HWho doesn’t love a good onscreen romance? Watching our favorite characters fall in love
has got to be one of the most exciting parts of films and TV shows. And when the actors who
portray them happen to be falling in love at the same time… Well, that’s something special.
And it’s the case for Law and Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay and her husband, Peter Hermann
Mariska is known for playing beloved detective Olivia Benson on the NBC show Law and Orders:
Special Victims Unit since it started airing in 1999! This
makes her the longest-running female character in a TV Drama. Impressive!
In 2001, Hargitay met Peter Hermann while working on season 2 of the show. He played Trevor Langan,
a defense attorney who was also Hargitay’s onscreen love interest. As well as Law and Order,
Peter has starred in shows such as Sex and the City, 30 Rock, The Good Wife, and Younger.
Mariska has revealed she felt nervous from the first time she met Peter on set.
In an interview on The Drew Barrymore Show , she confessed: “I heard he was German,
I didn’t know what to do so I said “‘so, you’re a kraut,’”. Peter’s reaction shocked her.
He looked at her with a straight face and sarcastically said: “that’s funny”.
The actress recalled how embarrassing the experience was,
especially since her co-star Chris Maloney, who was also present,
couldn’t help but shake his head at the awkward introduction. Luckily,
it was all good. Hargitay explained that’s just her husband’s dry German sense of humor!
The actress also had an explanation as to why she made such an awkward first impression.
“On the first day I was so nervous. He was very handsome and it was distracting,” she confessed.
And, apparently, other people could perceive just how big her crush on her new co-star was.
Mariska explained that anytime the actor came back for a day of filming,
all the producers gave her “the eyes”. When Drew Barrymore, who was conducting the interview,
asked her if she believed the producers could tell, Hargitay answered that she was sure of it.
“I’d never been like that to anyone ever,” she quickly added.
What’s very funny about this story is that Mariska was 35 and single at the time.
Her friends were urging her to go out and meet new people.
They even told her: “nobody’s going to show up on your show and ask you to marry them.’”
We can only imagine their faces when she told them she had fallen for a co-star!
Luckily, the feelings were mutual. Peter decided to ask the actress to go on a first date with him…
to a church! Mariska was actually moving that day, so she proceeded to tell him she was busy.
He insisted, saying it was only an hour, and she finally agreed. And it’s a good thing she
did because, during that same day, she realized the actor was the man of her life. She recalled:
“I remember we went to church, and I am crying and he thinks I am so moved by the sermon and I
am crying because I am like, ‘I know I am going to marry him. I found my husband. I love him.’”
And she was right! The couple continued dating until they tied the knot in 2004.
The wedding was held in Santa Barbara and featured a gospel choir singing “Aint No mountain High
Enough”. The newly-weds and their 200 guests then attended the reception at Montecito Estate.
The couple had their first child, August, two years after their wedding, in June 2006.
Five years later, they adopted their second child, Amaya.
Apparently, August had insisted to his parents that he wanted a baby sister,
and he even thought the whole adoption had been his idea! Isn’t he adorable?
But the reality is that Hargitay decided to adopt because she was 42 when she gave birth to August,
so she and Hermann were concerned about getting pregnant again. However, they did want to increase
their family. The actress opened up about it in an interview with Good Housekeeping, saying,
“Peter and I both envisioned this big family because we both come from that.”
Mariska has admitted that the adoption process wasn’t easy,
and it was heartbreaking at times because of what she called “heart-wrenching moments.”
One of those moments was when the couple was able to connect with a birth mother
after several failed attempts and before adopting Amaya. Both actors met the woman and finalized the
adoption plan with her. When she gave birth, they even named and parented the baby for two days.
However, the birth mother ended up changing her mind and keeping her child.
Mariska described the experience as “nothing short of devastating”. Nevertheless, she knows it
was for the best. “It was probably the greatest, happiest ending. I mean, it was so painful for us,
but it was deeply joyful and deeply right for her.” Mariska revealed that she’s still in touch
with the woman and, even if she hasn’t seen the baby again, she feels “forever connected to her”.
