"Bras dessus Bras dessous…" Mariska Hargitay wrote on Instagram alongside a black and white photo of her and husband Peter Hermann walking into the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc. The phrase – French for "arm in arm" – wasn't just romantic sentiment. It was a nod to the quiet of the kind of love that defines their relationship.
"So grateful for this grand love," she added.
It's not the first time Mariska, 60, has spoken about her husband like that. But something about the Cannes setting – the old world glamour, the sweeping entrance and the glittering gowns – made the moment feel like a still from a movie. Except it's their real life.
© InstagramMariska and Peter met in 2001 on the set of Law & Order: SVU, when he played defense attorney Trevor Langan. Three years later, in 2004, they got married. Now, two decades and three children into their relationship, they still act like newlyweds. The type of couple that looks at each other in a crowded room like they're the only ones there.
"I think really early on," Mariska told PEOPLE in 2019. "When I first saw him, he was so tall and gorgeous and I was just in love."
They've never been performative about their relationship, but they don't hide it either. At the 2025 amfAR Gala, Mariska and Peter showed up looking like a classic Hollywood couple. She wore a strapless white gown that hugged her frame, he was in a clean-cut black tux, and together they looked like they stepped out of another era.
© Getty ImagesPeter has also spoken openly about how solid their relationship feels. “We’re just really compatible,” he said in a 2018 interview with Entertainment Tonight. “We’re both really attentive to each other, and it works.”
Their appearance at Cannes wasn’t about promoting anything. It wasn’t a press tour or a project launch. It was simply the two of them showing up for each other. And it was a reminder that in a sea of short-lived celebrity romances, some people are still in it for the long haul.
© Getty ImagesThere was no fanfare in Mariska’s post. No over-the-top captions. Just gratitude.
© InstagramMaybe that’s what makes them work: they’re not trying to be anything other than what they are. Two people who met at work, built a life, and still hold hands when they walk into a party.
That kind of love doesn’t need a spotlight. But when it ends up in one, like at Cannes, it shines. Learn more about Mariska on Law & Order: SVU in the below video.
