Mariska Hargitay Reveals the Surprising Cameo 'All the Famous People' Want on “Law & Order: SVU”: 'So Weird'

The actress teased that a "big supermodel" asked her recently to make a cameo on the show — but she only wanted to play one type of character

<p>Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty</p> Mariska Hargitay on TODAY on October 01, 2024.

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

Mariska Hargitay on TODAY on October 01, 2024.

After 26 years as Olivia Benson, there isn't much that surprises Mariska Hargitay — except for the celebrities who ask her for the strangest roles on Law & Order.

Hargitay, 60, revealed that one of the most frequent requests she gets from fellow stars is to play a "dead body" on her hit procedural.

"All the famous people, you know what they want? To be a dead body," she said on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Oct. 2. "It's so weird."

Related: Law & Order's Newest Star Juliana Aidén Martinez 'Stans' SVU — and Mariska Hargitay: 'She Is This Joyful Heart' (Exclusive)

Seth Meyers then added to Hargitay's growing list as he admitted he, too, has wanted to play a dead body on the show for years.

"I wanted to be a dead body. During the 2007-2008 writers strike, I met all these Law & Order writers, and I was like, 'I wanna do a cameo, but I just wanna be a dead body,'" he recalled. "And they were like, 'Oh my God, we'd love to have you on the show.' But I was like, 'Okay, but I'm a dead person.'"

He was eventually offered a role, but turned it down, because "I was like, 'I don't want lines, I just wanna be a dead person in the park.'"

<p>Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty</p> (L-R) Mariska Hargitay during an interview with host Seth Meyers on October 02, 2024.

Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty

(L-R) Mariska Hargitay during an interview with host Seth Meyers on October 02, 2024.

Hargitay then teased that a "big supermodel" who she didn't name — but called "one of the greats" — recently made the same hilarious request she often gets.

"I found out that she loved my show. So I said, 'Oh my gosh,' I went to the writers, I said, 'Can she be on the show?' And she said she wanted to be a dead body, but then I said, 'No, no, we have this great part for you,'" she said. "I call her back, I said, 'Listen we got it. We're gonna get you on the show.' She goes, 'Oh no, I wanna be a dead body.'"

Hargitay was jokingly exasperated as she told Meyers, 50, "It happens all the time. Why do all these famous people not want lines?"

Related: Mariska Hargitay Admits She Feels Like a 'Victim of Secondary Trauma' After 25 Years of Solving Sex Crimes on SVU

<p>Virginia Sherwood/NBC</p> Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Virginia Sherwood/NBC

Mariska Hargitay as Captain Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Hargitay returns to her iconic role on Oct. 3 as the 26th season of SVU premieres. In PEOPLE's exclusive first look trailer for both SVU and Law & Order, the actress said of the role, "I've had the privilege of connecting on such a personal level. Having fans come up and say thank you for telling their story."

"I think this show has shed a beautiful light because these crimes thrive in darkness," she continued. "It's the light that heals it."

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Law & Order: SVU season 26 premieres Thursday, Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

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