A Drunk Haircut Almost Got Mariska Hargitay Fired From Law & Order: SVU

Before kicking off her historic "Law & Order: SVU" run in 1999, in 1995, Mariska Hargitay joined a very different production than the crime procedural she's synonymous with: "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie." The Power Rangers were all the rage back then, and this was their first outing at the movies, so it was the perfect project for Hargitay to join as she found her footing in the entertainment world. Although, when she wound up on the bad side of those involved behind the scenes, they weren't as forgiving as Dick Wolf would be years later over her drunk haircut.

Cast in the role of Dulcea, things were going well for Hargitay on the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" film set until Christmas rolled around. "We were getting close to Christmas, and they had me on hold a lot," she said during an appearance on "Late Night with Seth Meyers," adding that by December 21, she decided to just go home. Hargitay spent the holidays with her family, and on January 3, she got ahold of those working on the film to let them know she was ready to come back. Instead of bringing her back, they fired her for not working through the holiday and replaced her with Gabrielle Fitzpatrick.

While she wasn't able to become a "Power Rangers" icon, Mariska Hargitay certainly became the star of the "Law & Order" franchise — despite an unexpectedly short haircut.