Strange Things About Landman Star Ali Larter's Marriage We Just Can't Ignore

Ali Larter and Hayes MacArthur celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary in 2025, so they're certainly qualified to hand out date night advice. She teased one of their secrets to Us Weekly, explaining they choose to walk to dinner to get more time together. "We love to go out and get pasta and a beautiful bottle of wine and just take our time," she said. "We don't want to just rush to a restaurant and rush to eat. It's really about getting off the clock." The "Heroes" star also gushed to People about their strong marriage and, when asked to name what she admires most about her husband and father of her two children, she said, "The way that he takes care of our family." 

But while things between Larter and MacArthur may seem practically perfect, even the most idyllic-looking relationships have their share of strange things. And Larter has openly confessed her marriage isn't without its ups and downs. "I never sit here and say that it's easy. Because I think any long-term relationship is so hard at times," she said on "The Drew Barrymore Show." But while it's not odd for someone to admit marriage isn't constant sunshine and rainbows, from her suggestion of walking down the aisle mere weeks into their romance, to his refusal to watch one of her biggest shows, there are multiple oddities here that we can't ignore.

Ali Larter made a frank confession about how quickly her love for her now husband, Hayes MacArthur, developed. In a 2007 Cosmopolitan interview, she revealed, "I told my boyfriend after three weeks that I wanted to marry him and that we could do it tomorrow ... I do want to get engaged and married ... and I look forward to that time when I'm home with babies." Though it's important to be open and honest about feelings and expectations in relationships, Larter took a major risk by being so brazen so fast.

She could have scared MacArthur off if he didn't feel the same way, and although we don't doubt Larter really was in love, she could easily have confused the feeling with infatuation. "Both are based on intense feelings without thinking clearly," Lisa B. Schwartz, PhD, LMFT, a psychotherapist and AASECT-certified sex therapist, explained to Women's Health U.K. And if she had confused the two, that wouldn't have been a fun conversation to have further down the line. Suggesting marriage so quickly could also have been a sign Larter has an anxious, avoidant, or disorganized attachment style and, although things worked out, it wouldn't have been a bad idea for her to let a little more time pass so she could truly process her feelings before expressing them.

Despite Larter's quick declaration of love though, the couple stayed sensible. MacArthur didn't pop the question until late 2007, two years after they met on the set of "Homo Erectus." That puts them just short of the two and a half years that Shane Co. reported it takes the average U.S. couple to get engaged.

Ali Larter gushed about her romance with Hayes MacArthur in a 2009 Cosmopolitan interview, in which she also got honest about what she was looking for before they found love. In an eyebrow raising insight, she admitted, "You know it's right when you feel this undeniable connection and chemistry. But to sustain a marriage for 50 years, you have to get real a little bit and find someone who is understanding and who you can grow with ... My mom always says, 'Marry the man who loves you a millimeter more.'"

Though Larter's comment seemed to be tongue in cheek, we can't imagine it was nice for MacArthur to read — especially in such a huge magazine interview. Equally, if Larter really did enter the relationship believing MacArthur's feelings for her were stronger, that could lead to negative feelings. "A person may have resentment or feel that they are being taken advantage of because the efforts being put in to the relationship are lopsided," relationship expert Anita Chlipala told Elite Daily of the dangers of unequal love in relationships. "Also a person's anxiety or insecurity can get worse over time because they are not getting the reassurance they need from their partner," she added.

"Landman" has been a major hit for Ali Larter, but her husband wasn't amongst the 14.8 million viewers who tuned in to the Season 2 finale. Speaking on "CBS Mornings" in 2025, leggy look queen Larter first admitted that her son doesn't watch the show, and when asked what MacArthur thinks of her character, Angela, she responded, "He doesn't watch it either ... You know, he'll laugh at it, and then he's like, you know, 'Ugh.' It's a lot for them. It's a lot. Even my dad. It's like, my son, my dad, my husband. Ugh. Those poor guys."

Although watching your partner, even in character, perform intimate scenes with someone else can't be easy, it's still a little surprising that MacArthur refuses to watch the show at all. The "Final Destination" actor didn't suggest her husband doesn't support her and her career, but watching her work (even if he covered his eyes during risqué scenes) could be a way for him to show how he fully stands by his wife.

Because Ali Larter and Hayes MacArthur both have busy careers, they don't get to spend a lot of time together. Larter, who's aging like fine wine, spoke to People about how they balance their tough schedules, admitting shooting "Landman" in Texas takes her away from the Idaho home she shares with her husband and kids for five months at a time. The star referred to her husband as her "support system" because of how he keeps the home fires burning, but explained that even when she's home, he's often gone due to his own career as an actor, writer, and producer. "Then when he leaves, I can hold down the fort. He's my rock," she said, suggesting they're in a long-distance romance for much of the year.

A lack of regular, quality time could prove detrimental to their marriage. It's vital these two make the most of the little time they get together to keep their relationship strong, as those in long-distance relationships can easily experience a lack of closeness and intimacy. After all, too much time apart was one of the signs we noticed that spelled the end for Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom. Equally, the physical and mental effort that goes into constantly commuting can put a major strain on even the healthiest relationships, making it much more important they carve out time for one another.