Peter Hermann and Mariska Hargitay on March 26, 2006 in New York City. | Source: Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTMeloni revealed that at that moment, all he could think of was that Hargitay and Hermann would be married in "five months," despite their stumbling block, adding:
"That's all I was thinking. I knew. I knew."
Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards on August 27, 2006 | Source: Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENT
As the "Law & Order: Organized Crime" star predicted, his co-stars Hargitay and Hermann eventually wed on August 28, 2004, in Santa Barbara after dating for three years.
In a June 2019 interview, Hargitay recalled how she also knew that Hermann "was the one." After "SUV" filming wrapped, Hermann asked the brunette beauty out on a date – to attend church with him.
Peter Hermann and Mariska Hargitay at the "Younger" season four premiere party at Mr. Purple on June 27, 2017 in New York City. on June 27, 2017 in New York City. | Source: Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTShe gushed about their connection: "We went to church together, and it was like getting hit with a lightning bolt." She became so "overwhelmed" with emotions of love that she started crying during the date.
The Emmy Award winner revealed her then-love believed she was crying because the sermon moved her, but that was not the case. She explained:
"[..] It was because I was just overwhelmed, realizing he was the one."
Peter Hermann at the 2021 Glamour Women of the Year Awards at the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center on November 8, 2021 in New York City. | Source: Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTFollowing the date, Hargitay told her closest friend about the encounter, saying, "I told her, 'This is it. This is the man I'm going to marry."
When she met Hermann, she was 35 years old and single, and her friends mentioned that she should go out more as no one would show up in "SUV" and ask for her hand in marriage.
Hargitay shared her reaction to her friends' comment during an appearance on "The Drew Barrymore Show," in January 2022, saying, "I was like, 'Oh yeah!'"
ADVERTISEMENTHermann also once shared the moment he knew that the California native was the woman for him. In a June 2019 interview, the actor revealed it was on Hargitay's "40th birthday" that he saw her being surrounded by people she loved, and she stood out for him,He further explained that he wanted to be a part of "the abundance of love" in her life, adding they got hitched, and they were both aware that it would be satisfactory and that they knew what they had found in each other.
ADVERTISEMENTWhen asked to share the secret to a long-lasting marriage in a March 2018 interview, Hermann said there is none, adding, "We're all just working through it." The New York native also stated:
"It's fundamentals -- kindness, listen well, and fight fair."
ADVERTISEMENTThe Hollywood couple has been married for almost twenty years and celebrated their wedding anniversary in August 2023. Hargitay marked the milestone on her Instagram alongside a throwback picture of the lovebirds on their wedding day.
Mariska Hargitay recently stepped out with her beloved spouse, Peter Hermann, and the couple posed for a picture that has fans talking online. Social media users are in awe of Hermann's thoughtful gesture toward his wife that was evident in the snap.
Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann during the 3rd Annual "Children's Day Artrageous" at The Metropolitan Pavilion on April 25, 2005 in New York City. | Source: Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENT
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Hargitay first met Hermann in 2002 when he bagged a guest-starring role on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," in which she plays Detective Olivia Benson.
Mariska Hargitay and her "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" co-star Christopher Meloni at the New York premiere of "Coyote Ugly," 2000 | Source: Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTIn a February 2021 interview, their fellow co-star Christopher Meloni, who played Detective Elliot Stabler for the first 12 seasons of the police procedural, dished on how Hargitay fell for Hermann.
Mariska Hargitay and Chris Meloni in the set of "Law and Order: SVU" in Harlem on March 17, 2010 in New York | Source: Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENT
"He's on the show as a guest actor, and I'm looking at her, looking at him, and I'm seeing how she's acting, right? I know her, and I'm like, 'Oh boy. Here we go.' And she's just, 'Tee-hee, tee-hee, I don't even care about him or anything like that,'" recalledMeloni.
Peter Herman and Mariska Hargitay during Entertainment Weekly's 9th Annual Academy Awards viewing party at Elaine's on March 23, 2003 in New York City | Source: Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENT
Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann during the American Women in Radio & Television 29th Annual Gracie Allen Awards at Hilton Hotel on June 22, 2004 in New York City | Source: Getty Images
Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann during Elle Magazine's 21st Birthday VIP Bash at Bloomingdales on September 7, 2005 in New York City | Source: Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTAlthough Hargitay initially said she was not romantically interested in Hermann, she ended up dating him. However, one day, she arrived on set "sobbing" over her relationship with her boyfriend – whom she had been seeing for a while, said Meloni.
"She goes, 'Peter and I had a really deep, long conversation. We cried, and I just don't think it's going to work,'" the Emmy Award nominee recounted during the interview.
