Mariska Hargitay appeared on Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang” podcast and revealed she auditioned and screen tested many times for “ Friends ” a few years before landing the role of Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Both shows are NBC staples.

“I did a lot of comedy auditions,” Hargitay told Poehler (via The Daily Beast ). “I did ‘Seinfeld’ and I did ‘Single Guy,’ and I tested for ‘Friends’ so many times. I think for Monica. I always thought I would end up being on a sitcom or doing comedy.”

Even when more dramatic roles came her way, Hargitay said: “I was like, I want to do drama but it has to be funny because that’s what I felt like my gifts were… [I would tell people], ‘I’m going to be a comedian because I’m funny and I’m pretty.’”

Hargitay’s reveal may surprise som

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