Ben Stiller says he knew early on that Christine Taylor was the person he wanted to spend his life with. The Zoolander star opened up about their relationship in a new interview, sharing that the realization came to him naturally.
“It just came to me,” Stiller, 59, told The Wall Street Journal. “I was like, ‘Oh, I’m really happy being with this person and we have fun together.’ It just felt like an instinctual sort of thing.”
Stiller met Taylor, 54, in 1999, and the two quickly bonded over their shared sense of humor. Less than a year later, they were married. The couple has maintained a strong connection both on and off the screen for more than two decades.
“Our shared sense of humour is the key to our off-screen relationship,” Stiller said. “When you’re with somebody for many years, and you go through the ups and downs of life, a sense of humor is just the most important thing, being able to laugh together and want to hang out together.”
The pair has starred together in several hit comedies, including Zoolander, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Tropic Thunder. Reflecting on their professional chemistry, Stiller added, “When we work on screen together, it’s the same thing: she really makes me laugh.”
The couple shares two children, daughter Ella Olivia and son Quinlin Dempsey, born in 2002 and 2005. After nearly twenty years of marriage, Stiller and Taylor announced their separation in 2017 but found their way back to each other five years later.
“I’m so grateful for it, and I think not that many people do come back together when they separate,” Stiller told The New York Times earlier this year. “There’s nothing like that when you come back. You have so much more appreciation for what you have, because we know we could not have it.”
In addition to discussing his personal life, Stiller reflected on his long career, from creating Severance for Apple TV+ to working with Ariana Grande in his upcoming comedy Focker-in-Law and even appearing in one of SZA’s music videos. He laughed about his “brief tenure” on Saturday Night Live, where he appeared in only four episodes.
In a separate interview with Radio Times, Stiller shared his thoughts on the current state of comedy. “We live in a world where taking chances with comedy is more challenging,” he said. “You’re seeing that front and center in our country. But I think it’s important that comedians keep doing what they’re doing, speaking truth to power and being free to say what they want. That’s the most important thing.”