In 2022, Ryan Buggle tackled an important

scene as a young actor, and luckily, he had

Mariska Hargitay’s warm presence to mentor him through it.

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In Season 23, Episode 11 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Noah Benson, Olivia Benson’s adopted son, came out as bisexual. The scene happened in a loving, casual conversation when Noah and his mom were going for a walk in the park after he opens up to her about being bullied.

According to TODAY.com, Hargitay was considerate of how to approach the moment while filming, and she called Buggle in advance to gauge how comfortable he was with the storyline.

Mariska Hargitay’s wise advice to Ryan Buggle on SVU
“She definitely gave me advice,” Buggle told the outlet in 2022, when he was just 12 years old. “It’s ‘Be real and in the moment of what’s happening in the scene and just let everything come from a real natural place.'”

RELATED: Ryan Buggle Says He Loves Mariska Hargitay “More Than Words” on Her Milestone Birthday

Shortly after the episode aired, Buggle took to Instagram to give a sentimental shoutout to Hargitay,

”Filming this episode was such an important, incredible and exciting experience for me. @therealmariskahargitay personally called me to talk about the script before it was finished and I felt so involved and respected. It is incredible to see Noah beginning to discover who he is. My feelings are the same, there is no shame in being true to yourself and no one deserves to be left out or bullied because of it,” he wrote in the caption.