MARISKA ATTACKED BY CO-STAR
Now the matter’ s before the court
All hell’s broken loose on the set of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit after actress Diane Neal allegedly called the show’s leading lady Mariska Hargitay a “total b****”.
The revelations came to light in explosive court papers filed by her ex-boyfriend, magician JB Benn, who is in the middle of an acrimonious lawsuit with Diane, 44. In the documents, JB claims Diane threatened to kill him, while she claims he was physically and emotionally abusive.
In the papers, JB also alleges that in an email Diane called her castmates “awful people” and Mariska, 55, a “total b****”, and now sources say Diane, who played assistant DA Casey Novak, “is unlikely to be invited back to the show any time soon”.
No-one can doubt that the show’s enormous success is down to the huge popularity of Mariska, the daughter of ’50s bombshell Jayne Mansfield, and insiders say the cast and crew have rallied around her.
“Nobody insults The Queen,” says an on-set source, referring to the much-loved lead star. “Without Mariska, none of us would still be here. Everyone’s always been protective of her. You know that scar on the side of her face is from the car accident that killed her famous mum? Mariska is a legend and
we’re lucky to have her, so this has got everyone’s backs up.”
Diane has already come out fighting, begging Mariska and her castmates to not take her bitter ex seriously.
“There is no truth to this at all,” insists Diane. “Most of the people I’ve worked with are amazing, I love almost everyone I’ve ever worked with. Mariska and I were not the closest, but that doesn’t mean we have any animosity towards each other, we’re still very supportive of each other.
“She’s a great mum, she’s great as Benson, she’s doing great charity work. I have never talked about the cast members like this; it’s salacious and untrue.”