Mariska Hargitay Previews 'Gray,' Talks Detective Benson's New Mother Role

After 12 seasons, 'Law & Order: SVU' Detectives Olivia Benson (Mariska Harigtay) and Eliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) have put away hundreds of rapists, protected countless children and solved more "ripped from the headlines" crimes than you can imagine.

In the Nov. 17 episode, a young college girl accuses a classmate of rape during a university's Take Back the Night-esque rally. Benson and Stabler, who are speakers at the event, step in to crack the case.

"The episode is called 'Gray,'" Hargitay told AOL's TV Squad. "It's about the gray area of what is rape and what is not, what's consensual and what happens, how gray things become when people drink. The fact is, non-consensual sex is rape. It's an issue that comes up when somebody is drinking."

The Emmy-winning actress sat down with TV Squad to discuss the very prevalent and sometimes-ignored issue of college date rape, her Joyful Heart foundation and what's ahead for Olivia Benson this year.

Why do you think it's important for a show like 'Law & Order: SVU' to tackle an issue like college date rape?
Well, I think it's important because it gets people talking about issues that people shy away from naturally. It's what 'SVU' does; it's what Joyful Heart does. It's all about starting a conversation about things people are scared of, things that people in the past have swept under the carpet for those reasons exactly -- they're scared of it, it's icky, whose fault is it. We have to look at ourselves, we have to look at our kids, we have to look at our friends and we have to look at the choices we make. It's really an amazing episode to make people think about the decisions that they make and how they're going to feel about them the next day or the subsequent day after that.

There's a part of this episode where they talk about the buddy system, which is something that we at Joyful Heart talk about. You can't get college students to stop drinking, you can't get them to not drink, which is understandable. But what you can do is get them to think about the ramifications and to figure out how they can protect themselves in the same vein that one does in terms of driving.

You go, "Okay, I can't drink and drive." That's just the facts. "So what do I do? Well, I want to drink. Well, I'll take public transportation or I'm not going to drive, there's going to be a designated driver." We talk about it in the episode and it's something that Joyful Heart has suggested -- if you're going to drink, have a friend with you. Have one of you guys say, "Okay, I'm going to be in charge tonight. If we go together we're going to come home together." Just to make sure that you feel safe.

Would you say that's your message to students? Use the buddy system?
I think that my message to students is drinking impairs our judgment. That is a fact. You've got to take precautions if you want to do that, you have to find ways to take care of yourself so you don't put yourself in situations where you can't protect yourself.

You never hear anybody say, "Oh I smoked a joint then I killed my wife. I smoked a joint then I couldn't drive a car." You know what I mean? [Alcohol] causes fetal alcohol syndrome, it makes people make dumb choices, it makes people violent. People don't smoke a joint and then beat the sh-- out of their wife, right? They get drunk and then batter their wives. It's something people need to think about.

There are a lot of girls in this episode that say, "I wish I had never gone out; I wish I had never gone drinking." The point is, the smart person thinks: "How's this going to affect me? What are all the outcomes?" Okay, "If I want to go out and get a buzz," that's fine, that's your choice, "But how can I do it responsibly? And how can I do it so tomorrow morning I feel good about myself? I had a really great time last night, I feel great. Look myself in the mirror. Boom, let's get on with the day." That's my message to girls.

Do you think universities need to do more?
I do, absolutely! I think this starts a dialogue. The kids, these great hungry minds that are at these universities, I think by talking about it they're arming themselves and empowering themselves. Even guys knowing about it and saying, "How can we protect?" There's a certain kind of person that takes what isn't theirs. And there's a certain kind of man that would never. I think it's all about talking and engaging this dialogue, putting it out there so people are really careful and taking preventative measures. When we are inebriated and when we're hammered we make different choices -- no one is exempt. The fact is, this is a human behavior, this is how people behave. So, how can we protect ourselves? For me, I want women and men to protect themselves. It goes both ways too, it goes for men too and I think that's really important for people to understand.

Things happen -- people change who they are and I think it's so sad when it's people who are good people. They can get into pack mentality. There are a lot of bad things that happen when people are drunk. I think the more you talk about it, the better it is. Also, awareness about it. If people see friends getting hammered all the time, they should be aware of it and see the signs, maybe help out a friend and reach out to somebody. A lot of times it is like a cry for help. These are issues that ruin people's lives, so what do we have to do? We have to talk about it.

What have you been up to with your foundation, Joyful Heart?
Oh my gosh, a lot. It's been very exciting right now. We've just taken on the rape kit backlog, we just did an episode about that, we just put up a new Web site called endthebacklog.org. Basically, we are on a mission to end the backlog and help and aide people get justice for the crimes that were committed to them. [We] really send a message to victims that their cases matter and to perpetrators that they will be penalized for what they do. Right now in the justice system, only one out of five rapes even go to trial. It's really sad and we need to change those numbers around. For many reasons, because of this gray, it's a he said, she said [situation]. Again, in this script there's a whole part about how they didn't go to the police, they go to the campus police. The campus police -- obviously universities have a different agenda which is to go, "Let's work this out here, we don't have to go to the police." But the fact is that may be best for the universities, but that's not indeed best for the victim or the perpetrator. It's important to talk about this, that's why this episode is so important. Kids can talk about to their parents, so parents know what's going on, so parents can talk about it with their kids.

When kids go to the college, it is a free-for-all. The rules change. Nobody is watching out for you going, "Baby, I want you home by 12 o'clock because I care about you." It's really hard to self-govern and keep yourself safe. It's a new set of skills. Yes, some people are parented great and they really get that in their upbringing, some people didn't get it for whatever reason. I think it's really important for people to be aware that bad things can happen, especially when you drink. You're putting yourself in a high-risk situation that care and precaution needs to be taken. I think it initiates a life-saving dialogue.

Back to 'SVU,' what do you want to see happen with your character, Olivia Benson, this season?
I get a kid. You'll see this, I get [Maria Bello's character's] kid and it's been a really exciting time because after 12 years we see a whole different side of Benson. Her life is fulfilled in such a proud way, it has meaning and it's a whole different deal now. It's a whole different playing field. I would like to see that develop.

The mothering side?
On a personal level because she is a mother, that's her whole m.o. in life, being this mother lioness/protectess.

Certainly the character has done it with victims on several occasions.
I would love to see her thrown into a different world with different colors and different chords.

For more on 'Gray,' check our Mariska Hargitay's guest blog post with video interviews featuring Christine Lahti and Allison Siko.