Hi Everyone

I wanted to send a quick update to let you know that I did decide to join Twitter. I have the most amazing fans in the world and wanted to be able to check in with you more often. From time to time, I’ll post information about what’s going on behind the scenes at SVU or what we’re doing over at the Joyful Heart Foundation. You can find me @Mariska or www.twitter.com/mariska.

xo,
M

I hope you had the chance to see the first two episodes of SVU. I just can’t say enough how great it was to work with Joan Cusack and Henry Ian Cusick.

And we have other fantastic guest stars lined up as our twelfth season unfolds.  Scheduled to join us are Gloria Reuben, Maria Bello, Marcia Gay Harden, David Alan Grier, David Krumholtz and Melissa Sagemiller as our new ADA.
But first, in our next episode—one of the most meaningful we have ever done—is Jennifer Love Hewitt. She plays Vicki, a rape victim that is terrorized by a repeat assailant, and she gives a powerhouse performance. I told her while we were shooting, and I’ll say it here again, she blew all of us away with the depth, insight and conviction she brought to the role.

The episode, “Behave,” shows not only how traumatizing a sexual assault can be, but how complicated, difficult—and yes, traumatizing—the road to justice can be. When Vicki makes the courageous decision to have a rape kit performed she thinks that she will finally get the justice she deserves. But what we learn in the episode is that simply having a rape kit collected is not a guarantee that anything will be done with the evidence.

That is a lamentable—and unacceptable—reality of rape in the United States. Experts in the federal government, including the Department of Justice and members of Congress, have estimated that hundreds of thousands of sexual assault evidence kits are sitting untested in police and crime labs throughout the country.
With rape, the victim’s body is the crime scene is the victim’s own body is . When a person reports a sexual assault, she—or he—can undergo an exam to gather DNA evidence from her or his body. Rape kit testing can identify an unknown assailant, confirm a suspect’s contact with the victim, corroborate the victim’s account of the assault, identify serial rapists by connecting crime scene evidence from separate incidents, and exonerate innocent suspects. National studies have shown that cases in which rape kit evidence was tested were more likely to proceed through the criminal justice system and lead to arrests.

But the benefit of testing rape kits goes beyond providing prosecutors with investigative tools to bring offenders to justice. It goes beyond introducing the clarity of DNA evidence into the arena of rape and sexual assault, the crimes with the lowest reporting, arrest, and prosecution rates in the United States.  These kits represent human beings who have suffered greatly. Testing their rape kits sends victims the fundamental and crucial message that they and their cases matter.

As many of you know, in addition to my role as Olivia on SVU, I’m also I am the founder and president of the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization that works to bring healing, education, and empowerment to survivors, and awareness to the public about sexual and family violence. When I first learned about the rape kit backlog, I was shocked that something like this could exist in the United States. Then I, along with Joyful Heart’s board and staff, was moved to action.  Fortunately, we are not alone.  Law enforcement, public officials, and advocates have paved the way and continue to work in partnership with us on this important issue.

Often, the first step to bringing change to an issue is to shed light on it. That’s why I was so excited and moved when my Executive Producer and JHF Board member, Neal Baer, came to me with the idea for this episode. He was inspired to dedicate an episode to a brave, courageous survivor who shared her story with us last May. “Behave” honors her—and all survivors.

Our hope is that when you watch “Behave,” you’ll be inspired to join the growing movement that is working to eradicate the backlog of untested rape kits.

To get involved, you can:

·      Tune in to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on Wednesday, September 29th at 9pm/8 central on NBC;

·      Join the growing community that’s talking about these issues by following Joyful Heart on Twitter (www.twitter.com/TheJHF) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/joyfulheart) and invite your friends and family to participate as well;

·      Check back on this blog next week for the announcement of an exciting new public awareness effort from the Joyful Heart Foundation.

