Mariska Hargitay opens up about her biggest career fear

After more than two decades of chasing criminals on television, Mariska Hargitay thought she knew pressure.

Then Broadway happened.

The Law & Order: SVU icon is opening up about the intense nerves that came with starring in Every Brilliant Thing, admitting the experience shook her in ways she never expected.

"It really came and grabbed me, and I had no idea what was happening," Hargitay said on Making Space with Hoda Kotb, describing the fear that hit ahead of her stage debut.

And this was not ordinary stage fright.

"Terrifying… cripplingly so terrifying," she confessed.

The role was an easy "immediate yes" after she fell in love with the play, but reality set in fast. Unlike television, there were no retakes, no cuts, and no safety net.

Hargitay revealed she did not sleep for three days before previews and even tried taking Ambien because of the "terror that was running through my veins."

Then came opening audiences – and everything charged.

"Then previews came, and it was extraordinary and thrilling," she said.

To calm her nerves, Hargitay surrounded herself with inspiration. Photos of tennis legend Billie Jean King, ski champion Lindsey Vonn, NBA star Jalen Brunson, and the cast of Hamilton decorated her dressing room.

"Billie Jean wrote 'one ball at a time,'" Hargitay shared, explaining how the message helped her stay focused when anxiety threatened to take over.

When it comes to role models, athletes top her list.

“I think that many athletes are my heroes. My dad was an athlete. That mentality of 'We just work harder,' ” she said.

For a performer who has spent years making audience feel safe, stepping onto a Broadway stage meant embracing uncertainty herself – and proving that even television legends still get butterflies.