Luckily, after this experience, the couple was finally able to adopt! In the same interview,
the actress described being involved in Amaya’s birth.
“I basically pulled Amaya out,” she said. “I held her, and then the birth mother and I hugged for a
long time. That was profound. That was one of the most meaningful moments I’ve ever had in my life.”
Only a few months after adopting Amaya, the pair decided to adopt their third child,
Andrew. The couple had decided to wait 18 months before adopting again,
but they were so lucky that they were informed of a premature baby boy awaiting adoption only
half a year later. “I’ve never made a bigger decision so quickly,” the actress confessed.
The stars decided to name the child Andrew after a dear friend of theirs who had passed away.
It seems like the couple could not be happier with their family life. In 2012, the actress told Us
just how amazing she felt about life at home. “I have everything I need. Our house is very Joyful.”
Three years later, the pair showed off their beautiful family thanks to their
2015 Halloween costumes inspired by the movie Inside Out. While Peter was disguised as Fear,
Marissa decided to dress up as Joy. Meanwhile, the children were extremely cute as Anger, Sadness,
and Disgust. They sure make for a cute Instagram picture!
Still, most of the time, both actors are really private, especially when it comes to their family.
But once in a while, they open up about their struggles. In 2018, Hargitay opened up to US
Weekly about balancing her work and her family life. She admitted that some days, she didn’t
even get to see her kids. On those occasions, she has even considered quitting Law and Order.
However, she considers the show to be a very well-oiled machine, so she is learning to reclaim
her time. “I go in there and I’m like ‘Guys I’ve got a kids thing. I’m out.’ They’re like,
‘Got it, boom,’” she explained. We are glad that Mariska is able to make it work!
The actress also brings her kids to the set in order to spend more time with them and arranges
her schedule to have more flexibility. She’s also grateful for her husband being an actor
since this means he understands the challenge of combining filming and family life.
The actors have been married for more than 17 years now,
and they have uploaded some sweet tributes on social media over time. For example,
Peter congratulated his wife through Twitter when she reached 500 episodes in Law and Order SVU
back in 2021, saying, “You astonish me. We met in episode 54. Best 447 episodes of my life.
Congratulations, you beautiful life force. I love you.”
Peter has occasionally also opened up about his marriage with the actress.
In 2018, he confessed to Entertainment tonight that there was no secret to the
success of his marriage. He explained that all relationships require work,
whether they exist in the public eye or not. “Our son plays basketball and his coach says,
‘Fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals,” the actor stated, “and I think when it comes
to relationships, the fundamentals, in the end, are not that complicated: kindness,
listen well and fight fair.” It certainly sounds like a good starting point for any relationship!
The last time a member of the couple spoke about their marriage was in January 2022,
when Mariska appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show. During her interview, she gushed about
her husband. “He’s so funny and so different than anyone I ever met and we had such a sort of
beautiful getting to know each other and learning how to see each other and beautiful courtship.”
Almost two decades later, she’s just as smitten as in the beginning!
And it gets better! Fans not only admire Hargitay and Hermann’s marriage,
but they also ship her character in SVU with Elliot Stabler, played by Christopher Meloni
(reference: Mariska Hargitay & Christopher Meloni Re-create the Moment They First Met 0.15). The
three have been jokingly referred to as “one of the most progressive marriages in Hollywood.”
Christopher is friends with both actors off-screen. “Sometimes Chris and I have
things to negotiate, but we’ve gotten really good at communicating with each other,” Hermann said.
“There’s a lot of give and take. In the end, all three of us are really happy.”
Well, it seems like this couple has worked it out in all aspects of their lives!
Here at Rumour Juice we love when an onscreen romance turns into reality.
We wish the happy couple and their children many more years of happiness!