Mariska Hargitay

Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay says she suffered the partially collapsed lung that sidelined her from the show by taking a fall during filming.

"I've been doing my own stunts on the show for 10 years," Hargitay told People. "I fell wrong, basically. I collapsed my lung doing a stunt."

Hargitay, 45, underwent surgery in January and returned to work on SVU shortly thereafter. She then checked back into the hospital on March 3 for discomfort related to the injury. Hargitay's rep said she underwent "routine tests," and the star reported back to the set on March 23.

Despite the scary couple of months, Hargitay said ... read more 5 Comments

While ongoing contract negotiations continue to leave the fate of Law & Order: SVU's two leads in question, Mariska Hargitay is optimistic.

"I hope so," she told Access Hollywood, when asked if she'll be returning as the NBC cop drama's Olivia Benson. "We're all trying to work it out and I have a lot of faith it's going to work out."

Hargitay's co-star, Christopher Meloni (Elliot Stabler), agreed ... read more 31 Comments

NBC has officially made it clear that Law & Order: SVU will continue on the network with or without leads Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni.

"The show is coming back; we hope they come back with it," said Marc Graboff, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment, at Monday's upfront presentations. But will they? Read on...

The good news: NBC has renewed Law & Order: SVU, its highest-rated drama, for an 11th season. The bad news: The network is threatening to replace Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni, according to EW's Michael Ausiello.

This shocking development comes as the two leads have reportedly banded together to negotiate pay increases in the form of a share of the back-end profits. An NBC representative told TVGuide.com that it is their policy not to comment on talent negotiations. While a hard-line threat is a common tactic in salary negotiations, it seems unlikely that NBC would follow through with the firings.

But it raises the question: Could SVU exist without its two popular leads?

Mariska Hargitay is putting on her badge again: The actress will return to work on Law & Order: SVU on Monday following a three-week absence, People reports.

Hargitay was hospitalized for a third time earlier this month for ...
read more 10 Comments