‘SVU’ star Mariska Hargitay’s own family still mispronounces her Hungarian name
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
You’re probably pronouncing Mariska Hargitay’s name wrong.
Everyone’s favorite TV law enforcement officer confirmed that fans, friends and even his own family haven’t quite mastered the pronunciation of his name.
Hargitay explained the correct way to say her name is “Muh-rish-kuh” during an appearance on Amy Poehler’s podcast.Hang WellAccording to Hargitay, the name Mariska is actually a nickname meaning “Little Maria.”
“In Hungarian, the ‘ka’ or ‘ke’ at the end of the name is like a little show of affection,” he explained. “So the name is actually my grandmother’s name ‘Maria’, they are both Hungarian and Italian.”
STEVE BUSCEMI ADMITS THAT HE SPELLS EVERYONE’S NAME WRONG, INCLUDING HIMSELF
Mariska Hargitay revealed that her name is often mispronounced. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
After 26 years of filming the popular crime drama “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” Hargitay said people still can’t pronounce her name correctly. Even his own family is still struggling to fix this.
“Who was it last night? I had lunch yesterday; I had breakfast for my sister yesterday and my cousin was there too,” he told Poehler.
“Your own cousin?” Poehler questioned.
“I’ve known him since 1994 and he kept calling me ‘Muh-ris-kuh’.”
Mariska Hargitay’s name is Hungarian. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Mariska Hargitay plays the role of Captain Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin)
Hargitay explained that she chose to “let go” of her cousin rather than fix him.
To combat mispronunciation on the set of NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” Hargitay had her name spelled “Marishhhhka.”
DO YOU LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Mariska Hargitay revealed that her name is pronounced “Ma-rish-kuh.” (Scott Gries/NBC via Getty Images)
“I’m called ‘Muh-ritz-uh,’ ‘Mar-see-kuh,’ ‘Mar-kis-kuh,'” he explained.
Hargitay joins a group of celebrities speaking out about the mispronunciation of their names. Denzel Washington and Steve Buscemi recently attempted to fix it.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Washington’s name is actually pronounced “Denzull” rather than “Denzell.”
Buscemi doesn’t actually know the correct pronunciation of his name, but he chose “Boo-Semi” for his version.
