When you hire Mariska Hargitay to host the Emmys, the fact that she has a few friends in high places pays off. And that starts with Taylor Swift. Swift played a fellow detective attempting to decipher some of the codes that would signal the superstar’s plans on the night.
Added Rouzan-Clay: “She wanted them to be really official. And correct.” The parody was filmed under tight security and secrecy on the “SVU” set in late August. We don’t want to go to awards show jail.” Swift was so game that she was willing to take the time to participate in a large portion of the pre-taped bit.
She named her cat ‘Olivia Benson’!” And yes, that was the real Olivia Benson the cat in Swift’s arms at the end of the sketch, alongside the TV Olivia Benson as played by Hargitay. And the cat delivered!” Rouzan-Clay said there was no doubt there would be an “SVU” presence (and some “dun-duns”): “We were going to do ‘SVU’ because I think everyone, the fans, everyone who tuned in, thought, ‘what will be the SVU thing?’ And if you’re going to do it, I think everyone we all felt like you have to one up what everyone’s thinking. And I can’t think of anything better than to throw Taylor in an ‘SVU’ sketch.
Like, no one saw that coming. And if you’re going to have a nod to ‘SVU,’ that seemed like the coolest way to do it.” Hargitay was game to utilize her contacts, which is why, besides Swift, viewers also got to see New York Knicks player Jalen Brunson in the show’s cold open. You saw it in the open and the SVU sketch.” Added Rouzan-Clay: “Mariska’s had such a great year and has so many connections with Jalen and Taylor and all the people in Hollywood that were happening in pop culture this year.
So it was really just a dream for us to work with her to appeal to this broad audience. She really has something for everyone, and is broadly beloved.” Here are a few more behind-the-scenes nuggets we gleaned from the producers about this year’s show: Hargitay spent time with a vocal coach and in off-site rehearsals to prepare for all the singing she had on this year’s Emmy telecast, including the opening “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” parody “I Love TV Screens.” “She really worked hard on that song,” Collins said.” A lot of vocal sessions recorded it in New York. And she did some more work on it in L.A., really perfecting it.
I mean, this is one of the hardest-working hosts I’ve ever seen on any award show. When we shot that opening piece, we shot one scene in New York and two full days in L.A. On Thursday after the media press conference, we came here.
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