Mariska Hargitay in this Month's Gotham Magazine

Mariska Hargitay is the cover girl of this mont's Gotham Magazine. The actress is having an incredible year, celebrating the birth of son August, winning an Emmy for her role of Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU, and signing a two year deal that makes her the highest paid actress on television. The year has also had some low points -- primarily the death of her father former Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitaty in September.



Here's an excerpt of the article:

GOTHAM: You just signed on to do two more years of Law & Order: SVU. Your fans were elated at the news. How did you feel about it?
Mariska Hargitay: Well, you know, I went back and forth. It was really nerve-wracking. I had my son at the beginning of our hiatus, but after three months I was ready to go back. I realized I wasn’t done, and that I loved the character so much.

G: You were 42 when you got married. Why didn’t you marry in your 20s or 30s?
MH: I just wanted to be married once, and I wanted to be really ready. I had a shrink who told me, “You have to find out where you’re going, and then find somebody to go with you.” In my 20s I was changing so much. And maybe because I lost my mother at such a young age and have always suffered so much emotionally from that, being a mother was huge to me and I didn’t want to mess it up. I think I was just so scared of being a mom that I waited until I was ready. Now I think, Thank God. The day I met Peter, I was like, That’s my husband. I’ve always been a late bloomer, but it’s always worked out for me.



G: Are you anxious about balancing motherhood and a career?
MH: August comes to work with me every day. And I feel like I’m married to the greatest guy in the world—he’s just so supportive, he’s made it work. Peter comes to me on set on Friday night at six o’clock and we start our weekend, even if I’m at work until 3 A.M.



G: You had two celebrity parents—what insight did that give you regarding raising healthy kids in a star environment?
MH: I think the most important thing is to understand that everyone is the same. Everyone deserves to be treated respectfully. Sometimes celebrities are treated as though they’re special, but I think it’s important for kids to understand that it’s temporary, that you should never, ever, ever, ever take it for granted, and that you should give back as much as you get.



When I was growing up we traveled a lot, and one of the greatest things my parents did for me was take me to live with my Hungarian family. My parents showed us that the rest of the world doesn’t live like we do in America. That really stamped me as a kid. I was like, Why are we so lucky? Why do people let the water run when other people don’t have water? Children who see that at an early age have a different understanding of humanity. I’m going to do everything I can to show August that the way some of us live in this country is not the way the rest of the world lives.

Pick up this month's issue of Gotham for the rest of the article!