If he could go back in time, Adam Brody would propose to wife Leighton Meester differently.
“I’ll spare the details,” the Nobody Wants This star, 46, said during the Monday, October 26, episode of Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast. “However, rest assured, it was not as romantic as it should have been. The only thing romantic about it was the speed. I proposed pretty quickly into our relationship. We got married fast, but other than that, it was very pedestrian.”
Brody and Meester, 40, began dating in early 2013 and got engaged that November, although they have kept the details of the proposal private. The couple secretly tied the knot in November 2014 and welcomed daughter Arlo the following August. They welcomed their second child, a son whose name has not been publicly revealed, in September 2020.
“At the time [of the proposal], you’re like, ‘Whatever,’ but you’re going to tell this story for the rest of your life,” Brody continued on Monday. “So, my advice: Do it not even just for the moment, but for the story that you’re gonna tell forever.”
Brody concluded, “I do kick myself a little. She deserved a little more.”
Though Brody and Meester have kept their relationship fairly private over the years, the pair have opened up about the secrets to their success. Earlier this month, Brody shared what he’s learned from their 12-year marriage.
“That there’s a duality in all of us,” the O.C. alum told Elle. “Oftentimes, I feel mature and responsible, and other times, I feel like a little boy still, and I can’t believe I’m the age I am.”
He continued, “But I think what I’ve learned is, if you want it to last and you’re taking it seriously, there’s a certain level of humbling yourself that is required. You have to be willing to adjust. Not change the core of who you are, but really factor someone else’s wants and desires and needs into the equation. You’re not always going to be right, and you have to accept that. It’s a lot easier to always be right when you’re single.”
Back in January, Meester opened up to People about why she thinks her relationship with Brody is still so strong.
“It’s so funny, because the other night somebody asked me that, and I was like, ‘I wish I had the answer,’ [but] I think just liking each other, and getting along is a big part of it,” she said of the secret to their marriage. “It is sort of at a base level what it’s about. Just being like, ‘I really like this person.’”
The actress added, “I think being with another person and knowing that they’re going to be imperfect and challenge you, and that you are far from perfect, is [important, and to] always be open and willing to work on yourself.”
