, Jayne in Los Angeles, where they all posed for a photo together at the event.