At a New York event celebrating 25 years of "Law and Order: SVU," actor Mariska Hargitay said the "timing worked out perfectly" for her to talk about being sexually assaulted in a recent magazine essay, as it coincides with themes in the new season of the show.
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00:00 [crowd noise]
00:03 I'm deeply proud and it's been a deeply meaningful journey. I've learned so much
00:09 and when I started the show, you know, people weren't talking about these
00:13 issues and they were sweeping them under the carpet and said that's icky and you
00:18 know we don't talk about that. So it's been an incredible privilege to shed
00:24 light on that and to put the shame on the perpetrator and realize that help
00:33 people come out of their isolation. So trying to again just shed light
00:40 on something that's been in the dark for a long time. I didn't know a lot about
00:43 sexual violence and when I started hearing the statistics I think is when I
00:50 sort of my head exploded because I didn't understand how you know what an
00:57 epidemic sexual violence was. One out of four women, one out of three women, one
01:01 out of six men and that's when I didn't understand why everybody wasn't talking
01:06 about it and so the timing worked out perfectly with what the show was about
01:11 and I just wanted to scream it from the rooftops and dealing with these things
01:15 are so painful especially on our show because the stories are indeed many
01:20 times ripped from the headlines and so I think the gift for me is that I had this
01:24 perfect platform to talk about it and the show has helped the culture
01:29 metabolize issues that are quite painful for people and it's easier to look the
01:34 other way. So it's been a gift and honor and a privilege to be part of a show
01:41 and play a role in aiding someone's healing journey.
01:45 With the courage that it took to do that, what did that take? What was that leap of faith like
01:49 for you to write that essay? I've learned so much about courage from the
01:53 survivors that I have had the privilege of having an intimate relationship and
02:00 them sharing with me so it's been it was you know when somebody does tell their
02:06 story they have to be ready and I was ready. It's very courageous of her what
02:10 she did. Honestly I don't know. I was just told the other day when the People
02:17 magazine thing was coming out she said I did something that's very sensitive but
02:21 I told her when she told me I was like I'm lost for words I don't really know
02:26 what to say so I haven't gotten into it I don't know the details of it but God
02:31 bless her. That was bothering her from very early on you know because she would
02:35 get a lot of letters from survivors and she just felt this calling to you know
02:43 do more always do more and you know she's walking the walk talking the talk
02:49 everything from going down to to DC to talk to Congress to you know her
02:55 organization so yeah I just think it's this driving need this driving force to
03:02 get the voices that are not quite heard heard you know she's a very well aware
03:08 of her platform. I mean I can't explain the depth of my respects and admiration
03:13 for Mariska as an actor and as a person and as an activist and I thought that
03:20 was so powerful and showed what a strong intelligent person and sensitive person
03:27 that she is and I was just in awe of her strength. She has brought to light some
03:33 really serious issues in our humanity and she is working overtime not just on
03:39 television but in her real life and I think she's the perfect person to be
03:44 able to marry you know entertainment with you know world world events and so
03:52 she's doing that.
03:55 [crowd noise]
03:57 (laughter)