'Law & Order' star helps child find her mom after being mistaken for real-life police officer

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'Law & Order: SVU' star explains why crime shows are 'actually calming'

Mariska Hargitay shares her thoughts on the success of the "Law & Order" franchise and explains how crime shows are "actually calming to our nervous system."

Mariska Hargitay fully embodied her "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" character by helping a young girl find her mother. 

Hargitay was dressed in her "SVU" detective gear for filming the show on April 10 in New York City, thus bearing a striking resemblance to a police officer. 

A young girl, unaware of the cast and crew around the location, approached Hargitay, mistaking her for a real-life police officer, seeking help locating her mother.

Mariska Hargitay put production of "Law & Order: SVU" on hold to help a lost young girl find her mother. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

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Hargitay quickly jumped into action, channeling her inner Olivia Benson, the detective she plays on the show. 

A witness told People magazine that Hargitay paused production for 20 minutes to help the child find her mother. The interaction took place at Anne Loftus Playground in Fort Tryon Park.

Eventually, the young girl, with the help of Hargitay, was reunited with her mother.

With Mariska Hargitay's help, the mother and daughter were reunited. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

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It seems as though Hargitay has learned a thing or two from playing a detective on the "Law & Order" spin-off since 1999. 

"SVU" is currently filming its 25th season. The show is the longest-running, prime-time live-action series in the history of American television.

"We’ve been on a parallel journey," Hargitay told People ahead of the premiere of the show's 25th season in January. "There’s a thing: WWOBD, ‘What would Olivia Benson do?’ The fans would always talk about it, and one day it hit me. I also have those moments where I’ve sort of slipped into her. If there’s a crisis, I just take over and lead like that. Being strong and fearless. It’s sort of this perfect feminist story."

Mariska Hargitay has been playing Olivia Benson on "SVU" since 1999. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

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"What would Olivia Benson do?" has become quite a phenomenon among "SVU" fans, and the thought process was put into action by Hargitay in helping the lost child find her mother.