Mariska Hargitay's work as detective Olivia Benson earned her an Emmy in 2006 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, along with a 2005 Golden Globe award. For all the accolades, the role has cost her quite a bit, physically, too.
In 2009, Hargitay described to Redbook magazine how she sustained an injury while shooting a stunt in October 2008. Hargitay explained, "I was doing a stunt chasing a bad guy. I'd always insisted on doing the stunts my own way, although I don't feel so strongly about that anymore. I jumped and landed on pads, but on the second take something happened — I just landed wrong. I got up and felt that something inside was not quite right."
After assuming the injury was something minor, in January 2009, Hargitay found she was unable to breathe. An X-ray revealed that her lung was 50 percent collapsed, resulting in surgery two weeks later. After returning to work on SVU, Hargitay had to return to surgery in March after her lung collapsed again.
A healthy Hargitay reflected to Redbook on how the entire experience was ultimately an eye-opener, particularly as a mother, saying, "Having a child changes everything. All of a sudden you have so much to lose, so much to live for. Sometimes things in life happen that allow us to understand our priorities very clearly. Ultimately you can see those as gifts."
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