One on-camera detective is now pursuing other fulfilling roles.

Mariska Hargitay, 50, recently took a shot at directing one of the upcoming episodes for NBC’s TV drama, Law & Order: SVU.

Hargitay revealed to E! News how passionate she is about directing.

“It’s a long time coming; I’ve wanted to do it for a while. There are a lot of things that I’ve learned and collected. I know how to get performances, I know what buttons to push in people and I’ve been doing it for a long time,” she said.

Several Tweets went out Thursday showing Hargitay in action.

@Mariska back at it again today directing @FINALLEVEL @TheKelliGiddish #thatsNotBenson #MariskasDirecting #bts #svu pic.twitter.com/FhGmrkTlhp

— Stephanie Marquardt (@Samarq521) February 21, 2014

That’s a wrap on day 1 of episode 18! Doesn’t @Mariska look good behind the camera? pic.twitter.com/bul4RKiPHX — SVU Writers Room (@SVUWritersRoom) February 21, 2014

#greatfirstday our fearless director @mariska delivered big time today pic.twitter.com/i6D3YiNjnO

— Peter Blauner (@peterblauner) February 21, 2014

Why am I blurry?? // RT @Samarq521 @Mariska lining up shots in preproduction #svu #bts pic.twitter.com/jvyZw9wCsK

— Rob Cohen (@Borco2000) February 21, 2014

Well, it looks like Executive Producer Warren Leight finally gave her the chance to sit in the director chair and take control.

Hargitay reportedly explained how she tends to connect more with guiding her co-stars in such a way that would help bring the script to life.

“Since I’ve been on SVU, I get more joy, sometimes, from helping somebody else with their performance than my own,” the actress-turned-director said. “That’s when I got the idea…It’s just this idea of helping to tell the story or even help people get in touch, like how people help me to get to my soul. I’m up for the challenge…It feels like a natural progression.”

The show has been running successfully since 1999, but according to Hargitay, this is the first time SVU feels at its best. Earlier in the year, she told TODAY  how the show’s writing has improved remarkably.

“I think the writing changes now that we have new show runners,” she said. “It feels to me like a different show now, which I think is a great thing. After 15 years the show feels so unbelievably fresh, and that’s a gift.”

The episode is set to air sometime in March. It will feature guest actor Alec Baldwin of NBC’s comedy sitcom, 30 Rock.

Image via Twitter