Mariska Hargitay Joked That Johnny Depp Was Her Get out of Marriage Free Card
Law & Order: SVU shaped Mariska Hargitay’s life in many ways, even introducing the actor to her husband. She and Peter Hermann have enjoyed a long marriage and have since started a family. But she quipped there was another actor she was willing to break her vows for. And Hermann completely understood.
Peter Hermann understood Mariska Hargitay’s celebrity crush
Hermann came into Hargitay’s life at an unexpected but perfect time. Because of her SVU career, Hargitay had little time for relationships. And it didn’t help that she was transported to the always-bustling New York City.
“Well, I had a few rough years in New York because I’d lived in L.A. my whole life, and felt ripped from the womb when I moved here. It was difficult to maintain relationships working 14 hours a day. As an actor, you dream and pray to have steady work, so I felt guilty that I wasn’t happy,” she once told Glamour.
She asserted that changed when she met Hermann. Hermann was cast in a guest-starring role in a season 3 episode of SVU. He immediately caught Hargitay’s attention, and she even joked she would end up marrying him.
“‘Who is that Clark Gable, superman guy that I need to marry today?'” Hargitay remembered asking in an interview on The Drew Barrymore Show.
The two would marry after just two years of dating and enjoyed a 19-year-long relationship together. Although Hargitay only has feelings for Hermann, the couple agreed she’d be given a pass with another big actor.
“I have a few. Well, it’s always Johnny Depp. He’s so talented and so cool and doesn’t take himself too seriously,” she joked.
How Mariska Hargitay acted when she met Peter Hermann’s get-out-of-marriage free card
Hargitay isn’t the only person in the relationship allowed to have a celebrity crush. Hermann confided to his wife that actor and model Cindy Crawford was his pass. Being in the same industry, Hargitay and Crawford would eventually cross paths. But when they did, the SVU star quipped that she understood the hype.
“It’s funny, because when I met her, I said to Peter, ‘If you have a chance, definitely go for it,’ because she was so pretty, kind, approachable and human,” she said.
Hargitay agreed that she didn’t want to like Crawford at the time, but Crawford’s charm won her over.
“I wanted to hate her, but she’s so lovely. I told my husband, ‘It’s OK, I so get it.’ We had a huge laugh,” she said.
Mariska Hargitay felt like a loser among her celebrity friends before she was cast in ‘Law & Order SVU’
Hargitay’s perseverance was the key to her success, as she had a rocky road to SVU. She spent much of her 20s making ends meet through small acting gigs while working a regular job. She often credited her father for giving her the attitude she needed to stay the course.
“I could have quit a million times, but my dad drilled into me that our family doesn’t quit,” she once told Parade. “So if you don’t get it, it means you’re not ready and you have to get up and try again. There’s really something to be said for perseverance and not throwing in the towel.”
But there were times when Hargitay truly did want to throw in the towel. She had several well-known celebrity friends, all of whom achieved monumental success earlier than she did. Although this discouraged the Golden Globe winner, she kept remembering her father’s advice.
“I have all these amazing friends — Hilary Swank, Carrie-Anne Moss, Maria Bello. About 10 years ago, they were all just hitting it, movie after movie after movie,” she said. “I loved these women, but I couldn’t help but feel like the loser of the group. But one thing my dad taught me was, there’s only one person to compete with — yourself. If you had asked me 10 years ago, ‘Are you going to start a foundation for victims of sexual assault?’ I would’ve said, ‘No, I’m an actor, I just want to be in movies.’ I’m really grateful my job has led me down this road.”
