Rachael finds out what a tough cookie this star can be as Mariska Hargitay gives her a sample of her Law & Order: Special Victims Unit character in a mock interrogation. "I was literally shaking at the table going, 'Awe she's good!'" Rachael says, while admitting she's a "ridiculous" fan of the series. "It's always a huge day for me whenever a Law & Order star stops by."

"Well that's what I call a warm welcome," Mariska says. She's in her ninth season on the crime series and says it's still a surprise she ended up on such a serious drama. "The big joke among my friends is they just do not know how I got this job because I'm always the jokester and the laughing one."

Laughing aside, they are dealing with true-life crimes and the show has earned a lot of fans in law enforcement. "I just got an e-mail this week which meant the world to me because you're playing real life people who do this for a living," Mariska says while pulling out her phone to read a snippet of the note from a retired sex crimes detective. "She said ... 'You make me cry on a regular basis and believe me that's no easy task -- just ask my husband.'" Mariska says this type of feedback inspired her to give something back to the community. "I started a foundation called The Joyful Heart Foundation for victims of sexual assault," she explains, "because I learned through this work that oftentimes victims of assault feel like they don't have a voice."

On a lighter note, Rachael also wants the details about Mariska's recent birthday, which included a trip away from her husband, Peter Hermann, and her 2-year old son. The international jaunt was actually Hillary Swank's idea. "My dear sweet generous friend invited me to Paris, so we went to Paris for four days and had my first girl trip since I've had the baby," Mariska says. "When I got home Peter had completely decorated the house with balloons and a huge happy birthday sign and had a dinner party waiting for me with our eight friends -- that he cooked by himself."