Ted Danson Shares His and Mary Steenburgen's Secret for Happy Marriage

Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen.

Ted Danson is happy to spend the rest of his life with wife Mary Steenburgen.

“Once you meet her, you’ll understand,” Danson, 76, exclusively told Us Weekly of Steenburgen, 71, at the Los Angeles premiere of his new series, A Man on the Inside, on Sunday, November 10. “She’s magnificent and we love each other and we laugh a lot.”

Danson, who has been married to Steenburgen since 1995, shared that he and his wife have kept the spark alive by having a similar mindset.

“We both get one ingredient in life, which is so important, that if something goes wrong, you look at yourself knowing and trusting the other person is looking at [themselves], which is what allows you to grow,” he said. “If you’re with somebody who’s not willing to look at themselves, that doesn’t work.”

Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen: A Timeline of Their Relationship

Danson added that not being as introspective can lead to a “defensive” nature between people in a relationship. However, that’s not the case for Danson and Steenburgen.

“I love who she is, truly,” the actor gushed. “If I could be a woman, I’d be her. She’s trained me well. I could do it. I swear I could do it.”

Ted Danson.While the pair met initially in the 1980s, it wasn’t until the following decade that their love began to blossom. Steenburgen and Danson fell in love while working together on the 1994 movie Pontiac Moon. Steenburgen was coming off her divorce from Malcolm McDowell. Danson, for his part, was previously married to Randy Gosch from 1970 to 1975 and Cassandra Coates from 1977 to 1993. Both Danson and Steenburgen became doting stepparents to the children they welcomed in their previous marriages.

Since tying the knot, Danson and Steenburgen have continued to work together professionally. They both starred in the miniseries Gulliver’s Travels and the short-lived sitcom Ink. The duo continued to make appearances in each other’s projects including Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Good Place, and Danson told Us on Sunday that he wants to “work with her again” at some point.

Ted Danson on Potential 'Cheers' Reunion: 'I've Seen Them Recently'

Danson is currently starring on the Netflix series A Man on the Inside alongside Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Stephanie Beatriz and Sally Struthers. The comedy follows a retired man (Danson) who becomes an amateur private investigator. For the project, Danson was reunited with Michael Schur, who also created The Good Place.

“I do want to be purposeful about what [projects] I pick, which is what’s so amazing about working with Michael Schur because what he writes about is important and it’s purposeful,” Danson told Us. “There’s intention behind what he writes. So yes, it can be funny, but it is fully human and I love [it]. I think that’s what actors love most is exploring the human condition. It doesn’t mean you can’t be silly and funny.”

A Man on the Inside premieres on Netflix November 21.

With reporting by Mariel Turner