Peter Sarsgaard<\/strong><\/a> and Maggie Gyllenhaal<\/strong><\/a> are still going strong after 14 years of marriage, and according to him, the reason is \u201csimple.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked about the key to a long-lasting romance, the 52-year-old actor told E! News<\/em><\/a> revealed he only has one strategy. \u201cTell the truth,\u201d Sarsgaard said. \u201cIsn\u2019t that all there is? It\u2019s pretty simple. It\u2019s not that complicated. Isn\u2019t that the secret to any friendship or relationship?\u201d<\/p>\n Sarsgaard is a firm believer that honesty really is the best policy. \u201cOtherwise, even if it\u2019s a nice lie, even if it\u2019s a lie to prop someone up or help them avoid what they\u2019re trying to avoid, you\u2019re not living in reality,\u201d he continued. \u201cAnd that\u2019s the only place to live in.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarsgaard was close pals with Jake Gyllenhaal<\/strong><\/a> before sparking a romance with his sister in 2002. The couple got engaged in 2006, tying the knot three years later in Brindisi, Italy. Maggie and her husband share daughters Ramona, 17, and Gloria, 11.<\/p>\n Along with sharing rare insight<\/a> into his marriage, Sarsgaard opened up about how he and his loved ones plan to celebrate the holidays. \u201cThere\u2019s a church that we go to that has a midnight mass that I don\u2019t go to any other time throughout the year,\u201d he told E! News,<\/em> detailing his favorite festive traditions. \u201cThe midnight mass there is extraordinary, and Maggie and I are sometimes able to sing.\u201d<\/p>\n The couple have largely kept their family life out of the spotlight since becoming parents, but Maggie got candid about some of the unexpected challenges of raising children<\/a> during a 2019 Q&A. At the time, her eldest daughter was \u201cgoing into eighth grade\u201d \u2014 and Maggie realized there was one thing she certainly wasn\u2019t an expert on.<\/p>\n \u201c[She] is so far beyond my math ability that I can\u2019t help her,\u201d she confessed. \u201c[But she] is really, like, a notably excellent student and there are places where I can really help her. I love to read her essays. \u2026 I studied literature. I love talking about the books she\u2019s reading.\u201d<\/p>\n Sarsgaard, meanwhile, is the \u201cmusic guy\u201d in their home. \u201cHe believes that learning to read music and learning to play music is just as important as learning anything else you learn in school,\u201d Maggie added. \u201cI can read music like a kindergartner. I don\u2019t have the discipline, and he really does. He has taught both of my daughters how to play instruments.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Peter](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Peter-Sarsgaard-Shares-Rare-Insight-Into-Maggie-Gyllenhaal-Marriage-2.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard at the 2002 Donna Karan \u201cBlack Cashmere\u201d Launch<\/span> Gregory Pace\/FilmMagic<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n