Why Mariska Hargitay nearly got fired from ‘Law & Order: SVU’

The verdict came in — and this hair style was a no go.

After more than 25 years of portraying the iconic Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: SVU,” Mariska Hargitay revealed that she was nearly axed from the series in Season 3.

The actress, 61, came to work with a pixie cut that the producers found too drastic.

“My hairstylist had a glass of wine and I really should have known better,” Hargitay told Allure Magazine earlier this month. “Maybe he’d thought I’d be aerodynamic when I was chasing perps. I have no idea. We went real short—shorter than anticipated. I almost got fired.”

Despite the hairstyle being viewed as “easy, cool, and cop-like,” the NBC vet wasn’t a fan.

“It’s not like anyone is going to compliment Olivia’s gels when she’s flashing her badge,” she said. “But I do always feel best with a fresh manicure. Many a not-so-great day has been saved by a great classic Chanel Red—just not while shooting.”

“Law & Order: SVU” follows detectives and legal figures as they investigate and prosecute sex-based crimes. Many episodes are loosely ripped from the headlines.

The series, created by Dick Wolf, premiered in 1999, and along with Hargitay, starred Christopher Meloni (Elliot Stabler), Dann Florek (Donald Cragen), Richard Belzer (John Munch) and Ice-T (Odafin Tutuola) as the core cast.

Season 3 premiered on September 28, 2001 and ran for 23 episodes until May 17, 2002.

While Hargitay still leads the show with Ice-T, 67, Meloni, 64, exited in 2011 and reprised his role as Stabler 10 years later.

The actor now stars in the spinoff “Law & Order: Organized Crime” on Peacock.

These days, viewers are gearing up for the premiere of Season 27, which airs on Sept 25.

Not only are audiences in store for a reunion between Benson and Stabler, but Florek, 75, is also making a return.

Meloni teased what’s to come on Instagram last month.

“Hangin with friends on a Friday nite @therealmariskahargitay @dannflorek,” he wrote beneath shots of the trio on Aug. 2.

Followers immediately flocked to the comments section to share their excitement.

One user commented, “Welcome home Captain Cragen! Looks like a fun Friday night,” while a second chimed in, “you guys are our collective parents.”

Meanwhile, Season 27 will see some shakeups as Octavio Pisano, who portrayed Detective Joe Velasco, and Juliana Martinez, who was Detective Kate Silva, excited the NBC series at the end of last season.

Hargitay reflected on starring on the procedural show in April.

“It feels like running a marathon, and when you’re in it, all you see is this much ahead of you. I’ve been so busy, so challenged, and it requires so much of me that all I can do is be on the treadmill of trying to keep up,” she said on “Sunday Today With Willie Geist.”

In 2024, the New Yorker said she felt “privileged.”

“I feel privileged that I get to get up every day and do what I love to do,” Hargitay told The Post that June. “I love what I do. I love getting better at it and I love being inspired by the people that I work with. After doing something this long it’s working with family that inspire me and make me better every day.”

In such a fleeting business, she doesn’t take the steady work for granted.

“It’s wild,” mused Hargitay, “this is beyond my wildest dreams, I couldn’t have dreamt it.”

Her role as a special victims detective has also translated to real life.

Two decades ago, Hargitay founded the Joyful Heart Foundation, which provides support to those who have been sexually abused.

“[‘SVU’ has] been a huge part of the cultural shift and that’s why I’m so grateful to be on it,” she shared, “and I knew immediately I wanted to do it and thought it was so incredibly progressive. I love telling women’s stories and I want to shout it from the rooftops.”

Hargitay’s stamp on television has ascended to pop culture as well over the years.

Taylor Swift named one of her cats, Olivia Benson, to which the Hollywood vet named her kitten Karma, in 2023, a nod to the Grammy winner’s 2022 hit song.

Hargitay revealed that the “Bad Blood” singer, 35, helped her become a cat person.

“I’ve really crossed that street and it’s okay, I’m proud of it now. I used to judge cat people, I’m not going to lie. But I don’t any more. I’ve done a lot of learning,” she teased.