Thank you, as always, for your dedication and compassion. I know with your support, we can work together to bring healing and justice to survivors of sexual violence and end the rape kit backlog.

xo,

Mariska

Can you believe that we’re already six episodes into Season 12?! It feels like just yesterday that I was flying across the country to work in a city I’d always loved but where I never imagined living. I had no idea at the time that New York—and SVU’s New Jersey sound stage—would become my home. Or that the crew would become my surrogate family, that I would meet my husband, and be inspired to start a foundation. Or that I’d have the privilege of sharing the screen with actors like Carol Burnett, Robin Williams, and Ellen Burstyn. I also had no idea a show honoring the brave men and women of NYC’s Special Victims Unit would shed such a bright light on subjects that are rarely talked about, and that the show would give a voice to thousands of survivors to speak out against sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse. I am deeply honored to be part of SVU, and I look forward to another exciting year.

So what does this year have in store? We start with our season premiere on Wednesday September 22nd at 9 pm EST, in which Benson and Stabler are on the hunt for Joan Cusack’s missing daughter. She is played by Bailee Madison, who, at ten years old, is already a huge talent (she played Nathalie Portman’s daughter in “Brothers.”  And working with Joan was just an absolute pleasure.  Also starring in the show are Peter Strauss — he’s amazing in a scene I have with him — and Lost star Henry Ian Cusick.  The sparks fly between Henry and me in the first episode so the writers have brought him back for episode two.  You see us in a scene you won’t soon forget!  (That second episode is on at 10 pm on September 22nd.  Our special two-hour premiere.)

On September 29th, Jennifer Love Hewitt helps us tackle the subject of the rape kit backlog. As many of you already know, hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits are sitting in police and crime lab storage facilities across the country, with some kits in storage for more than ten years. Jennifer’s performance blew all of us away.  Such depth of raw emotion is rarely seen on TV these days.  Memorable.

And remember to stay tuned into NBC at 10 pm that same night when we welcome LOLA—Law & Order: Los Angeles—to the Law & Order family.

The SVU family is growing, too: we’re welcoming Precious star Paula Patton in episode 5. And then comes our new ADA Gillian Hardwicke, played by Melissa Sagemiller.  Also coming to play with us are: Gloria Reuben, Rosemary Harris, David Krumholtz, Marcia Gay Harden and Christine Lahti.  I’m thrilled to work with all the powerful actors who will be celebrating Season 12 with us—including my long-time friend, Maria Bello, who’ll be in two episodes!

You’ve probably heard we’re moving too.  Yes, after 12 years we’re moving our New Jersey set to Chelsea Piers in NYC.  Look for our new Squad  Room in episode 5.  And SVU isn’t the only thing seeing changes this year. The M.com staff and I, in partnership with Joyful Heart, will be making some improvements, so stay tuned to the show and to the site for all the excitement the coming months will bring!

Some of you may have read the post on JHF’s Facebook page from Executive Director, Maile Zambuto, about my presence online, particularly on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. I WANTED TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT I DO NOT HAVE PROFILES ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER OR MYSPACE. Knowing that people have caused others harm by using my name saddens me. I can assure you that if I was to join any of these sites (which I don’t plan on doing any time soon), I will make an official announcement here on Mariska.com.

Though I have contacted these social network sites to let them know about fake profiles in my name, I unfortunately can’t keep people from continuing to create them. If you come across such profiles, please disregard them. I can confirm that JHF’s Facebook page, along with SVU’s official Facebook page and Executive Producer Neal Baer’s Twitter account are legit. Now and again, I will post a message and/or tweet there and will be a guest blogger on sites like the Huffinton Post, but I will let you know on my own blog when I am doing so.

The Internet will continue to expand and more social networks will pop up. I encourage you to proceed with caution when logging on to these sites. I can’t stress enough how important it is to be careful about what information you share online. Remember, it’s called the world wide web so there are tons of people who can read what you write! Nothing is “private” online, and as long as sites allow users to sign up without verifying their identity, there will always be imposters.

And I’m not just talking about people who pretend to be actors. I’ve heard countless stories about the dangers of the Internet and have confronted these issues on SVU. It’s serious stuff, so if you’re not sure how to be savvy member of the online community, check out some of the sites below and talk to people who are educated on the issue.

xo, M

National Center For Missing & Exploited Children
Wired Safety
OnGuard Online
GetNetWise