James Brolin Reflects on 20 Years of Marriage With Barbra Streisand (Exclusive)

The 77-year-old actor got candid about the keys to his long-lasting relationship.

Two decades strong! James Brolin and Barbra Streisand are nearing their 20th wedding anniversary this year.

ET’s Katie Krause spoke with Brolin at the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries winter Television Critics Association red carpet on Saturday, where he revealed that despite his decades-long romance, he still doesn't have all the answers. 

“I don’t know, because nobody trains you,” he said of the secret to his and Streisand's marriage. “This is my third time -- third marriage. I picked difficult situations the first two times, but I think you learn with each one. I’m a person that believes that if I’m wrong, that’s when I learn, and when I’m right, I haven’t learned a thing.”

Noting that he takes his relationship “day to day,” Brolin revealed that he’s an advocate of marriage counseling.

“I do believe in counseling if anybody ever has a problem in their marriage. Bring in a referee, talk it over, and I swear to you, it will dispel by the end of the session, each time!” he said. “Sometimes in a tough marriage, it’s tough to talk, but if you do, it works!”

The 77-year-old actor has also learned to maintain his marriage with Streisand by not interrupting her during hectic times.

“When she’s busy, she’s really focused, and part of our good relationship is that I understand that,” he shared. “And if I come to her with something important and she says, ‘I don’t have time right now,’ she doesn’t have time, period. That’s the way the mind works. You gotta focus.”

As for how Streisand, 75, makes him feel special, Brolin said, “I’m always welcome when I get home. I always get notes, ‘Hurry home!’ When I get there, there’s always something kind of great waiting for me, some plan, and I try to reciprocate.”

RELATED CONTENT:

Barbra Streisand Calls Out Golden Globes for Not Awarding More Female Directors

‘Girls Trip' Star Tiffany Haddish Says She Taught Barbra Streisand All About Cardi B

Josh Brolin on His Ripped Bod and How He Knew Wife Kathyrn Boyd Was the One (Exclusive)