Mariska Hargitay is trading in a badge for a therapist’s couch.
The Law and Order: SVU star managed to work in an appearance in a music video for rising artist Grace Gaustad that has a personal meaning for her and hopefully many fans.
Mariska Hargitay will play a therapist
Fans of SVU know that Olivia Benson has needed some therapy for her various traumas. The woman has dealt with kidnappings, shooting suspects, and raising her adoptive son Noah.
She also got a major shakeup by the return of former partner Eliott Stabler (Christopher Meloni) in crossovers with the new Organized Crime spin-off.
So it’s interesting that the video, “93 Days” has Hargitay in the role of a therapist. The opening has Gaustad as a teenager seeking therapy, with the lyrics noting her struggles with daily life.
Hargitay is supportive, smiling and giving Gaustad encouragement and even a hug to show how she wants to help the girl.
In a dual interview with People Magazine, Gaustad, 19, gushed on how she’d grown up watching SVU and was honored to have Hargitay take part.
“93 Days’ is a song with a message that really speaks a lot to what I think Mariska stands for as a person and a leader and a mentor.”
Mariska Hargitay on healing
Hargitay added how she felt moved by the song and how it spoke to her own work with SVU and the Joyful Heart Foundation.
“We’re dealing with so many of the same themes, that’s why Grace’s art resonated so deeply with me,” she said. “People feel alone, and her message — and the message of SVU, the message of Joyful Heart, and my own message to the world — you are not alone.”
Hargitay founded Joyful Heart in 2004 to help victims of abuse and domestic violence. Hargitay regularly promotes the charity alongside shooting SVU. She believes that Gaustad’s album is a great way to get the attention of people who could use such help.
“I was so honored and privileged to be invited into the project and into Grace’s world this way because I have been a fan of Grace’s for such a long time. I was moved most not only by the access that Grace has to a depth of feeling, but also the language and artistry to communicate it. Through this album, there’s so much hope and inner strength that comes from being vulnerable.
Our vulnerability is one of the most powerful things we have. I’ve always thought of it as a superpower. Then I met Grace and thought, ‘Wow, here is that superpower on steroids.’ I’m always in awe when someone makes art out of their pain, and Grace made music that just rocked my world.”
The video’s filming
Hargitay had filmed the video some months ago, before she broke her ankle attending a screening of Black Widow. Hargitay has undergone mild surgery but is getting support from fans such as Melissa McCarthy.
Gaustad related how filming the video was “A really exciting day. We trusted each other. We were just laughing, singing — having an amazing time.”
Hargitay added, “Grace and I trusted each other implicitly, and we’re so open, so there was a little bit of magic that happened on the set because we were going into something and building something and creating something together.”
The video proves how, aside from her work as Olivia Benson, Hargitay is hoping to aid fans in music as well.
Grace Gaustad’s BLKBX: wht r u hding is releasing on August 20. Law and Order: SVU season 23 premieres at 8 pm EST Thursday, September 23 on NBC.