Mariska Hargitay Makes Broadway Debut at 62 in 'Every Brilliant Thing'

Q: Why is a Knicks captain's mindset the secret weapon for a TV star's daunting Broadway debut?

Jalen Brunson’s mindset is a useful model for Mariska Hargitay because it offers exactly what her Broadway debut demands: calm under pressure, resilience when things feel out of control, and the ability to keep moving after mistakes. Hargitay has said she is “really scared” by “Every Brilliant Thing,” a one-person, audience-interactive play that is far less predictable than her long-running work on “Law & Order: SVU,” where she knows the terrain. Brunson’s appeal to her is not just fandom. She has pointed to his leadership and courage, especially his habit of facing big deficits without panic and immediately shifting from worst-case thinking to action. That is a practical mental framework for live theater, where there are no retakes and audience participation can change the rhythm of a performance. Brunson’s broader leadership style helps explain why Hargitay treats it as a backstage “inspiration space” tool. He is known for an even-keeled “0-0” mindset, emotional steadiness, and an underdog mentality that turns pressure into focus rather than fear. Those traits are valuable for an actor taking on a vulnerable, high-wire role about mental health, where success depends on staying present, connecting with strangers in the room, and recovering instantly if something goes off script. In that sense, Brunson’s mindset is Hargitay’s secret weapon because it gives her a performance blueprint: accept the stakes, stay composed, trust the work, and keep leading the room.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 18

Mariska Hargitay, 62, has begun her first Broadway run in the interactive play “Every Brilliant Thing” at the Hudson Theater.
Decades on “Law & Order: SVU” did little to ease the shift: Hargitay said she was “really scared” because she had never done Broadway and did not see herself as a stage actor.
Backstage before a recent Saturday matinee, she pointed to autographed Jalen Brunson posters in her “inspiration space,” citing the Knicks captain’s leadership and comeback mentality as motivation.
The debut adds a new stage milestone to a career long defined by her role as Olivia Benson, the “SVU” character she has played since 1999.