‘Law & Order: SVU’: Why Mariska Hargitay Was Fired from the ‘Power Rangers’ Movie
Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay starred in plenty of movies and TV shows before landing a role on the hit CBS series. However, there was one role that didn’t quite work out for her. The SVU actor thought The Power Rangers movie would be part of her résumé, but she was fired before she could finish the project.
How Mariska Hargitay became famous
Hargitay made her film acting debut in the 1984 movie Ghoulies, in which she played the character Donna. The following year, she became a series regular in the drama Downtown. She played the character Jesse Smith for 14 episodes from 1986 to 1987.
In 1988, Hargitay had a recurring role as Carly Fixx in the series Falcon Crest. Hargitay is also known for her roles in Prince Street, ER, and Can’t Hurry Love. She joined the cast of Law & Order: SVU in 1999.
Why Mariska Hargitay was fired from the ‘Power Rangers’ movie
Hargitay told Seth Meyers she thought she would end up in a comedy. However, her acting career took a different turn, and she began getting roles in dramas. “I did some stuff, a lot of sitcoms, and I thought, ‘This is going to be great,’” says Hargitay. “I did about four [sitcoms] in a row. But I didn’t always have such a great working record.”
Before her career took off, Hargitay was offered a role in a Power Rangers movie. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as planned. She explains why she wasn’t asked to come back and finish filming.
“I was so excited because I was going to Australia to play this queen,” said Hargitay. “I get there, [I get] hair, makeup, prosthetic pieces, walking around like that, feeling pretty good. I was there for November and then December. And then we were getting close to Christmas. And they had me on hold a lot.”
Hargitay says she was getting anxious because it was around the holidays and she really wanted to spend time with her family. As Christmas approached, she became more uneasy about the possibility that filming would run into her personal time.
“And finally, around December 21st, I said, ‘Hey guys, this is great, but you kept me on hold too long,” continued Hargitay. “I gotta go; it’s Christmas. I think that’s only fair. So, I go home. I fly home in December. January 3rd, I call them, and I’m like, ‘OK, I’m ready.’ And they’re like, ‘Sweetie, you’re good. Don’t worry about it.’ They fired me because I wanted to go home for Christmas and be with my family.”
The lesson Mariska Hargitay learned after getting fired
Hargitay says she learned a valuable lesson from that experience. She joked that she’s on her best behavior on the set of Law & Order: SVU. She says whenever they need her to be on the set, she’s there. After more than two decades on the series, it seems like everything is working out for her.
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