"It’s really about when my wife is happy" — Courtney B. Vance talks about the secret to his successful marriage with Angela Bassett

Courtney B. Vance, while speaking to People Magazine during the world premiere of his new film, Lilo & Stitch, at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on May 17, revealed the secret to his marriage with Angela Bassett.

"It's really about when my wife is happy, the land is happy. So I just try to (go), 'Does this work for you, baby?' It doesn't work... we're not doing that. And I think it's the mutual respect."

Courtney went on to highlight the importance of healthy communication in relationships, saying,

"You gotta talk about (it) and figure out which way...(you) want to go."

The pair have been married since October 1997, after first meeting at the Yale School of Drama in the 1980s.

More about Courtney B. Vance and Angela Bassett's relationship

Courtney B. Vance and Angela Bassett first ran into each other when they were graduate students at the Yale School of Drama in the 1980s. Vance had a girlfriend at the time, and the two met again almost a decade later.

While speaking to Oprah Winfrey in a 2007 interview, Angela opened up about their romance, saying,

"I didn't run into Courtney again until 1994. I was out with some friends and he was too. It was like, 'Hey! Great to see you.'"

Bassett, in their book, Friends: A Love Story, revealed that the two went on a few dates before having their first kiss.

"I got pinpricks and chills up the back of my thighs and across my butt, up my neck and across my scalp."

The two dated for a few years before tying the knot in October 1997, days before Bassett was scheduled to start work on How Stella Got Her Groove Back.

While speaking to People Magazine, Bassett mentioned that she had a lot on her plate, and Courtney "stepped up" and decided to help her.

Almost a decade after the two married, a source revealed to People Magazine in 2005 that the two are expecting twins via a surrogate. The couple welcomed twins on January 27, 2006, and went on to write a book, Friends: A Love Story, together.

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The couple has been supportive of each other over the years, and Vance went on to praise Angela in his speech at the 68th annual Emmy Awards in 2016.

Elsewhere in his interview with People Magazine at the premiere, Courtney B. Vance gave an update about their twins and mentioned that Bronwyn and Slater just finished their first year of college.

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