Mariska Hargitay was feeling sentimental at the Gotham TV Awards on Tuesday.
Stay strong, Captain Olivia Benson! Mariska Hargitay is going through a rite of passage for many parents -- the high school graduation of her eldest child.
The 60-year-old Law & Order: Special Victims Unit actress attended the first Gotham TV Awards on Tuesday where she gave an emotional speech while receiving the Anniversary Tribute.
Reflecting on her 25 years on SVU, Hargitay, who is married to actor Peter Hermann, compared the milestone to the upcoming graduation of her son, August Hermann.
"My husband, Peter, and I are in the process of watching our oldest son graduate, and we've been shuffling around our house for the last few months just muttering, 'Where's the time go? Where's the time go, what happened?'" Hargitay shared, visibly emotional as she wiped away a tear. "And in a way, after 25 years, I could also be the lady in the NYPD uniform shuffling around the set of SVU saying, 'Where does the time go?' But I know where it went… my time went to moving these difficult topics out of the darkness and into light."
In addition to August, Hargitay is also mom to daughter, Amaya, 12, and son, Andrew, 12.
Hargitay spoke with ET on the carpet at the Gotham Awards where she brought her husband as her date for the evening. The couple are set to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary in August, and Hargitay has vivid memories of their first encounter.
"My knees getting weak," Hargitay told ET of what she remembered most from her initial meeting with Hermann. "It's so amazing. It's so amazing. It's a lot of milestones this year."
She also reflected on her time on SVU, telling ET, "It's been incredible. It's been 25 years and I haven't been able to take it in until this year. I think [because of] the milestone of it all. I was walking into my wrap party with my 17-year-old son [and] I remember going, 'We're going to the wrap party of my TV show that has been on for 25 years.' I don't feel anywhere near done and that's good."
RELATED CONTENT:
