I've been doing a little research on Mariska since she caught my interest on her program Law and Order SVU. I'm a little behind the times program wise as I only recently obtained digital cable television. I've been able to view this program every night as it exists today, and compare its evolution with its rerun shows they show on another cable channel from 1999. In doing this, I noted an obvious transformation of the actress, Mariska Hargitay, taking place that no one ever thought would have happened (source: previous forum entries from 1999 still on the Internet today) Previous programs that showed Mariska's character as mundane with non-star qualities seemed to be a completely different actress then the one who exists today on the program.

What I noted in this transformation into an intelligent star quality actress was how Mariska, who once had stronger feminine qualities that were less effective for her role, integrated masculine energy into her acting role. Mariska seemed to have struck a greater balance between her masculine/feminine, ying/yang sides of her being. This transformation is stunning in how Mariska has become so mesmerizing to so many viewers, that she has been nominated for awards, the most recent being the Screen Actors Guild nomination for best dramatic actress. However, this is just one element of Mariska's transformation.

Mariska has also done a great deal to integrate the actual work of crime solving detectives into her character, by spending many hours on the field with detectives who solve sexually based crimes. This, coupled with her continual contributions to charity events involving her character's line of work, has helped to integrate Mariska's character Olivia, into her persona as well. Unlike many actresses who are less dedicated to a particular role whose sole purpose is to use as a stepping stone to the next one, Mariska's dedication to her character and commitment to a higher degree of moral ethical standards embodied in that role, have helped the actress transform as well.

When what was once a mundane actress turns into notable star through such transformation, I think it is worth noting. Mariska Hargitay has risen to become a role model for many women who rely on her strength to help them evolve in their lives as well. Few television actresses of this day and age are able to accomplish this feat. Mariska Hargitay is clearly someone special who rose to the occasion to meet the challenge to evolve.