In the crazy world of Hollywood, it’s rare to find a marriage between two stars that is actually able to stand the test of time. That’s what makes the former Cheers star Ted Danson’s thirty year marriage to the Oscar-winning actress Mary Steenburgen so special!
Danson, 77, and Steenburgen, 72, are currently appearing together in season 2 of A Man on the Inside, which dropped on Netflix on Thursday. On the show, they are playing two characters who are romantically interested in one another. This has come as a huge relief for Danson, who is admitting in a new interview that he feels “guilty” filming love scenes with strangers after decades of marriage to Steenburgen.
Danson Feels ‘Guilty’ Filming Love Scenes With Strangers
“Easier for me because I’m not crazy about love scenes with strangers — actors,” Danson told TODAY during a joint interview with Steenburgen.
Host Craig Melvin quipped that this was a “good answer sitting next to your wife.” Danson, however, was not having any of it. Indeed, he insisted that he wasn’t playing it safe.
“No, but it’s also true,” Danson said. “You feel guilty and awkward and it’s wrong.”
Steenburgen couldn’t resist teasing her husband in response to this.
“See, I don’t — I don’t, but anyway,” she said.
Danson then covered his ears before joking, “Is she going to talk about it?”
Getting serious again, Danson added, “But I have total permission, because she knows I love her and we’re husband and wife, to fall madly in love with her on camera.”
‘It’s An Interesting Challenge…’
Later in the interview, Danson and Steenburgen opened up about what it’s like to play love interests onscreen. According to the Hollywood couple, it’s a lot harder than fans might think.
“It’s an interesting challenge because it’s the opposite,” Steenburgen explained. “Usually you would go, ‘Hi, nice to meet you,’ then you’re doing some sort of romantic scene with the person you just met. In our case, we had to unlearn everything about each other and see each other for the first time.”
Danson and Steenburgen went on to reveal the ritual that they both do before they film their scenes. It’s a nod to the late legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner.
“Yes, normally you just say ‘break a leg,’ but we both studied..,Mary studied with Sandy Meisner at the Neighborhood Playhouse,” Danson said. Steenburgen chimed in to add, “We, just to remind ourselves to really connect, we would say his name right before the take — and it worked.”
“He grounds you,” Danson concluded.
Danson And Steenburgen’s History
Danson and Steenburgen met in 1983, and they married in 1995. Earlier this year, Steenburgen confessed that she initially thought that Danson was a ladies man, much like the character he was playing on Cheers when they met.
“I admired him so much as an actor, but I didn’t personally know him, and I had this stupid idea that he was maybe kind of a slick guy,” she told People Magazine back in January.
However, it didn’t take long for Steenburgen to realize just “how wrong” she was.
“Slick guys don’t say, ‘gosh-a-rooni,’ after making love,” she joked. “I’d like to apologize to my granddaughters.”
After seeing so many Hollywood marriages fall apart, the love that Danson and Steenburgen clearly have for one another is incredibly refreshing to see.
If you adore these two as much as we do, be sure to check out season two of A Man on the Inside on Netflix. You won’t be disappointed!