Law & Order: SVU fan is apologizing after her family failed to properly fangirl over Mariska Hargitay (Olivia Benson) and Ellen Burstyn (aka Stabler’s mom) after seeing them in real life.
On October 9, @pattigandolfini recapped the interaction on Twitter, writing, “OMG, yesterday my husband and stepson went gaga when they saw their favorite actress Mariska Hargitay at a NYC farmer’s market. But they missed the person with her: Ellen Burstyn. So sorry, Ms Burstyn. They should have been just as gaga over you. I was when I saw the pix.”
Mariska Hargitay and Ellen Burstyn shop together at the farmer’s market in NYC
The Twitter user then shared two pictures captured of Hargitay and Burstyn.
In the left photo, a fan poses with Hargitay, and in the right photo you can see that the woman with her pushing a cart is none other than the Emmy-Oscar-Tony winner Burstyn, who recently re-joined the Law & Order universe, playing Detective Elliot Stabler’s mother, Bernadette Stabler, on Organized Crime (She made her first appearance as Mrs. Stabler in a 2008 episode of SVU).
As Benson and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) are longtime partners and friends, this basically makes Burstyn Hargitay’s on-screen in-law.
Another fan on Twitter also noticed that Hargitay was wearing a Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour sweatshirt while at the farmer’s market. It just so happens that Hargitay and Swift are friends, and Det. Benson even inspired the name of Swift’s cat Olivia. Hargitay was fortunate enough to attend the Eras tour twice with both Reese Witherspoon and Selena Gomez, and she even brought her daughter.
No word yet on which album Burstyn likes best.
Ellen Burstyn as Stabler’s mom on Law & Order: OC
Burstyn, who also appears in the new horror flick The Exorcist: Believer, reprising her role from the iconic original, recently spoke to her TV son about their on- and off-screen relationship.
“Since I’ve lost my mother a couple of years ago, you — in my life, in our work — you’re my mother,” Meloni said in a conversation for Interview, recalling a day on set shortly after his mom had passed. Replied Burstyn, “It’s very easy. It’s like slipping into a pair of old shoes. I slipped into being your mother,” to which Meloni responded, “Well, I’m glad you say that because I feel the same way.”
Burstyn also shared that in her long career Law & Order is the role that’s gotten her the most recognition. “I want you to know that I’m more famous for [Organized Crime] than for anything I’ve done in my 70 years in the business,” she said, adding, “I get people stopping me in the street and saying, “Are you going to be on the show again soon?”
Meloni agreen that the fandom wants more Ellen Burstyn ASAP. “I get the same thing. They don’t care about me. They want to make sure that Bernie’s going to be on the show,” he said. Maybe Hargitay was talking to her about a potential storyline? We’d love to see it!
