Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay honored at Monte Carlo TV Festival

For everyone who loves to see Mariska Hargitay get some of the recognition she deserves, she certainly received some of that today at the Monte Carlo TV Awards. The Law & Order: SVU star was honored with the Crystal Nymph for all of her contributions she has made not only to the NBC series as Olivia Benson, but also within her work beyond it. It’s a wonderful way to recognize her, but it’s also a reminder that her work is far from over and she still has many more stories to tell.

Take a look at some of Mariska’s remarks below (via The Hollywood Reporter) — you can also watch them play out in video form:

“What a changed world it is since I started the show … I express my deepest thanks to the many women and the many men, some of whom I’ve worked alongside, especially those whose extraordinary acts of courage have brought about the recent seismic shifts in the way that our society addresses and understands sexual violence,” she said.

“There are probably few places in the world where the word ‘grace’ has more resonance than it does here in Monaco . Much of what is being said in the world today and especially much of what currently comes out of the country I call home is notable for its utter lack of grace, so I am especially honored to be here in this place where grace lives so deeply in all of you.”

Mariska gave a speech here that was humble, but also powerful and spoke to much of what she has seen in America over the course of the past few years. She understands that her work as Benson is bigger than herself and she does everything within her power to continue to do her best work on the show. Filming on SVU season 20 begins a little bit later this summer, and we absolutely do not imagine that anything different is going to take place from here.

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(Photo: NBC.)