Ice T's First Impression of Mariska Hargitay Was So Funny
And very honest.
Before he knew that he and Mariska Hargitay would be co-workers for over two decades, Ice T was a rapper making his way into the acting world who had booked a four-episode arc on a new-ish Law & Order spin-off called Special Victims Unit.
Meeting the rest of the cast for the first time, Ice T recalled, he had a distinct reaction to series lead Hargitay, who plays Olivia Benson. Keep reading to find out what that was.
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Ice T's first impression of Mariska Hargitay
"It was interesting, because I only came on for four episodes, so I didn't know how long I was going to have to be around the people. You're walking into a room full of people you don't really know. I didn't know Chris [Meloni], I didn't know Mariska, so I was just trying to be good," the rapper and actor told Entertainment Weekly for a feature celebrating the show's 25th anniversary.
When Hargitay asked him what he first thought of her, specifically, he answered candidly, "I just thought you was fine. I thought, 'She's a nice-looking lady. What's happening? OK cool.' I was like, 'Yo, she's fly.'" Who wouldn't?
As for her first impression of him, Hargitay said, "I remember thinking he wasn't anything like what I had imagined, or anticipated, or sort of projected on him. Because I was like, 'Oh, God. He's this rapper with this reputation.' And then I met him, and he was just gentle and kind."
Ice T and Mariska Hargitay are great friends
Much like Fin will always have Benson's back, Hargitay calls her co-star her "protector," and the two actors have a close friendship off-screen.
When Ice T was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hargitay spoke glowingly of her co-star.
"I want to tell you that it is so profoundly right that your name is now here, forever commemorated in this place. Because there is something else that I hold sacred, and that is friendship. Your achievements and your artistry and your whole verbal judo, your whole story, runs so deep," Hargitay said.
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"It runs deep particularly here in L.A. and it runs deep around the world. You're a rapper and an actor and an artist, and at a time when people overuse words without thinking and wearing out the meanings, you are indeed the real O.G," she added.
